These days I have been reviewing documentary film festivals with open submissions. Premiere requirements vary greatly between them, so they need to be studied carefully in order to plan the festival strategy.
In the vast majority, the production date must be after January 2016, and they usually have two deadlines depending on the stage of the documentary’s production.
If you are currently in post-production (whether feature, short or medium-length) or you are starting to plan festivals, you need to take these seven festivals into account.
#1 Vision du Réel Festival Internacional de Cinéma de Nyon
It is the most important festival in Switzerland and one of the leading ones worldwide. In the international competition, documentary shorts, medium-length films and feature films can take part. Although documentaries with a world, international or European premiere can participate, world premieres are given priority. The first deadline is now open until October 10; the second deadline ends on January 10, 2017.
The festival takes place from April 21 to 29 in the Swiss city of Nyon.
#2 CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival
It is one of the most prominent festivals worldwide, along with Vision du Réel. The first deadline was on September 15, and the second (for the most recent documentaries) is December 15. The production date must be after April 1, 2016.
The competition is reserved for feature films. Short and medium-length films can take part in the New:Vision Award, with a more experimental focus. The minimum premiere requirement is a Danish premiere, but world premieres are preferred.
For submissions, there is a €15 fee except for experimental films and short films. The festival’s new dates are March 16 to 26, 2017.
#3 Krakow Film Festival
It is the only festival on this list that is not exclusively documentary, as it accepts short films of both fiction and animation. The minimum premiere requirement is a national premiere in Poland, but they give preference to an international premiere.
It accepts films produced after June 1, 2016. The next deadline is November 30, and the second, for the most recent production, is January 31, 2017.
In principle, the festival has no fees unless more than 5 films are submitted; in that case, a €10 fee is charged. The festival takes place from May 28 to June 4, 2017.
#4 Festival Cinéma du Réel
It takes place at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The minimum premiere required is a national premiere. Today, October 3 is the first deadline for documentaries completed before August 31. For the rest of the documentaries, with more recent production, the next submission deadline is November 21.
It takes place from March 24 to April 2.
#5 Zagrebdox Festival Internacional de Cine Documental de Zagreb
Zagrebdox has a first submission deadline until October 15 for documentaries made from January 2016 onwards. The second deadline closes on November 15 for the most recent production. The only premiere requirement is a national premiere in Croatia.
The festival dates are February 26 to March 5, 2017.
#6 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
The next November 16 is the first submission deadline, with an early deadline of $25 for short films (up to 40 min.) and $55 for feature and medium-length films. The final deadline is January 9. The minimum premiere requirement is Toronto, although a Canadian premiere is preferable, and they must have a production date after January 1, 2016.
It takes place from April 27 to May 7, 2017.
#7 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
The first deadline was on September 4 for documentaries produced before June. Now the submission deadline is November 27 for the most recent production. They must premiere at least in Greece. For submission, they ask that the documentary be sent in DVD format.
It takes place from March 3 to 12, 2017.
In summary, the premiere requirements and festival dates are:
- Zagrebdox – National Croatia – February 26 to March 5
- Thessaloniki – National Greece – March 3 to 12
- CPH:DOX – World – March 16 to 26
- Cinéma du Réel – National France – March 24 to April 2
- Vision du Réel – World – April 21 to 29
- Hot Docs – National Canada – April 27 to May 2
- Krakow – International – May 28 to June 4
If you are planning a world premiere, it would be advisable to opt for CPH:DOX and Vision du Réel. With a premiere in 2017, you could take part in national-premiere festivals the following year, such as Thessaloniki and Zagrebdox. We also see how a premiere at CPH:DOX could be compatible with Cinéma du Réel, but not with Vision du Réel.
If we premiere at Krakow, we must forget about CPH:DOX and Vision du Réel, but we could opt for Zagreb, Thessaloniki, Cinéma du Réel and Hot Docs in 2018, as they would require documentaries produced after January 2017.
Another option to consider is premiering at Cinema du Réel in Paris. In this case, we could take part in Hot Docs, ZagrebDox and Thessaloniki the following year. We could also take Krakow and Vision du Réel into account, although they value a world premiere, they accept a national premiere in their respective countries.
Ultimately, there are several options presented by these festivals and different variables to consider. We must be very familiar with each one’s programming lines in order to make a more accurate choice and optimise the documentary’s distribution.