Bio

Rachel Antell has worked in documentary film production for over two decades in various capacities, but found her true passion in archival producing. In 2014 she co-founded Sub-Basement Archival, where she has had the honor of being archival producer on contemporary and historic documentaries. Sub-Basement films have aired on streaming platforms, cable, public and network television, screened at festivals worldwide, and garnered FOCAL Awards as well as an Emmy nomination for research and use of archival footage. In 2023, Rachel co-founded the Archival Producers Alliance (APA) with Jen Petrucelli and Steph Jenkins. The APA was created to organize and advocate for archival producers, educate the larger film community about the craft, and work to make archival materials more accessible and affordable for independent filmmakers. The APA's first initiative addresses the introduction of Generative AI into the field of documentary film and archival work. In September of this year, the APA published the first-ever industry-wide guidelines, Best Practices for Use of Generative AI in Documentaries, with endorsements from over 50 organizations, foundations, production companies, and film festivals, as well as dozens of filmmakers.