Our Festival Programme Is Live!
The Folkestone Documentary Festival programme is now available. The 6th edition of Folkestone Documentary Festival takes place from 22 to 25 October and opens with The Cycle of Love, directed by Academy Award-winning director Orlando von Einsiedel. It's a joyous, heartwarming, and unique blend of real-life testimony and cinematic reenactment.
Folkestone Documentary Festival Co-Directors, Charlie Phillips and James Collie, said:
This year’s programme goes far - an epic bike ride from India to Sweden in the name of love, a questionable trip to the Amazon in the name of discovery, around the UK to find its unique traditions and rituals, into the depths of dodgy things in the River Tees, on the wings of a giant owl running free in Central Park, and to the heart of disruptive environmental activism. Take a risk on a subject and a filmmaker you might not know - that’s what Folkestone Documentary Festival is all about. We know and love our community and we programme for you!
As the festival grows, so does our ambition to give you an even wider taste of international documentary cinema. This year’s programme of 24 feature length and short films includes a record 8 premieres and will take you to 10 countries. Get behind the scenes with filmmaker Q&As, and our ever-popular Industry Day, and meet your documentary film friends old and new at our socials and special events including parties, workshops, a group swim and an amazing folk procession.
UK premieres include Wild Inside, fresh from a sold-out premiere in New York’s Central Park, and First They Came For My College (True/False Film Festival, 2026). The Audience Award returns again this year supported by new sponsors Club Folkestone, and the Best Short Film Award is supported again by The Whickers. Last year’s Audience Award winner, Blue Has No Borders, went on to tour the country in a successful Q&A tour.
With a history of uncovering future award-winners, this year’s programme showcases more discoveries from our open submission than ever before, with eight outstanding short films and for the first time a feature handpicked from 210 entries worldwide.
Come to the Kent coast for a long weekend of 12 feature-length films, 12 shorts, our first town procession, and workshop (suitable for all ages), both to celebrate the screening of the UK feature The Archivist. Plus drinks and parties and our annual communal swim.
The full programme is now ready to book through each venue and our festival pass is great value at £50 full price / £35 concession and offers audiences access to every screening and party. Individual tickets cost just £8 full price / £6 concession / £5 under 26 year olds. For the first time we are also offering a no questions asked £5 Cost of Living ticket to encourage new audiences to come along and try something new or, for regular attenders, to branch out or squeeze in an extra screening.
Browse the programme and buy your cinema tickets now!
Early Bird Festival Passes may have sold out, but Festival Passes are still great value at just £50 (£35 concession).
Image credit: We, The Hated