The directors of 10 of the year’s top documentary features — Becoming Cousteau, The First Wave, Flee, Found, Francesco, Julia, Procession, The Rescue, Summer of Soul and The Velvet Underground — gathered at the Savannah Film Festival earlier this season to record the eighth annual Docs to Watch Panel, which, as always, was presented by The Hollywood Reporter and moderated by yours truly.

Now, with voting underway to determine the best documentary feature Oscar, THR is pleased to share the full conversation with these talented filmmakers about the inspirations for, challenges making and impact of their documentaries: