DocsBarcelona has posted a call for submissions for its 29th edition, running May 7 to 17 2026. “The festival will program 10 days of screenings, activities, and visits from filmmakers from around the world in an edition that will also host DocsBarcelona Pro (May 9-14, 2026), a meeting point and reference for the professional non-fiction sector in southern Spain, dedicated to projects in the development phase,” write organisers.
The early bird film submission deadline is October 31. The final deadline is November 15. There will be six competitive sections:
- Official Competition: A selection of the best documentary feature films from the most recent national and international film scene.
- Official Competition – Visions: A selection of feature-length documentaries that explore reality with innovative cinematic language, expanding the boundaries of non-fiction.
- Docs&Cat: A selection of the best feature-length documentaries produced and/or co-produced in Catalonia with the aim of supporting Catalan talent.
- Docs&Teens: A selection of feature-length documentaries suitable for audiences aged 12 to 18, with the aim of promoting their critical thinking, reflection and debate skills.
- Docs&Focus: A selection of feature-length documentaries related to a specific theme that varies with each edition of the festival.
- Official Short Film Competition: Competitive section that brings together a selection of national documentary short films (by invitation) and short films from the Doc program Around Europe.
Additionally, Docs&Honor comprises a retrospective of a filmmaker who will receive the Honorary Award in recognition of his/her/their contribution to cinema.
In terms of awards, the festival will hand out more than a dozen prizes valued at a total of almost 20.000 euros, including both cash prizes and post-production services and rental of filming equipment.
DOCSBARCELONA PRO: PROFESSIONAL MEETING POINT
The period for project submission to the programs offered by DocsBarcelona Pro will run December 9, 2025 to January 31,2026. DocsBarcelona Pro offers various opportunities for financing, distribution, training and/or support to projects from any country or theme according to their needs, through the Public Pitch, Rough Cut Pitch, New Tech Pitch, Speed Meetings, Campus DocsBarcelona programmes, and the Artistic Consultancies for Rough Cut Projects.
