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The 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (Greece) announced February 17 the selections for its Newcomers and >>Film Forward Competition sections. Films will compete for the Golden Alexander “Dimitri Eipides” award (€10,000 ) and the Silver Alexander Award (€4,000) in Newcomers and the >>Film Forward Golden Alexander (€6,000) and >>Film Forward Silver Alexander (€3,000) in the latter. The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival will run March 5-15.

BFI (British Film Institute) announced February 16 tat it will continue to prioritise dedicated support of the UK documentary filmmaking sector, thanks to National Lottery funding. As part of the BFI National Lottery Funding plan 2026-29, Doc Society will receive £7.2m over three years as BFI’s UK-wide delegate partner to distribute documentary funding across features, immersive, shorts and support talent development - an uplift of 20% from the previous three-year period. 

CPH:INDUSTRY 2026 unveiled February 16 the full CPH:DOX SUMMIT & CPH:CONFERENCE programme (March 16–19), tackling the 'infrastructure of truth' under political pressure, platform power, and AI disruption. Anchored by the Summit's focus on ‘Safe Havens’ – independent spaces where voices circulate without algorithmic suppression and outside pressure – the programme extends into Conference sessions exploring ethics, sonic cinema, and future alliances.

FIPRESCI and the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival announced February 16 the nominees for the first FIPRESCI Documentary Grand Prix, whose winner will be announced at the Opening Ceremony of the 23rd MDAG in May 2026. Members of FIPRESCI from around the world will vote on the new award which will be given to the best documentary film of the year.

At Berlin’s EFM, one of this year’s conversations about documentary form and legacy focused on Barbara Forever, Brydie O’Connor’s debut feature portrait of pioneering US experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer. After bowing at Sundance last month, the film is celebrating its international premiere in the Forum Special sidebar of the Berlinale. BDE reports.

After its highly successful launch in 2025, NLWave, the showcase for upcoming feature films, documentaries and animation from the Netherlands, returns to Utrecht for its second edition on 1 and 2 October 2026. At last year’s inaugural edition, eight feature doc projects either at early stage or as works-in-progress, were presented. Additionally, three recently completed feature docs were screened.

The 45 participants come from 32 countries and 5 continents worldwide. During the 27th program, lasting eight months, all participants will develop their documentary projects, slates and their careers. This year’s first residential session will take place in Porto (Portugal) in March, the second session will be run in Tallinn (Estonia) in June and thw final session in Strasbourg. Numerous EURODOC alumni have projects at Berlinale 2026 within Forum Special, Forum and Panorama sections, as well as EFM.

From 6 to 15 March 2026, the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH, Geneva) returns “at a time of accelerating authoritarianism, weakening international law and growing repression. Civilians, and especially marginalised groups, are bearing the brunt of these shifts. FIFDH responds by highlighting resistance, solidarity and collective action,” the festival writes.

The seventy-four titles, “hand-picked from thousands of submissions from around the world,” features 53 world premieres, 17 international premieres and 4 European premieres. At the heart of the festival are six juried competition sections judged by leadinginternational experts, as well as a €10,000 Audience Award. The program is anchored by the flagship competition section, the DOX:AWARD, which comes with a €10,000 prize for which 12 films will compete.

Organisers of Cinéma du reel have announced the 37 films selected for Competition in 2026. Running 7 to 117 minutes, and sourced from across the globe, the films “will once again showcase contemporary documentary in all its diversity, as world, international or French premieres,” the festival writes. The 48th edition of the Paris-based event runs March 21-28.