29th TiDF: Call for entries

29th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL [4-14/3/2027]

Call for entries

Submissions for the 29thThessaloniki International Documentary Festival (4-14/03/2027) are now open.

TiDF is among the most important documentary festivals in Europe and an Oscars® documentary feature qualifying festival, celebrating the art of documentary via a rich program of films, events, initiatives and the Agora Doc Market, a lively hub for film professionals.

The Festival has four competition sections: Feature Length International Competition, Newcomers International Competition, >>Film Forward International Competition and Immersive: All around cinema International Competition.

Submission dates are as follows:

• Early bird submissions are open until September 18th, 2026 with an entry fee of 40 euros for each submission.
• From September 19th on, submissions will be open until November 30th, 2026 with an entry fee of 60 euros.

The deadline for submissions is November 30th, 2026.

Deadline for Immersive/XR projects only: January 8th, 2027

The Feature LengthInternational Competition section presents twelve (12) to fourteen (14) documentary features that will compete for two awards: The Golden Alexander award, which is accompanied by a €12,000 cash prize and the Silver Alexander, accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize.

The films meeting the following conditions are eligible to participate in the IC section:

1. Production must have been completed within 12 (twelve) months preceding the Festival screening
2. It is a World, International or European Premiere
3. It has not been released or screened publicly in Greece either in cinemas, television or online.
4. Must be in a standard DCP format
5. Has a running time of over 70 minutes

Please note that the film that wins the Golden Alexander award will automatically be eligible to submit for Academy Awards consideration in the Documentary Feature category.

The Newcomers International Competition section for first or second-time directors presents ten (10) to twelve (12) films of over 50 minutes in length that will compete for the Golden Alexander “Dimitri Eipides” award, which is accompanied by a €10,000 cash prize, and the Silver Alexander, which is accompanied by a €4,000 cash prize.

The films meeting the following condition are eligible to participate in the Newcomers IC section:

1. Is a director’s first or second feature-length fiction film
2. Production must have been completed within 12 (twelve) months preceding the Festival screening
3. It is a World, International or European Premiere
4. Has not been released or screened publicly in Greece either in cinemas, television or online
5. Must be in a standard DCP format
6. Has a running time of over 50 minutes.

The >>Film Forward International Competition presents eight (8) to ten (10) films that experiment with the form and method of documentary filmmaking. The Golden Alexander award is accompanied by a €6,000 cash prize, and the Silver Alexander, which is accompanied by a €3,000 cash prize.

The films meeting the following conditions are eligible to participate in the >>Film Forward IC section:

1. Production must have been completed within 12 (twelve) months preceding the Festival screening
2. It is a World, International or European Premiere
3. Has not been released or screened publicly in Greece either in cinemas, television or online.
4. Must be in a standard DCP format
5. Has a running time of over 45 minutes.

Please submit here: https://filmfestival.gr/en/open-calls/

For any further questions please contact: documentary@filmfestival.gr

The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival also presents the Immersive: All around cinema International Competition section, featuring XR/AR/VR projects which prove that this new medium can pave the way for novel cinematic experience and art. The films that meet the following conditions are eligible to participate in the XR IC section:

1) production must have been completed within 24 (twenty-four) months preceding the Festival opening date

2) the project has not been released or screened publicly in Greece, physically or online

Please submit Immersive / XR projects here: https://filmfestival.gr/en/open-calls/

Deadline for Immersive / XR projects: January 8th, 2027.

Immersive / XR projects submissions are free of charge.