Nick Cunningham

The programme includes 12 feature-length and 8 short documentary films. “More than half of the titles in this year's programme reflect the need to reconceptualize human relationships as a particularly necessary value,” says Sarajevo doc programmer Rada Šešić. “It is interesting that in most films in these gloomy times, or precisely because of this, the authors celebrate the power of love as the strongest driver of life, whether they are family or war stories.” he 31st Sarajevo FF runs August 15 to 22.

The Venice Film Festival unveiled July 22 the official line-up for its upcoming edition. Two Italian documentaries feature in Competition (incl Gianfranco Rosi’s Sotto le Nuvole), while 19 play Out of Competition. Nine docs are selected for Classics. This year, Alexander Payne will serve as the President of the Jury which also includes Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Fernanda Torres and Zhao Tao. The 82nd Venice FF takes place August 27 to September 6.

Submissions for the Oscar® qualifying Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (5-15 March 2026) are now open. The Festival has four competition sections: Feature Length International Competition, Newcomers International Competition, >>Film Forward International Competition and Immersive: All around cinema International Competition. Submission deadline: Nov 30. Early bird deadline: Sept 15.

The 8th edition of FIPADOC will be held in Biarritz from January 23 to 31 2026. Deadlines: September 26 for films eligible for non-competitive selection or for Francophone Panorama selection (already broadcasted on TV or released in cinemas). October 6 for new films eligible for Grand Prix competitions and other competitive selections.

Adel Ksiksi, Head of AJD Industry Days, posted a reassurance July 17 that this year's edition “is not cancelled” despite the recent closure of Al Jazeera Balkans and the AJB DOC Film Festival, both located in Sarajevo. “We will be in touch very soon with details of the new location and dates,” Ksiksi underlined in a statement to BDE. The 4th Industry Days event was due to run 13-15 September, while the  AJB DOC Film Festival was originally scheduled for 12-16 September.

Producer Lucy Darwin [producer of Lost In La Mancha, Match Point) and Natasha Bhatia will co-present the inaugural Dora Maar Film Festival, which will run August 29-31 in the village of Ménerbes, in the heart of Provence. Honouring the spirit of its namesake, the surrealist artist Dora Maar who lived in Ménerbes, the first edition will feature six documentaries about photography and photographers.

CPH:DOX, EAVE and IMS are calling on filmmakers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine with doc projects in development to apply for CHANGE, the 3-part tailor-made co-production training programme. The programme will consist of three residential workshops and a presentation of the projects during CPH:FORUM 2026. The deadline for applications is 11 August.

The International Factual Forum is a premier event dedicated to “celebrating and advancing talent and original international factual formats,” while Italians Doc It Better is dedicated to Italian documentaries in post-production, rough cut or completed, but not yet presented or screened at markets, festivals, showcases, cinemas, TV or platforms. Deadline for submission: August 10. The ninth edition of MIA will take place in Rome October 6 to 10.

The Best Irish Feature Doc award went to Sanatorium by Gar O'Rourke, while the Best International Documentary gong was awarded to Gerry Adams – A Ballymurphy Man by Trisha Ziff. Over six days (July 8-13), the Fleadh screened 97 feature films, including 44 Irish features, and more than 100 shorts from Ireland and the rest of the world. All doc winners…

The Czech-Slovak film, directed by acclaimed Slovak documentary filmmaker Miro Remo, claimed the top prize this weekend at the conclusion of the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Tragically, František Klišík, one of the film’s key protagonists, died in what seemed to have been a drowning accident just hours after the award of the Crystal Globe.