Documentary
Film Festivals
There are thousands of film festivals worldwide, most of which screen documentaries. We have compiled a small collection of festivals and awards that focus on documentaries that aim to make a difference. This area is growing rapidly. Please contact us if you have a festival, or sponsor an award for a documentary that makes a difference and we will add your details to our site.
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
http://www.fullframefest.org/
This festival that takes place in Durham, North Carolina. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival celebrates the power and artistry of documentary film. The festival is an important arena for documentary filmmakers - a place where they can showcase their work theatrically in an environment that stimulates conversation and community between other filmmakers, industry executives and the general public.
International Documentary Association Awards (US)
http://www.documentary.org/programs/awards.php
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
http://www.idfa.nl
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is the largest documentary festival in the world. Every year since 1988, more than 250 international documentaries are screened for a huge number of film lovers and professionals. The festival is an exciting meeting place for directors, producers, buyers, financiers and audiences alike.
IDFA Fund
During IDFA, thousands of people share their stories on the big screen. Often, these people struggle to keep their footing in a poor and insecure world. The IDFA Fund helps off-screen, after the film is over. It is a simple form of involvement: a gesture, a little help in the struggle to exist.
The IDFA Fund provides limited but concrete grants to people who are the subjects of the documentaries that are screened at the festival. These grants can be requested by documentary filmmakers. The Fund offers one-time donations that are meant to assist an individual, a family, a village or a neighbourhood
HOTDOCS, Toronto, Canada
www.hotdocs.ca
Cinéma du Réel, Paris, France
www.cinereel.org
Doc Aviv Tel Aviv, Israel
www.docaviv.co.il
Silverdocs AFI/Discovery Channel Doc Festival
www.silverdocs.com
Leipzig Documentary Festival, Germany
www.dokfestival-leipzig.de
Media That Matters Film Festival:
http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm05/
One World Film Festival
International Human Rights Film Festival
http://www.oneworld.cz
One World believes that the power of documentary film resides as much in the means of expression as in the content and message of a particular film. The Festival strives to provide an inside look, while fully accepting there are no simple answers. Organized by the People in Need Foundation under the auspices of former president Václav Havel and Pavel Bém, Mayor of Prague, One World presents high-quality documentaries that take a concerned and often critical look at the present-day world and its transformations.
Sheffield Documentary Film Festival UK
www.sheffdocfest.com
The first Sheffield International Documentary Festival was held in 1994. The festival was launched at The Showroom as a two pronged event - an international film festival and a conference for all professionals working in documentary film and television production. The festival presents an internationally renowned programme over 75 documentaries from the 1200 submissions it receives.
Sheffield International Documentary Festival/Jerwood First Cuts Documentary Award
http://www.sidf.co.uk/films/jerwood.php/
The Jerwood First Cuts Documentary Award is a partnership between the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and the Jerwood Charity. The award recognises the high quality of documentary work that students at UK film and media schools are producing.
The Jerwood First Cuts Documentary Award gives new talent a stepping-stone in their documentary career.
