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The 12 films that constitute this year’s Main Competition represent an “absolute highlight of what is happening currently in documentary cinema,” write organisers, and are eligible for nine awards across the festival’s host cities of Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Łódź and Bydgoszcz. The 23rd Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival runs 8 to 17 May 2026, and online from May 19 to June 1.

Among the 19 features and shorts selected for Cannes Directors Fortnight 2026 are five documentaries. These include Thanks for Coming, the final instalment of Alain Cavalier’s ongoing filmed diary. “We are delighted by the significant presence of documentaries (3 features and 2 shorts)…showcasing highly distinctive works that demonstrate the exceptional richness and vitality of [the form],” comments Artistic Director Julien Rejl.

Running May 7 to 17, the 29th Barcelona International Documentary Film Festival will open with Mehrdad Oskouei's story of resistance, A Fox Under a Pink Moon. John Wilson returns to DocsBarcelona with The History of Concrete, a humorous reflection on concrete and urban life, and the festival will tawad its Docs d'Honor prize to filmmaker Mark Cousins, who will present a retrospective of his work.

Guest of Honour will be leading UK thesp Maxine Peake, while the festival will also embrace actor Miriam Margolyes, Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold and broadcaster and environmentalist Chris Packham. A one-off celebration of Sir David Attenborough at 100 will bring together leading filmmakers and activists to reflect on his extraordinary legacy. The 2026 edition of Sheffield DocFest, dubbed ‘Realities in Motion,’ will run June 10-15.

The award will go to one of 12 feature documentaries about luminaries working within the arts – ranging from film, music, and theatre to literature and the avant-garde. Festival partner The National Fryderyk Chopin Institute funds the €2000 prize. The 23rd MDAG will take place from May 8-17, 2026 in cinemas across seven Polish cities (Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Łódź, and Bydgoszcz), and online from May 19 to June 1.

The Visions du Réel Foundation announced April 8 the departure of Artistic Director Emilie Bujès, who will leave the festival at the end of July 2026. “Having served as Co-Director and Head of Programming and Industry for the Festival since 2018, Emilie Bujès has decided to take on a new challenge and step down as Artistic Director of Visions du Réel after nine highly successful editions,” the festival writes. Bujès will take over as director of GIFF (Geneva International Film Festival) on 1 August 2026.

Open to UK-based story-tellers, four shortlisted ideas will be pitched live during Sheffield DocFest in June 2026. The winner will receive £10,000 and expert narrative support from climate spring to produce their chosen idea. “With this year's pitch, we encourage creatives to explore innovative and timely unscripted ideas that entertain broad digital audiences, centre the power of community, and offer visions of a future where system change is possible,” comments David Leach, Head of Unscripted at Climate Spring.

Running May 9 to 14, DocsBarcelona Pro will present 63 projects within its Forum and Training programmes. “With a clear commitment to diversity in perspectives, narratives and formats, the selection brings together documentaries from nearly 40 countries at different stages of development and production, which will receive tailored support and guidance according to their status and needs,” organisers underline.

The leading UK documentary festival and market announced March 31 the return of its Filmmaker  Challenge, which is supported by principal sponsor Prime Video Pathway. Applications are now open and the deadline to apply is Wednesday 22 April. The new expanded format will support twice as many filmmakers than ever before, and the completed short films will screen June 13. Sheffield DocFest returns to the city from 10 - 15 June with initial programming due to be announced in April 2026.

The maverick US filmmaker will return to the festival to present the Spanish premiere of his feature doc debut on May 12 with a Q&A. The 29th edition of the festival also focuses on the ‘contemporary city’ with Docs&City, a mosaic of perspectives on Gaza, Barcelona, Granada, Tokyo and Damascus. DocsBarcelona runs May 7 to 17, opening with A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Iranian Mehrdad Oskouei.