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.
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.CityCountry10 Under 10 Film Festival2002Austin, Texas United StatesAcademia Film Olomouc1966Olomouc Czech RepublicAFI Docs2003Washington, D.C. United StatesAl Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival2018Sarajevo Bosnia and HerzegovinaAmbulante Documentary Film Festival2006MexicoMexicoAtlanta DocuFest2005Atlanta, Georgia United StatesBelleville Downtown DocFest2010Belleville, Ontario CanadaBerlin Documentary Forum2010Berlin GermanyBig Sky Documentary Film Festival2003Missoula, Montana United StatesCamden International Film Festival2005Camden, Maine United StatesChagrin Documentary Film Festival2010Chagrin Falls, Ohio United StatesChicago International Documentary Festival2003Chicago, Illinois United StatesChina Screen2007Paris FranceCine Pobre Film Festival2002La Paz, Baja California Sur MexicoCinéma du Réel1978Paris FranceCopenhagen International Documentary Festival - CPH:DOX2003Copenhagen DenmarkDevelopment Film Festival2005Chennai IndiaDMZ International Documentary Film Festival2009Gyeonggi-do South KoreaDoc LA - Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival2010Los Angeles, California United StatesDoc NYC2010New York City United StatesDocaviv International Film Festival1998Tel Aviv IsraelDockanema2006Maputo MozambiqueDoclisboa2003Lisbon PortugalDocumentary Edge Festival2005Auckland and Wellington New ZealandDocville2005Leuven BelgiumDok Leipzig1955Leipzig GermanyDokufest2001Prizren KosovoDORF2007Vinkovci CroatiaDox Box2008Damascus SyriaDOXA Documentary Film Festival1998Vancouver CanadaEBS International Documentary Festival2004Seoul South KoreaEncounters Festival South Africa1999Cape Town and Johannesburg South AfricaEncuentros del Otro Cine EDOC2002Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Ibarra, Portoviejo EcuadorFlashpoint Human Rights Film Festival2010Mumbai IndiaFolkestone Documentary Festival2021Folkestone UKFreedom Film Fest2003Malaysia MalaysiaFull Frame Documentary Film Festival1998Durham, North Carolina United StatesGimme Some Truth Documentary Festival2008Winnipeg, Manitoba CanadaGran Paradiso Film Festival1984Cogne ItalyGuangzhou International Documentary Film Festival2003Guangdong ChinaGuelph Film Festival1984Guelph, Ontario CanadaHádoc2012Leiria PortugalHot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival1993Toronto CanadaHot Springs Documentary Film Festival1992Hot Springs, Arkansas United StatesImagine International Film Festival2004Clearwater, Florida United StatesInternational Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam1988Amsterdam NetherlandsInternational Wildlife Film Festival1977Missoula, Montana United StatesIo Isabella International Film Week2005 ItalyJeevika: Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival2003New Delhi IndiaJihlava International Documentary Film Festival1997Jihlava Czech RepublicJunction North International Documentary Film Festival2013Sudbury, Ontario CanadaKrakow Film Festival1961KrakówLondon International Documentary Festival2007London United KingdomMarda Loop Justice Film Festival2006Calgary, Alberta CanadaMargaret Mead Film Festival1977New York City United StatesMarseille Festival of Documentary Film1989Marseille FranceMillennium Docs Against Gravity2004WarsawMontreal International Documentary Festival1998Montreal CanadaNew Haven Documentary Film Festival2014New Haven, Connecticut United StatesNew Media Film Festival2009Los Angeles, California United StatesNew Orleans Film Festival1989New Orleans, Louisiana United StatesNorthwestfest1983Edmonton, Alberta CanadaOpen City Documentary Festival2011London United KingdomOne World Film Festival1999Prague Czech RepublicPortland Documentary and Experimental Film Festival2001Portland, Oregon United StatesPortland Film Festival2013Portland, Oregon United StatesPravo Ljudski Film Festival2006Sarajevo Bosnia and HerzegovinaPunto de Vista. International Documentary Film Festival of Navarra2005Pamplona SpainSheffield DocFest1994Sheffield United KingdomSan Francisco Documentary Festival2001San Francisco, CA United StatesDOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival2010Utah United StatesTaiwan International Documentary Festival1998Taipei TaiwanTelluride Mountainfilm1979Telluride, Colorado United StatesThessaloniki Documentary Festival1999Thessaloniki GreeceTrue/False Film Festival2004Columbia, Missouri United StatesUnited Nations Association Film Festival1998Palo Alto, CA United StatesViBGYOR International Film Festival2006Thrissur IndiaVisions du réel1969Nyon SwitzerlandVIVA Film Festival2015Sarajevo Bosnia and HerzegovinaWakefield Documentary Film Festival2005Wakefield, Quebec CanadaWorld Community Film Festival1990Courtenay, Duncan, Kelowna and Nanaimo, British Columbia CanadaYamagata International Documentary Film Festival1989Yamagata JapanYogyakarta Documentary Film Festival2002Yogyakarta IndonesiaZagrebDox2005Zagreb Croatia
See also List of film festivals
References