Recognising the Importance of the Scottish Documentary Institute and Independent Documentaries

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the importance of the Scottish Documentary Institute in the independent documentary ecosystem in Scotland, and its continuous efforts to nurture non-fiction filmmakers and audiences; understands that the Scottish Documentary Institute, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024, offers a range of programmes to local and international filmmakers and actively collaborates with documentary organisations around the world to champion and celebrate the art form; further understands that films supported through Scottish Documentary Institute's programmes have garnered acclaim in prestigious international festivals like Sundance, Berlinale and IDFA, and received awards and nominations at BAFTA Scotland, Grierson Awards and IDA Documentary Awards; believes that despite the success of documentaries in international festivals and markets, the sector is in a very precarious state with funding challenges, insufficient understanding of its cultural value, and the slow return of audiences into cinemas; hopes for more committed support to enable a fairer and more diverse industry to flourish, and believes that it is a vital art form that sparks critical thinking and inspires positive social change in a generous and thought-provoking way.