Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival (Winnipeg)

Overview

Gimme Some Truth is a documentary film festival produced by the Winnipeg Film Group and staged annually at the Dave Barber Cinematheque in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 17th edition runs November 5 to 8, 2026. The festival programs Canadian documentary features and shorts, with a focus on independent, socially engaged, and formally adventurous nonfiction cinema. Gimme Some Truth is a qualifying festival for the Canadian Screen Awards.

The festival is unique among Canadian documentary festivals for its integration of master lectures, workshops, and special screenings into its program. Rather than functioning solely as a screening venue, Gimme Some Truth is designed as a forum for filmmakers and audiences to discuss creative, ethical, and technical issues related to the documentary form. The festival includes panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, and educational programming alongside its screening schedule.

The Gimme 10 in 30! Doc Challenge is a signature program: 10 participants chosen via random lottery draw are tasked with completing a new documentary film in 30 days. The resulting films, each 7 minutes or less, are screened at the Cinematheque as part of the festival and are eligible for a $500 audience award sponsored by DOC Manitoba. Participants can finish films that are in an existing state of production prior to the challenge, as long as the final touches are completed during the 30-day period. Registration for the 2026 challenge closes at 12pm CST on Friday, October 2.

Key Sections

• Canadian Documentary Features - feature-length documentaries from across Canada
• Canadian Documentary Shorts - short documentary programs, including local and Manitoba films
• Gimme 10 in 30! Doc Challenge - 10 new short docs made in 30 days, screened at the festival with a $500 audience award
• Master Lectures and Workshops - educational programming with visiting and local filmmakers
• Panel Discussions - moderated discussions on documentary craft, ethics, and industry topics
• Special Screenings - curated selections of the year's most acclaimed documentaries from the international circuit

Submission Details

Gimme Some Truth accepts submissions via an online form on the Winnipeg Film Group website. Submissions are free - there is no submission fee.

Eligibility requirements:

• Open to Canadian documentary films (short and feature length)
• Films must have been completed in the last two years
• The deadline for the 17th edition (2026) is Monday, August 3 at 11:59pm

Filmmakers submit their film by filling out the online form and providing a screener link. The festival does not use FilmFreeway; submissions are handled directly through the Winnipeg Film Group's website.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The free submission process is a significant benefit, particularly for emerging filmmakers. Unlike most Canadian festivals that charge $25 to $70 in submission fees, Gimme Some Truth has no submission fee. This removes a financial barrier for documentary filmmakers working with limited budgets.

The festival's Canadian Screen Award qualifying status means that winning a qualifying award at Gimme Some Truth can make a film eligible for Canadian Screen Award consideration. This places the festival alongside other Canadian Screen Award qualifying events, though at a smaller scale than major festivals like Hot Docs or the Calgary International Film Festival.

The festival's focus on documentary craft and community engagement makes it particularly valuable for filmmakers seeking substantive feedback and discussion. The master lectures, workshops, and panel discussions create opportunities for direct engagement with experienced filmmakers and industry professionals. Past programs have included panel discussions on topics such as physical media, archives, restoration, and distribution, moderated by film academics and featuring visiting filmmakers.

The Dave Barber Cinematheque (100 Arthur St.) is a single-venue festival experience. The theatre is located in the Artspace building in Winnipeg's Exchange District, a National Historic Site known for its early 20th century architecture and arts community. General admission for individual screenings is $10.50. The intimate venue creates a focused, community-oriented festival atmosphere.

The Gimme 10 in 30! Doc Challenge is open to anyone interested in documentary filmmaking. Registration is via a Google Form, and participants are selected by random lottery. The challenge is produced in partnership with DOC Manitoba. The 10 resulting films screen at the festival and are eligible for the $500 audience award. This is an accessible entry point for filmmakers who want to create new work within a structured deadline and have it screened at a festival.

The festival programs primarily Canadian documentaries, with a curated selection of international documentaries in special screenings. Recent editions have included acclaimed international documentaries such as All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras), Ever Deadly (a portrait of Tanya Tagaq), Black Ice (examining anti-Black racism in hockey), and Nelly & Nadine (Magnus Gertten). Local and Canadian short documentary programs explore themes including media influence, loss, environmental decline, Indigenous connections to land, and mental health.

Major Awards

• Gimme 10 in 30! Audience Award - $500 cash prize sponsored by DOC Manitoba, awarded to the audience favourite among the 10 challenge films
• Canadian Screen Award qualifying category - winning a qualifying award at the festival makes a film eligible for Canadian Screen Award consideration

The festival's awards program is smaller than major Canadian festivals. The primary competitive element is the Gimme 10 in 30! Doc Challenge audience award. The festival's value lies more in its screening platform, educational programming, and Canadian Screen Award qualifying status than in a large awards program.

Festival History

Gimme Some Truth was started in 2008 by film writer, publisher, producer, and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse during her tenure as staff at the Winnipeg Film Group. The festival was created as a documentary-focused event that would combine screenings with educational programming, filling a gap in Winnipeg's film culture for dedicated documentary exhibition.

The festival is produced by the Winnipeg Film Group, a filmmaker cooperative founded in 1971 that supports independent filmmaking in Manitoba through production resources, distribution, and exhibition. The Winnipeg Film Group's Cinematheque was initiated by past Executive Director Merit Jenson Carr, beginning with programming in the fall of 1982 at the NFB's Cinema Main. The Cinematheque has been a cornerstone of independent film culture in Winnipeg for over four decades.

The Cinematheque was renamed the Dave Barber Cinematheque in honor of longtime programmer Dave Barber, who shaped the theatre's programming for nearly four decades. Barber championed emerging filmmakers with the same care he brought to internationally recognized directors, helping foster an environment where independent artists could develop their work and engage directly with audiences. Dave Barber passed away on July 26, 2021, and the theatre was officially renamed on what would have been his 68th birthday.

The festival has grown from a small local event into a recognized Canadian documentary festival. The 14th edition in 2022 was the first under the newly christened Dave Barber Cinematheque name. The 15th edition in 2024 ran for five days (November 6 to 10) and included the Gimme 10 in 30! challenge, panel discussions, and a program of early and newly completed Winnipeg documentaries from founding members of the Winnipeg Film Group from the 1970s. The 16th edition ran November 6 to 9, 2025. The 17th edition runs November 5 to 8, 2026.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For documentary filmmaking guidance, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For Canadian Screen Award eligibility, see Film Awards Guide.