The Barcelona International Documentary Film Festival, DocsBarcelona, which will take place from May 8 to 18, 2025, and will also host the Industry program (May 12-16), a meeting point and reference for the professional non-fiction sector in Southern Europe, has already announced the dates for project submissions: Documentary films can be submitted from September 16 to November 15, and projects from December 10 to January 27, 2025.
FIVE COMPETITIVE SECTIONS, A GREAT RETROSPECTIVE AND ALMOST 20,000 EUROS IN PRIZES
The festival will bring to the public a showcase of the best global documentary productions through a committed, stimulating program focused on the major challenges, debates, and conflicts of contemporary society. It will do so by promoting the diversity of perspectives and themes, structured into five competitive sections and a major retrospective:
• Official Section - Docs&Pearls: A competitive section that brings together feature-length documentaries selected from the most recent national and international cinematic productions, aiming to bring other realities from all over the world to the public and address major issues, challenges, and concerns of today's world.
• Docs&Cat Section: A competitive section that brings together a selection of the best documentaries produced and/or co-produced in Catalonia, with the aim of showcasing and supporting Catalan talent, reaffirming DocsBarcelona's commitment to the strength and diversity of perspectives and themes in documentaries made in our country.
• Docs&Focus Section: A competitive section that gathers a selection of feature-length documentaries revolving around a single thematic axis that varies in each edition of the Festival. After focusing on different expressions and manifestations of love in 2024, this next edition will be dedicated to humor and will be called Docs&Humor.
• Docs&Honor Section: A retrospective of a selection of the filmography of the filmmaker awarded the Docs of Honor Prize in each edition of the Festival in recognition of their contribution to the world of cinema. • Docs&Teens Section: A competitive section focused on documentary productions suitable for audiences between 12 and 18 years old.
• DOC-U Section: A competitive section focused on documentary short films made by students over 18 years old from universities, educational centers, and film schools in Spain.
Regarding awards, the festival distributes more than a dozen prizes valued at a total of almost 20.000 euros, including cash prizes (a total of 10.500 euros) and 8.000 euros in post-production services and equipment rental for filming, among others.
FILM SUBMISSION: FROM SEPTEMBER 16 TO NOVEMBER 15
The call for submitting documentary films for this next edition will open on Monday, September 16, and will remain open until Friday, November 15. The call consists of two deadlines:
• Early bird: from September 16 to November 1.
• Regular entry: from November 2 to November 15.
Check the rules of each section and submit your documentary film through docsbarcelona.com.
DOCSBARCELONA INDUSTRY: PROFESSIONAL MEETING POINT
On the other hand, DocsBarcelona Industry offers opportunities for projects from any country in the world and focused on any topic, which can be submitted to six of the program's initiatives according to their needs, characteristics, and/or objectives, with the aim of obtaining financing, distribution, training, or support.
• Public Pitch: A selection of projects in development presented to a panel of decision-makers and industry professionals.
• Rough Cut Pitch: A selection of projects in the editing phase looking for sales, distribution, and exhibition opportunities.
• New Tech Pitch: A selection of non-fiction projects using emerging technologies presented to a panel of funders, experts, and professionals from the technological and audiovisual sector.
• Speed Meetings: 15-minute B2B meetings between documentary projects and international funders aiming to secure financing for their project development.
• Campus DocsBarcelona: A creation lab with follow-up tutorials and training sessions throughout the year for non-fiction projects.
• Artistic Consultancies: 80-minute personalized consultancies with an expert tutor for projects in the editing stage.
PROJECT SUBMISSION: FROM DECEMBER 10 TO JANUARY 27
The call for submitting projects will open on Tuesday, December 10, and will remain open until Monday, January 27. The call also consists of two deadlines:
• Early bird: from December 10 to December 31.
• Regular entry: from January 1 to January 27.
The guidelines for the activities to submit projects will be published soon. Projects can be submitted until January 27, 2025, through docsbarcelona.com.
