Introduction
The 24th Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival (hereinafter referred to as the Festival) will be held in Kyiv on 4—11 June 2027. Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Festival’s traditional March dates were moved to June for logistical reasons. The festival is neither political, nor commercial, nor religious. After it ends, NGO “Docudays” will present the best films in the regions of Ukraine within the Docudays UA Travelling Festival. The screenings will take place this fall.
Objective of the Festival
To facilitate the respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, to establish an understanding of human dignity as the highest value, to raise the level of civil activity in Ukraine, to promote the development of documentary filmmaking.
Vision
We are creating a society of free people.
Mission of the Festival
We create opportunities for every person in Ukraine to watch talented and relevant human rights documentary films from all over the world. We promote an active civic position and respect for human dignity. We support the development of the Ukrainian film industry.
Organisers
Non-Governmental Organization “Docudays”.
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union.
Charity Organization “Charity and Health Fund”.
Centre for Contemporary Information Technology and Visual Arts.
The Festival programme, guest lists, juries, topics of the seminars and masterclasses, etc., are formed by the Festival team, led by the Executive Director of NGO Docudays.
Criteria for Participation
In the competition programs and in the out-of-competition program “UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE / FRAGMENTS OF RESISTANCE” (a non-competitive program featuring films created by active-duty military personnel, military communications units, and documentary filmmakers, dedicated to combat units, operations, and the everyday reality of war), non-fiction films of any genre and running time, produced no earlier than 2025, are eligible to participate.
Docudays UA’s premiere requirements for participation in the competition programs and the non-competition program “UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE / FRAGMENTS OF RESISTANCE” are that the film must have had at least a Ukrainian premiere; priority is given to world, international, and regional premieres from the following countries: Belarus*, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia*, Sakartvelo, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary, Ukraine.
Exceptions may be made for non-competitive programs, apart from the “ARCHIVE OF WAR/FRAGMENTS OF RESISTANCE”.
* Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, we are not accepting films produced in Belarus or Russia for consideration. Given that film festivals in these countries continue to screen foreign films, we emphasize that only films that have not previously been screened in Belarus or Russia will be considered for participation in the Docudays UA competition programs and the non-competition program “UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE / FRAGMENTS OF RESISTANCE.”
There is no restriction on genre, running time or year of production for non-fiction films participating in the non-competition programmes, except for the non-competition programme “UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE / FRAGMENTS OF RESISTANCE”. The topics for the non-competition programmes are defined annually by the Festival team. The films for the non-competition programmes are selected by the Selection Council based on the defined topics.
A film can be submitted for a competition programme only once. If a film is submitted again next year, the Selection Council has the right not to consider its application for participation in a competition programme.
Films which were made to order, or represent reports on the activities of organisations, or realisation of certain projects, films of pronounced propaganda nature, which were created to lobby political, religious, or commercial interests, instructional or training films are debarred from participation.
All the submitted online links are stored in the Festival Archive (in the FilmFreeway online database).
If a film has been selected for the Festival programme, the Festival has the right to use sequences from the film, up to a total length of 3 minutes, for the purpose of its popularisation.
NGO Docudays has the right to upload all the films included in its film programme to its online library. The resource is managed by NGO Docudays; it goes live two weeks before the Festival and remains active throughout the Festival and for two weeks afterward. The purpose of the online library is to provide online access to the Festival film programme to the accredited participants and guests during the Festival week. Accordingly, persons accredited at the Festival will receive access to watch the Festival films online (starting from the opening day of the Festival). The access is individual and cannot be transferred to third parties. None of the films in the online library can be copied, published elsewhere, downloaded, uploaded, transferred, screened, accessed by or distributed to any third parties.
Programme
Competition Programme
Creative documentaries in which ethical and legal problems are revealed through expressive artistic means. The competition programme consists of three sections:
DOCU/WORLD, an international competition of feature- and medium-length documentaries which are longer than 40 minutes.
DOCU/SHORT, an international competition of short documentaries which are up to 40 minutes long.
DOCU/UKRAINE, a national competition. It includes documentaries of varying lengths, created in Ukraine or in co-production with Ukraine. Films created by Ukrainian filmmakers and foreign production companies are also welcome to apply.
NGO Docudays also awards a special prize to the winner among the films nominated for the RIGHTS NOW! award. This is a prize awarded to creative documentaries that explore and analyse the contemporary world and make a significant contribution to the discussion about human dignity, freedom, and equality. Up to ten films from all Festival film programmes can be nominated for it.
Additionally, all feature-length films in the Festival’s film programmes created by Ukrainian directors and editors are nominated for the Viktor Onysko Memorial Award. This award, which honors Ukrainian filmmakers for the best editing of a documentary film, was established in memory of an experienced filmmaker and friend of the Festival who, following the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, took up arms to stand up for Ukraine. While defending us, Viktor was killed on December 30, 2022, near Soledar.
