Submissions are now closed

Submissions for the 6th edition of Folkestone Documentary Festival, which takes place from 22–25 October 2026, are now closed. Entries were up 55% on last year to 210, and all UK films screened in the programme will now qualify for the British Independent Film Awards and Griersons awards.

The programming team are excited to be working with Mariana Duarte as a programme advisor. Mariana is a Brazilian filmmaker and curator based in Scotland, who works across creative documentary, human rights, and ecology. Alongside filmmaking, Mariana has curated programmes for DocScreen (SDI/Edinburgh Filmhouse) and the Migration Matters Festival, and served on selection committees for Encounters and the BAFTA Student Awards. Her criticism and research have been published in Screen, and she is completing a PhD in Film at Edinburgh College of Art, with a focus on documentary practice.

Picture credit: How to build a library, directed by Maia Lekow and Christopher King (FDF 2025)