Film education
Workshops, classroom teaching, and conversations centered on documentary craft, ethics, critique, and the practical choices behind a finished film.
Filmmaker · Educator · Chicago
Dan Rybicky
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Current work
Traces of Home
U.S. Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC. Theatrical release by Watermelon Pictures this fall.
Selected films
Documentaries that make room for complexity.
Films about artists, institutions, health care, education, and the responsibilities we carry toward one another.
- 2025
Traces of Home
Feature documentary · 1h 33m
ProducerFilmmaker Colette Ghunim takes her parents to find the ancestral homes in Mexico and Palestine that they fled decades earlier.
Directed by Colette Ghunim - 2020
Stormy and the Admirals
Short documentary · 9m
Director, ProducerA group of elderly feminists in a Chicago senior apartment building support Stormy Daniels by going to see her perform at a club that shares their building’s name.
Directed by Dan Rybicky - 2018
Accident, MD
Short documentary · 19m
Director, ProducerA survey of attitudes about America's health care crisis filmed in and around the small town of Accident, Maryland.
Directed by Dan Rybicky - 2017
Larry from Gary
Short documentary
Director, ProducerPart of The Trump Trilogy, this short considers arts education through a personal lens.
- 2014
Almost There
Feature documentary · 1h 33m
Director, Producer, WriterAn elderly outsider artist living in at-risk conditions befriends two filmmakers and causes controversy at his first major exhibition.
Directed by Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden · Written by Dan Rybicky
Watch
Stories in motion.
Education and consulting
Helping filmmakers find the clearest form of their story.
Project consulting
Thoughtful feedback for documentary works in progress, from early questions and structure through rough cuts, audience strategy, and next steps.
Start a conversation ↗Speaking
Screenings, panels, and facilitated discussions about queer storytelling, collaborative filmmaking, and complicated social issues.
About
A filmmaker, producer, and educator grounded in conversation.
DAN RYBICKY is an award-winning filmmaker and educator telling stories from a queer perspective to inspire conversations about complicated social issues.
Dan is currently producing the feature Traces of Home, a powerful and timely documentary which recently won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC and is being released theatrically by Watermelon Pictures this fall.
Past projects include Almost There, Kartemquin Films’ acclaimed feature documentary about mental health and aging in America, and The Trump Trilogy, three short documentaries about arts education (Larry from Gary), women’s rights (Stormy and the Admirals), and health care (Accident, MD, winner of Vimeo’s Best Documentary of the Year).
Field notes
On films and filmmaking.
Essays on documentary practice, education, producing, and stories that make room for complexity.
Documentary Practice
Listening Before the Camera Rolls
A reflection on how attention, trust, and time shape a documentary interview before recording begins.
August 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Storytelling
A Queer Perspective on Complicated Stories
A note on perspective, complexity, and making films that invite conversation rather than easy conclusions.
July 2, 2026 · 6 min read
Film Education
Teaching the Edit as a Series of Choices
A teaching note about helping emerging filmmakers see editing as an ethical and creative practice.
May 14, 2026 · 4 min readAll notes
- Documentary PracticeListening Before the Camera RollsA reflection on how attention, trust, and time shape a documentary interview before recording begins.
- StorytellingA Queer Perspective on Complicated StoriesA note on perspective, complexity, and making films that invite conversation rather than easy conclusions.
- Film EducationTeaching the Edit as a Series of ChoicesA teaching note about helping emerging filmmakers see editing as an ethical and creative practice.
- ProducingProducing With the Story in ViewA reflection on protecting a film’s purpose through the practical decisions of production.
- Film EducationWhat a Work-in-Progress Screening Can TeachA guide to gathering useful feedback without surrendering a film’s point of view.
Studio shop
Objects for people who make and watch films.
Contact
Begin with a good question.
Films and producing
For screenings, collaborations, press, production, and distribution conversations.
Education and consulting
For teaching, speaking, workshops, and feedback on documentary projects in progress.