Non-Competition Programme
Every year, the Festival chooses the main topic whose various aspects are presented in the non-competition programmes. In addition, the Festival offers traditional programmes: DOCU/BEST (international award-winning films), DOCU/ART (films that focus on art and artists as well as on the consideration of cinema as a medium), DOCU/YOUTH (a programme for children and teenagers), and focuses on cinematographies of specific countries and/or regions of the world, as well as “UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE/ FRAGMENTS OF RESISTANCE” (creative documentary films shot by active-duty military personnel and the communications departments of military units, as well as films about units or specific operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine).
DOCU/SYNTHESIS Interdisciplinary Art Programme
In 2021, the Festival team launched the DOCU/SYNTHESIS Interdisciplinary Art Programme, which creates a space for critical reflection and dialogue between documentary cinema, contemporary art, science, and technology. It explores the medium of cinema on the intersection of different disciplines.
The programme consists of an exhibition (exhibitions, collections, screenings) and/or artworks, as well as thematic discussions, moderated conversations with participants. The programme includes both finished art projects selected by curators and artworks/exhibitions created as part of the interdisciplinary art programme on the main festival theme and based on an original curatorial concept.
DOCU/PRO Industry Platform
Every year, the Festival programme includes the events of the DOCU/PRO Industry Platform. The platform is created to promote the development of the Ukrainian film industry, to establish contacts with international experts in the documentary world, and to create Ukrainian film projects. In particular, these include a series of discussions, workshops, and presentations for anyone involved in documentary filmmaking.
The main events of DOCU/PRO:
RAW DOC is a showcase designed for filmmakers who are working on rough cuts of their films and want to conduct test screenings for international industry experts and receive professional feedback. During the closed screenings, participants will have the opportunity to interact with potential partners, including representatives of European public broadcasters, sales agents, and festivals.
Consultations offer a chance to arrange a face-to-face meeting with international film industry experts and to benefit from their professional advice and networks. Any Festival participant with an industry accreditation for the Festival can sign up for individual sessions.
Within DOCU/PRO, the Festival works with Ukrainian and international organisations and institutions whose purpose is to develop Ukrainian and global documentary cinema, to promote Ukrainian culture, and to develop the Ukrainian film industry by integrating it into the global context.
Jury**
**The Docudays UA team invites prominent Ukrainian and international filmmakers, artists, and human rights advocates to participate in the Jury. The Festival team also invites young people with an active civic position who are interested in documentary film to participate in the Student Jury.
Awards***
***Awards in all programs and categories, with the exception of the Viktor Onysko Memorial Award, are presented to the film’s director. The Viktor Onysko Memorial Award honors Ukrainian film editors for the best editing of a documentary film.
Additionally, in each of these nominations, the Jury can give special mentions to up to two films.
The Audience Award winner will be determined based on an audience survey.
Organisations and private individuals can award their own special prizes upon recommendation of the Selection Council and decision of the Executive Director of NGO Docudays.
Application and Selection Procedures
The films that participate in the Festival’s competition programmes are selected by the Selection Council.
The Selection Council members include professionals in the documentary industry and human rights advocacy.
The call for applications for the 24th Docudays UA opens on 15 September 2026.
The final application deadline for the programme of the 24th Docudays UA is 21 December 2026.
Applications for participation in the festival's competition programmes are subject to a fee. Payment must be made online when submitting a film through the FilmFreeWay service. Film submission fees are non-refundable. When filling out the application form, the applicant can choose several nominations/competitions to which they want to submit their film.
Submission deadlines and payment
|
DATE |
DEADLINE |
SHORT FILMS**** |
FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS**** |
FILMS PRODUCED IN UKRAINE OR IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH UKRAINE |
STUDENT FILMS |
|
15 Sep 2026 – 14 Oct 2026 |
Early deadline |
10 USD |
15 USD |
Free of charge |
50% discount depending on the selected competition section |
|
15 Oct 2026 – 30 Nov 2026 |
Regular deadline |
15 USD |
25 USD |
Free of charge |
50% discount depending on the selected competition section |
|
1 Dec 2026 – 21 Dec 2026 |
Final deadline |
20 USD |
30 USD |
Free of charge |
50% discount depending on the selected competition section |
**** In some cases, you can submit your film for free or with a 50% discount. The following films are exempt from submission fees: nationally produced projects or projects created by Ukrainian filmmakers in cooperation with foreign production companies; as well as projects from the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Suriname, Eswatini, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, we do not accept films produced by the aggressor country and its citizens, as well as countries that directly support Russia's terrorist actions, assist and/or supply weapons to the aggressor country, specifically the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Conditions of Application
You can only apply via the FilmFreeway service. Your application will be considered by the Selection Council only after it is filled in online.
In the application form, you can upload the film directly with your application or provide a closed online link to Vimeo/YouTube. Links to downloads in file-sharing services (WeTransfer, MegaUpload, etc.) will not be considered by the Selection Council. Please make sure that your link works until the end of May 2027.
