Sarah Spring is stepping down from her role as the executive director of the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC). Spring shared the news with POV and issued a statement to DOC members today. She will end her term on March 14.
Having been appointed to the executive director role in December 2020, Spring provided a measure of consistency to the organization devoted to lobbying for the rights of professionals working in documentary. Spring worked with DOC’s board and representatives to offer guidance to filmmakers as production resumed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Moving on from DOC was a difficult decision that was made after a lot of consideration,” Spring said in a statement. “I have relished this mandate to lead the documentary community as Executive Director of DOC. The ways in which the community at every level has worked together towards our shared goals has been an extraordinary thing. I’m very proud of what we have accomplished. I am so grateful to my incredible and dedicated team, and to my wonderful Board of Directors who have been such a source of guidance and inspiration.”
Spring’s tenure with DOC included responsive action amid the calls for equity and inclusion in the film sector. DOC introduced a key initiative to offer free beginner memberships to documentary professionals who identified as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour. The push sought to level the playing field and reduce barriers to access, especially at a moment when creative power could be redistributed away from urban centres with the shift to work from home. The campaign grew DOC’s membership considerably, doubling to a record high of nearly 1500 members from across the country. Spring, who is based in Montreal, led a cross-country check-in with DOC members and drew attention to regional needs across the sector.
Additionally, Spring’s time at DOC included the implementation of a health plan—a long running in-joke in the organization since its inception—and she helped drive cross-border initiatives to address mental health among doc creatives. In 2023, DOC released the report DocuMentality about mental health stresses on creatives, along with industry calls to action. The CBC launched Mental Health Initiative for Documentary Filmmakers in partnership with DOC in December 2024 to wellness address concerns in the field.
Spring also provided a sound voice for policy through her role on DOC by testifying with regards to the place for documentary at the CBC, calling on public funders like the NFB to increase transparency with regards to funding demographics, and advocating for the value of protecting long-form documentaries during the CRTC hearings as the Online Streaming Act aka Bill C-11 took shape. The seventh edition of DOC’s Getting Real report, released in September 2023, noted that public funding for feature docs in Canada was on the decline as dollars shifted towards series—a trend that shifts power, access, and opportunities among creatives.
“Sarah’s leadership made DOC a stronger and more relevant voice in Canada’s media landscape,” adds DOC’s National Board Chair Min Sook Lee. “Sarah’s excellent work ensures DOC’s next Executive Director will be well equipped to expand and deepen our mandate.”
An interim executive director will be appointed by DOC’s board of directors as the search begins for Spring’s replacement.
Prior to her work at DOC, Spring was an independent producer with credits on documentaries including No Ordinary Man, 1999, and The Devil’s Trap.
