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In 2026, the Geneva-based human rights festival presents 35 documentaries, nine fiction films and twelve short films competing in the various competitions, and/or accompanying the 21 Forums and three Impact Spotlights. The competing films will be reviewed by international and youth juries, who will reveal the Award winners during the Closing Ceremony. The upcoming edition of FIFDH runs 6 to 15 March.

In La Pieta, produced by SUICAfilms (Spain), AXfilms (Iceland) and Studio Nominum (Lithuania) and selected for Thessaloniki’s International Competition, a veil of snow covers the Icelandic glacier of Vatnajökull, the largest on the island, and old voices echo like prayers – a requiem for what once was, and what will be lost forever. “There is something fascinating, almost mystical, about standing in front of a glacier. It’s the closest feeling to when, as children, we believed in God,” say co-directors Rafa Molés and Pepe Andreu.

A total of 252 full-length and short documentary films will be screened at the 28th TIDF, with a record number of 80 world premieres, as well as 32 international and 11 European premieres. The opening film of the festival (March 5) is Ask E. Jean by Ivy Meeropol, while the Oscar-nominated Mr. Nobody Against Putin will close the festival March 15. Debutant doc director Juliette Binoche will present her In-I In Motion in Thessaloniki.

Visions du Réel announced February 25 Sergei Loznitsa as the Special Guest of the 57th edition of the festival (17–26 April). Loznitsa will participate with a masterclass and a selected retrospective of his documentary work. “With a filmography marked by astonishing diversity – from short to feature films, oscillating between fiction and documentary – Loznitsa is a major figure of contemporary non-fiction cinema, and beyond,” the festival writes.

The Krakow Film Festival and Polish Documentary Film Directors Guild have established the Marcel Łoziński Documentary Award, valued at €7,000, to acknowledge documentary films that expand the artistic boundaries of the medium. The winner will be announced during the upcoming Krakow FF (May 31 to June 7). “In a world dominated by algorithms and ready-made formats, the prize recognises films that defy convention, steadfast in their honesty and creative vision,” the festival writes.

Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) is inviting documentary professionals to attend East Doc Platform 2026 (EDP), taking place from 19 to 25 March 2026 at the French Institute in Prague, and held in association with the One World International Human Rights Film Festival. This year’s edition carries special significance as the Institute of Documentary Film celebrates 25 years of activity in 2026. “Alongside its rich programme, the platform will reflect on a quarter-century dedicated to supporting documentary cinema," write organisers. Applications deadline: March 5.

Mr Nobody Against Putin by Pasha Talankin and David Borenstein was handed the gong for Best Documentary during the Bafta award ceremony February 22 at London’s Festival Hall. The film, which is also nominated for Academy Award, follows a Russian teacher (Talankin) who documents the Putin administration’s movements in controlling public perception of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird), the only documentary in Berlin Competition, picks up the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. The Berlinale Documentary Award was given to If Pigeons Turned to Gold by Pepa Lubojacki. In the Teddy Awards, the Best Documentary/Essay Film award went to Brydie O’Connor for Barbara Forever. All doc awards…

How do you prove a documentary’s effectiveness in a climate of shrinking public resources, risk-averse commissioning and opaque platform metrics? That question sat at the heart of the DocSalon event titled Data on Impact, Please! Essential Needs in Non-Fiction Financing, an open-format conversation held on 15 February that repeatedly returned to a simple diagnosis: the sector is being asked to justify itself with data it often cannot access, cannot standardise and has little capacity to collect.

On February 16, EFM 2026 hosted a session titled Future Heritage – Securing the Future of Digital Cinema Archives, during which experts delivered a clear message to the documentary sector: the industry has embraced digital production, but long-term preservation remains dangerously fragile. The panel was part of Doc Salon’s Archive Day.