When you submit an application, you confirm that you agree with the Festival Regulations and give the Festival the right to use the materials you provided for non-commercial purposes.
All participants will receive an email about the results of the selection no later than 16 April 2027.
Films mailing, insurance, and return
The applicant bears all postage expenses for sending films to the Festival.
When sending copies of a film on physical media via postal services, to minimize postage costs, please indicate a nominal value for the media and include the following note: “For cultural purposes only. No commercial value.” The NGO “Docudays” covers the cost of insuring film copies on DCP, as well as on 16 mm and 35 mm film. Copies of films on hard drives, DCP, as well as 16 mm and 35 mm film will be returned at the expense of the NGO “Docudays” within 30 days of the Festival’s conclusion to the address specified in the participant’s application form. Any changes to the return address must be reported to the Programming Department before the start of the Festival via email at [email protected].
To send film copies via the Internet, we ask applicants to upload the film copies to the NGO Docudays FTP server using the details provided by the Programming Department.
Screenings
The number of screenings of each film is determined by the NGO “Docudays” of the Festival and the rights holders. Films are demonstrated in their original language with English and Ukrainian subtitles. The costs of the Ukrainian translation will be covered by the Docudays UA Festival.
The costs of creating English subtitles for the films whose country of production is Ukraine must be covered by the producers/rights holders. In addition, the rights holders of films with Russian dialogues whose country of production is Ukraine must provide a copy with Ukrainian and English subtitles created at their own expense.
NGO Docudays and the Festival organisers provide the accredited Festival participants and guests with access to the video library (as well as the online video library) which stores all the films that participate in the Festival. The film screenings are discussed directly with the authors and rights holders of the films.
Invitation and Participation*
Directors, scriptwriters, producers of the films selected for participation in the competition and non-competition programmes are invited as Festival participants. NGO Docudays covers their hotel accommodation and travel expenses. No per diem is paid.
Promotion and Advertising
Festival organisers can prepare and give to television stations special reels of selected films up to three minutes in length (using the projection copies that have been sent in). The organisers can also use film fragments of up to one minute in length to create a Festival announcement aimed for the media and to demonstrate them before film screenings. NGO Docudays has the right to use sequences from the film, up to a total length of 3 minutes, for the purpose of the Festival’s popularisation. The organisers provide free-of-charge placement of ads and information about the films that participate in the Festival programme and about the partner organisations of the Festival.
Access for the press
The organisers ask to send film copies with watermarks in order to create a special video library for press and media representatives for the purpose of proper promotion of festival events and films.
The Travelling Festival
After the end of the Festival in Kyiv, the organisers carry out the Travelling Docudays UA Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in the regions of Ukraine. The screenings are held in October–November in cinemas, houses of culture, universities, schools, youth clubs, book stores, libraries, as well as in prisons and jails, and in educational facilities for future penitentiary system workers, etc. The screenings of festival films in the regions are reinforced by discussions on human rights with involvement of experts.
The Traveling Festival is not intended to generate revenue. If a Festival participant agrees to have their film screened at the Docudays UA Traveling International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, they must check the corresponding box on the participant application form.
Archive
The films can be used by the organisers (Non-Governmental Оrganization “Docudays”, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Charity Organization “Charity and Health Fund”, and Centre for Contemporary Information Technology and Visual Arts) in their work related to the implementation of the purposes and objectives of their organisations—strictly for educational, not commercial reasons, and with prior consent of the rights holders.
Other
Any issue not provided for in the Regulations is to be considered directly by the Executive Director of NGO Docudays, taking into account the opinion of Festival Organisers and the Selection Council. A filled-in and signed application form submitted to the Selection Council confirms that the applicant agrees with the conditions stated in the Regulations.
*Under the conditions imposed by Decree 64/2022 of the President of Ukraine of 24 February 2022 “On implementing martial law in Ukraine,” approved by the Law of Ukraine 2102-IX of 24 February 2022 (with amendments); the Procedures for Conducting Events during the Introduction of Curfew and Establishment of a Special Light Masking Regime in Specific Areas where Martial Law Has Been Implemented, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Decree 573 of 8 July 2020; the Law of Ukraine “On the legal regime of martial law” and other legislative and regulatory acts adopted by government bodies due to the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, as well as for the purpose of preventing the emergence of or eliminating threats to the life and safety of individuals, the interests of society or the state, and ensuring public order, the organisers reserve the right to make changes to these Regulations with further informing of all the interested parties by publishing the changes on www.docudays.ua, and to make changes which concern, in particular but not exclusively:
— the competition and non-competition programme, particularly by excluding certain sections of the competition programme. If certain sections of the competition or non-competition programme are excluded, organisers will not screen the announced films, together with the ones whose applications have been approved;
— main DOCU/PRO events, particularly by excluding them completely or partially;
— moving dates.
Due to the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, the planning and conduct of the Festival are being carried out in accordance with the threat level in Kyiv and with due consideration for security measures.
Official Festival website: www.docudays.ua
24TH INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
4–11 June 2027
