Documentary Film Festivals Directory - 2026
A List Oscar, BAFTA Documentary Film Festivals and Submission Deadlines. Open to Filmmakers Worldwide.
International Premiere
FIAPF-accredited international film festival in South Korea presenting competitive programs for feature films, documentaries, and short films. Academy Awards qualification applies to designated short film awards.
No Restriction
International film festival dedicated to cinematography, showcasing documentary, feature, and series work. Academy Awards qualification applies to the designated Documentary Short competition.
National Premiere
Long-established international documentary film festival in Germany presenting documentary and animated works in competitive programs. Academy Awards and European Film Awards qualification applies to designated short documentary and animated short awards.
Regional Premiere
Internationally recognized documentary film festival in the United States presenting competitive documentary programs. Academy Awards and BAFTA qualification applies to designated documentary short awards.
National Premiere
International documentary film festival in New Zealand presenting feature-length and short documentaries in competitive sections. Academy Awards qualification applies to designated documentary short awards.
Regional Premiere
International documentary film festival where winning short documentaries become eligible for Academy Awards consideration.
National Premiere
Internationally recognized documentary film festival in Portugal presenting politically and artistically engaged non-fiction works in competitive programs. Academy Awards qualification applies to designated documentary short awards.
National Premiere
Internationally recognized documentary film festival in the Netherlands presenting competitive documentary programs. Academy Awards qualification applies to designated documentary short awards.
No Restriction
Internationally recognized documentary film festival in the United States curating competitive documentary programs. Academy Awards qualification applies to designated documentary short awards.
Regional Premiere
International documentary film festival in Toronto presenting feature-length and short documentaries. Winning films in designated short documentary categories become eligible for Academy Awards consideration.