Film submissions for the 2026 Downtown DocFest will open from March 2nd, 2026 to May 29th, 2026.
About the Festival
DocFest is a documentary film festival focusing on human rights, social/environmental justice and arts & culture issues.
Please take a moment to read more about the festival, the submission guidelines and find out how to submit your film for the 2026 Festival.
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FiLM SUBMISSION GuideLINES
- We screen both feature length and short documentaries
- We preview films on an ongoing basis throughout the year and will finalize our selections in September 2026
- Film submissions for the 2026 Festival will close March 29th 2026.
- Submissions are not returned
- All non-English language films must have English subtitles
- Only selected filmmakers will be notified. Notification for all films selected will be issued by e-mail
- Submit your application using the online form at our 2026 Film Submissions page (March 2nd to May 29th, 2026)
- Only those with the ability to legally commit a film to participate in the festival are eligible to submit using these forms. If you have a suggestion for a film but are not part of a filmmaking team, please complete the contact form on the Contact page
Apply Online
Payment
There is no fee for submitting films for consideration. DocFest will pay screening fees for all films selected for DocFest 2026. Screening fees are calculated according to the number of minutes of the film and in compliance with the current Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) fee schedule.
Entry Rules and Regulations
- In most situations, only films completed after June 1st, 2025 will be considered for official selection. Please do not resubmit films that were already considered in previous festival years.
- Distributors must limit their submissions to TWO titles only to be considered by the festival. Any further submissions will not be considered unless prior arrangements have been made.
- All non-English language films must have English subtitles.
- DocFest will only review films that have completed the online submission process (March 2nd to May 29th, 2026) unless other arrangements have been made.
- Due to limited resources, only films selected for the festival will be notified by email.
- For films that are selected for the festival, we will require a QuickTime file to our specifications.
- The number, date(s), time(s), and location(s) of screenings of the selected films are at the sole discretion of DocFest. Filmmakers of accepted entries will be notified with these details.
- If you have questions about your submission or require assistance please complete the contact form on the Contact page
Submission guidelines for DocFest are subject to change. DocFest reserves the right to rule on all issues not expressly covered in these guidelines.
