News

Swiss docfest Visions du Réel has announced US filmmaker Kelly Reichardt as Guest of Honour of its 57th edition (17–26 April 2026). Reichardt will take part in the Festival with a masterclass and a retrospective of her work, as well as a carte blanche, while her latest feature film, The Mastermind, will also be screened ahead of its limited theatre release. The full programme of the 57th Visions du Réel will be announced March 25.

Organisers of the 76th Berlinale announced January 14 the complete list of doc titles in its Panorama and Generation sections, and titles so far selected for Berlinale Special. Eleven docs are selected for Panorama, and four in the various Generation sub-sections, while six doc features and series are so far slated for Special. The upcoming Berlinale will run February 12 to 22.

Ten international films are in the long list in the Documentary category, while four documentaries are long-listed in the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer category. Round two voting runs to January 20, with final nominations to be announced Tuesday 27 January on the BAFTA YouTube channel. The winners will be revealed Sunday February 22.

BAFTA-winner Felipe Bustos Sierra’s documentary about one of Scotland’s most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory will open the festival’s 22nd edition on 25th February. Executive-produced by two-time Oscar® winner Emma Thompson, Everybody To Kenmure Street will world-premiere in World Cinema Doc Comp at the upcoming Sundance FF.

The industry arm of Cinéma du réel (March 21-18 2026) “actively supports the distribution, promotion and placement of feature documentaries by linking, at a key stage of the production process, project holders (filmmakers and producers) to industry professionals,” organisers write. The deadline for the Works-in-Progress of ParisDOC 2026 (25-26 March) is January 7 2026.

Twenty-four new projects will be pitched January 28 and 29 2026 in Biarritz. “Without the questions, challenges and dilemmas that documentaries raise, we risk losing some of the essential element in our democratic systems: dialogues, debates and narratives that bridge the divide rather than creating confrontations and information bubbles,” write organisers. “The 2026 Fipadoc International Pitches is our contribution to democracy, so we better can avoid a future of 'democrazy.'”

“Which spaces are open to us? Which ones do we conquer and defend? These are central questions posed by the programme so far,” writes Berlinale Panorama of the first selections for 2026. The Generation team also hail their first selections. “Curiosity, anger and hope, grief and tender solidarity - from Brazil to Taiwan, the programme immerses itself in the lived realities of young protagonists,” they write. Furthermore, eight docs are selected for Berlin Retrospective. The 76th Berlinale runs February 12 to 22 2026.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced December 16 the shortlists in the documentary categories of the 98th Academy Awards®. Fifteen films will now advance within each of the Documentary Feature Film and Documentary Short Film categories. Two hundred and one films were eligible for the Doc Feature category, while 117 films qualified in the Short Doc category.

Netherlands-based Aboozar Amini’s study of two brothers in the Afghan capital won in Main Competition. Additionally, Weronika Mliczewska's Child of Dust got the jury nod in Polish Competition, while Dmytro Hreshko’s Divia picked up the Green Dog Award. The 25th edition of the Polish-based human WATCH DOCS ran December 5-14.

Impact Days 2026 kicks off in earnest on January 15 2026, bringing together international experts for the annual Impact Filmmaking for Social Justice webinar. The 75-minute session will focus on choosing the right team to best articulate and implement impact goals, and will feature Ishtar Lakhani of Rogue Union, and Prince Odera Onyore Nyambok II of DocA – Documentary Africa.