Documentary festivals in Europe
Festivals built around non-fiction, usually with a pitching forum or a co-production market attached.
CPH:DOX
Copenhagen's international documentary festival, with competitions, a science strand (SCIENCE:CINEMA) and a large public programme.
Next edition: 10 to 21 March 2027
For the industry: CPH:INDUSTRY with the CPH:FORUM financing and co-production event, CPH:CONFERENCE and CPH:DOX SUMMIT; CPH:FORUM 2027 opens for submissions in early September 2026.
Submissions: Own CPH:DOX profile on cphdox.dk · 2027 edition: 1 September 2026 for films completed before that date, 3 November 2026 for films completed after 1 September
Docs Ireland
Belfast's documentary festival, screening Irish and international non-fiction at Queen's Film Theatre and other venues.
For the industry: Docs Ireland Marketplace with industry passes, talent development (IGNITE-Docs, Lasair) and the Northern Ireland Screen feature development pitch.
Submissions: FilmFreeway (filmfreeway.com/DocsIreland)
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
The world's largest documentary festival, with international competitions and a broad public programme across Amsterdam.
Next edition: 12 to 22 November 2026
For the industry: Industry accreditation via professionals.idfa.nl, with markets including Docs for Sale plus training and funding programmes.
Submissions: Own portal (MyIDFA)
Krakow Film Festival
One of Europe's oldest festivals for documentary, animated and short films, held in Kraków since 1961 in cinemas and online (66th edition ran 31 May to 7 June 2026).
For the industry: KFF Industry with Doc Lab Poland and Animated in Poland presentations and awards.
Sheffield DocFest
The UK's leading documentary festival, screening feature and short non-fiction plus immersive work.
Next edition: 9 to 14 June 2027 (34th edition)
For the industry: Industry programme for documentary professionals with industry accounts and a separate 2027 industry information section.
Visions du Réel
International festival for creative documentary in Nyon, with international competitions and a public programme.
Next edition: 9 to 18 April 2027
For the industry: VdR-Industry with VdR-Pitching, VdR-Work in Progress, VdR-Rough Cut Lab, VdR-Development Lab and VdR-Film Market.
Submissions: Own call for films and projects on visionsdureel.ch (opens 8 September 2026) · Early deadline 2 November 2026, final deadline 15 December 2026