List of documentary film festivals

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Documentary film festivals are film festivals devoted solely to documentary film, which is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality.

Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can be either direct-to-video or made for a television series. Documentary, as it applies here, works to identify a "filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception" that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries. [1]

In many cities around the world, documentary film festivals are held annually to showcase documentaries made that year. Many of them are theme or genre specific.

NameEst.CityCountry
10 Under 10 Film Festival 2002 Austin, Texas Flag of the United States.svg United States
Academia Film Olomouc 1966 [2] Olomouc Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
AFI Docs 2003 Washington, D.C. Flag of the United States.svg United States
Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival 2018 Sarajevo Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ambulante Documentary Film Festival 2006 Mexico Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico
Atlanta DocuFest 2005 Atlanta, Georgia Flag of the United States.svg United States
Belleville Downtown DocFest 2010 Belleville, Ontario Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Berlin Documentary Forum 2010 Berlin Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2003 Missoula, Montana Flag of the United States.svg United States
Camden International Film Festival 2005 Camden, Maine Flag of the United States.svg United States
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival 2010 Chagrin Falls, Ohio Flag of the United States.svg United States
Chicago International Documentary Festival 2003 Chicago, Illinois Flag of the United States.svg United States
China Screen 2007 Paris Flag of France.svg France
Cine Pobre Film Festival 2002 La Paz, Baja California Sur Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico
Cinéma du Réel 1978 Paris Flag of France.svg France
Copenhagen International Documentary Festival - CPH:DOX 2003 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
Development Film Festival 2005 Chennai Flag of India.svg India
DMZ International Documentary Film Festival 2009 Gyeonggi-do Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea
Doc LA - Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival 2010 Los Angeles, California Flag of the United States.svg United States
Doc NYC 2010 New York City Flag of the United States.svg United States
Docaviv International Film Festival 1998 Tel Aviv Flag of Israel.svg Israel
Dockanema 2006 Maputo Flag of Mozambique.svg Mozambique
Doclisboa 2003 Lisbon Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal
Documentary Edge Festival 2005 Auckland and Wellington Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Docville 2005 Leuven Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
Dok Leipzig 1955 Leipzig Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Dokufest 2001 Prizren Flag of Kosovo.svg Kosovo
DORF 2007 Vinkovci Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia
Dox Box 2008 Damascus Flag of Syria.svg Syria
DOXA Documentary Film Festival 1998 Vancouver Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
EBS International Documentary Festival 2004 Seoul Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea
Encounters Festival South Africa 1999 Cape Town and Johannesburg Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Encuentros del Otro Cine EDOC 2002 Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Ibarra, Portoviejo Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador
Ethnofest (Athens Ethnographic Film Festival) 2010 Athens Flag of Greece.svg Greece
Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival 2010 Mumbai Flag of India.svg India
Freedom Film Fest 2003 Malaysia Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 1998 Durham, North Carolina Flag of the United States.svg United States
Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival 2008 Winnipeg, Manitoba Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Gran Paradiso Film Festival 1984 Cogne Flag of Italy.svg Italy
Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival 2003 Guangdong Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Guelph Film Festival 1984 Guelph, Ontario Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Hádoc 2012 Leiria Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal
HER Docs Film Festival 2020 Warsaw Flag of Poland.svg Poland
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 1993 Toronto Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 1992 Hot Springs, Arkansas Flag of the United States.svg United States
Imagine International Film Festival 2004 Clearwater, Florida Flag of the United States.svg United States
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 1988 Amsterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
International Wildlife Film Festival 1977 Missoula, Montana Flag of the United States.svg United States
Internationales Dokumentarfilmfestival München 1985 Munich Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Io Isabella International Film Week 2005 Flag of Italy.svg Italy
Jeevika: Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival 2003 New Delhi Flag of India.svg India
Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival 1997 Jihlava Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
Junction North International Documentary Film Festival 2013 Sudbury, Ontario Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Krakow Film Festival 1961 Kraków Flag of Poland.svg Kraków
London International Documentary Festival 2007 London Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Marda Loop Justice Film Festival 2006 Calgary, Alberta Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Margaret Mead Film Festival 1977 New York City Flag of the United States.svg United States
Marseille Festival of Documentary Film 1989 Marseille Flag of France.svg France
Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2004 Warsaw Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Montreal International Documentary Festival 1998 Montreal Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
New Haven Documentary Film Festival 2014 New Haven, Connecticut Flag of the United States.svg United States
New Media Film Festival 2009 Los Angeles, California Flag of the United States.svg United States
New Orleans Film Festival 1989 New Orleans, Louisiana Flag of the United States.svg United States
Northwestfest 1983 Edmonton, Alberta Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Open City Documentary Festival 2011 London Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
One World Film Festival 1999 Prague Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
Portland Documentary and Experimental Film Festival 2001 Portland, Oregon Flag of the United States.svg United States
Portland Film Festival 2013 Portland, Oregon Flag of the United States.svg United States
Pravo Ljudski Film Festival 2006 Sarajevo Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina
Punto de Vista. International Documentary Film Festival of Navarra 2005 Pamplona Flag of Spain.svg Spain
Sheffield Doc/Fest 1994 Sheffield Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival 2010 Utah Flag of the United States.svg United States
Taiwan International Documentary Festival 1998 Taipei Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taiwan
Telluride Mountainfilm 1979 Telluride, Colorado Flag of the United States.svg United States
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 1999 Thessaloniki Flag of Greece.svg Greece
True/False Film Festival 2004 Columbia, Missouri Flag of the United States.svg United States
United Nations Association Film Festival 1998 Palo Alto, CA Flag of the United States.svg United States
ViBGYOR International Film Festival 2006 Thrissur Flag of India.svg India
Vilnius Documentary Film Festival 2004 Vilnius Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania
Visions du réel 1969 Nyon Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland
VIVA Film Festival 2015 Sarajevo Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina
Wakefield Documentary Film Festival Wakefield, Quebec Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
World Community Film Festival 1990 Courtenay, Duncan, Kelowna and Nanaimo, British Columbia Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 1989 Yamagata Flag of Japan.svg Japan
Yogyakarta Documentary Film Festival 2002 Yogyakarta Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia
ZagrebDox 2005 Zagreb Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia

See also

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References

  1. Nichols, Bill (1998). "Foreword". In Grant, Barry Keith; Sloniowski, Jeannette (eds.). Documenting The Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN   978-0-8143-2639-8.
  2. "History | AFO | Academia Film Olomouc". www.afo.cz. Retrieved 2015-09-13.