While she has dedicated her career to writing nonfiction, Sitka author Debbie Miller has always had a soft spot for documentary films. She believes they play an important role in uplifting authentic stories across the globe.
“Today, maybe more than ever before, we really need those true stories,” says Miller. “We’re craving documentaries. We want to know the truth of what’s going on in the world.”
Her love of documentaries led her to serve as a moderator for the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, or AmDocs, which premiered in Palm Springs, California in 2012. Miller says through her involvement in AmDocs, she is also able to honor her late father and step-mother, who were the festival’s co-founders. Now, Miller has worked tirelessly to bring the biggest documentary and animation-only festival on the West Coast to Alaska for the first time in the festival’s history. Miller believes Sitka is the perfect home for AmDocs given its unique arts scene.
“I think of Sitka as my home, and also the center for the Arts in Alaska,” says Miller. “We’ve got the music festival, Sitka fine arts camp. We have so much going on year round with theater arts, the grind. You know, all of these wonderful programs. In my mind, I thought and heart, ‘Sitka is going to love this,’ the people here, but also putting it on for everybody in Alaska.”
Sitka’s festival will feature a selection of 20 award-winning films from the AmDocs Festival in Palm Springs earlier this year. The films cover a wide range of subjects, from a profile of a fisherwoman in Southeast Alaska, working to keep her small salmon business afloat, to an investigative journalist in rural Russia uncovering political corruption. 6 of those filmmakers are currently slated to attend, coming from all corners of the world from the Lower 48 to Brazil. Teddy Grouya is the Festival Coordinator and founder of AmDocs. Grouya believes that the festival could help Sitka become a more prominent filming location.
“When we bring the industry people there, and they have a great experience in your and your lovely city and environment, they’re going to spread the word wherever they go, and they may even decide, wow, what a great location to shoot at,” said Grouya.
While she was initially hesitant as to whether already busy Sitkans would want to collaborate on another big arts event, Miller says that collaborating with local organizations was the most enjoyable part of bringing the festival to life.
“Because we are an arts community, and I had this fear that maybe this would be one more thing that might be too much, and it’s been absolutely the opposite,” said Miller. “There’s so much excitement about this festival that people have been coming forward.”
If the festival proves to be a success, Miller and Grouya hope that Sitka will host future AmDocs screenings for years to come. In the meantime, they invite everybody from Sitkans to visitors all across Alaska and the world to laugh, cry, and be inspired by the films they have in store.
The AmDoc film festival will take place from October 10 through 12. You can check out AmDocs’ website to learn more about the festival’s offerings and where to buy tickets.
Editor’s Note 9-16-25: Updated link directly to schedule and ticket buying options
