Overview
Movies that Matter Festival (MtMF) is the Netherlands' human rights film festival. The 21st edition runs March 20 to 28, 2026, in The Hague. Venues include Theater Aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Theater de Regentes, and Theater de Vaillant. The festival presents over 90 films across nine days, organized into six competitive sections and a non-competitive Panorama program.
The Hague is the seat of the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and dozens of international legal and diplomatic organizations. The festival's audience includes international lawyers, judges, diplomats, and NGO professionals who engage with the films' human rights subjects from positions of direct professional involvement. This audience profile distinguishes MtMF from general documentary festivals: post-screening Q&A sessions frequently involve practitioners with direct experience of the issues on screen.
The 2026 edition awarded the Grand Jury Documentary Award to Traces (dirs. Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk), a Ukrainian documentary following six women who survived sexual violence during Russia's war in Ukraine. The Grand Jury Fiction Award went to Aisha Can't Fly Away (dir. Morad Mostafa), set in Cairo's Ain Shams neighborhood. The Grand Jury Documentary Award qualifies the winning film for Academy Award consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category.
Submission Details
Movies that Matter accepts submissions for fiction and documentary films through its online submission form. Submissions for the 2026 edition were open from June 2 to November 1, 2025.
Submission fees:
- Early Bird (June 1 to July 31, 2025): EUR 20
- Normal Fee (August 1 to September 30, 2025): EUR 25
- Late Fee (October 1 to November 1, 2025): EUR 35
Eligibility requirements:
- Only documentaries and feature films finalized or with a world premiere in 2025/2026 are eligible
- The festival does not require a premiere status but takes it into account during selection
- Films must address human rights or social justice themes
- The final selection is announced at the end of February via email
Competition categories (8 films each):
- Grand Jury Documentary: 8 documentaries related to human rights. The winning film is eligible for nomination for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
- Grand Jury Fiction: 8 fiction films related to human rights
- Activist Lens: 8 documentaries about human rights defenders
- Justice Frame: 8 documentaries and fiction films about justice, international justice, and the rule of law
- Dutch Focus: 8 documentaries and fiction films about human rights made by Dutch filmmakers
- Shorts: all selected shorts compete for the Shorts Award
Films not selected for competition are programmed in the non-competitive Panorama section, organized under themes including Take on Power, Take on Love, Take on Future, Take on Freedom, Deep Dive, and Festival Favourites. Panorama films also compete for the Audience Award.
Key Sections
- Grand Jury Documentary Competition - 8 human rights documentaries, Academy Award-qualifying for Best Documentary Feature
- Grand Jury Fiction Competition - 8 human rights fiction films
- Activist Lens Competition - 8 documentaries about human rights defenders
- Justice Frame Competition - 8 films about justice and the rule of law
- Dutch Focus Competition - 8 films by Dutch filmmakers addressing human rights
- Shorts Competition - short films competing for the Shorts Award
- Panorama - non-competitive section with themed programs, eligible for the Audience Award
- Educational Program - screenings and discussions for schools and universities
- Industry Program - professional activities in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
What Filmmakers Should Know
The Grand Jury Documentary Competition is Academy Award-qualifying, making MtMF strategically valuable for documentary filmmakers pursuing Oscar recognition. The 2025 winner Facing War and 2026 winner Traces both received this qualification.
MtMF is one of the few human rights festivals with a dedicated fiction competition. The Grand Jury Fiction Award recognizes narrative films addressing human rights themes. The 2025 winner Manas (dir. Marianna Brennand) was backed by Walter Salles and the Dardenne Brothers. The 2026 winner Aisha Can't Fly Away (dir. Morad Mostafa) premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
The Dutch Focus competition is reserved for Dutch filmmakers. The EUR 5,000 award, funded by VEVAM, went to Home Game (dir. Lidija Zelovic) in 2025 and Between Brothers (dir. Tom Fassaert) in 2026.
The Shorts Award carries a EUR 1,500 prize. The 2025 winner was Man Number 4 (dir. Miranda Pennell), set in Gaza. The 2026 winner was Rahhala: Hayya ala Hayya (dir. Lujain Jo).
Major Awards
Competition Awards (each EUR 5,000)
- Grand Jury Documentary Award: EUR 5,000, Academy Award-qualifying (2026: Traces, dirs. Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk)
- Grand Jury Fiction Award: EUR 5,000 (2026: Aisha Can't Fly Away, dir. Morad Mostafa)
- Activist Lens Award: EUR 5,000 (2026: Cutting Through Rocks, dirs. Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni)
- Justice Frame Award: EUR 5,000 (2026: This Is My Body, dir. Jerome Clement-Wilz)
- Dutch Focus Award: EUR 5,000, made possible by VEVAM (2026: Between Brothers, dir. Tom Fassaert)
- Audience Award: EUR 5,000, made possible by ASN Bank
Short Film Award
- Shorts Award: EUR 1,500 (2026: Rahhala: Hayya ala Hayya, dir. Lujain Jo)
Festival History
Movies that Matter was founded in 2004 as a human rights film festival in The Hague. The festival has operated continuously for over two decades, growing into a nine-day festival programming over 90 films across six competitive sections. Its Academy Award-qualifying status for the Grand Jury Documentary Award, first granted for the 2025 edition, has elevated its international profile.
The festival's collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs connects programming directly to Dutch foreign policy and international development work. This creates a bridge between filmmaking and diplomacy.
Past Winners
2026 edition (21st):
- Grand Jury Documentary Award: Traces (dirs. Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, Ukraine) - follows six women who survived sexual violence during Russia's war in Ukraine. Academy Award-qualifying.
- Grand Jury Fiction Award: Aisha Can't Fly Away (dir. Morad Mostafa, Egypt) - set in Cairo's Ain Shams neighborhood.
- Activist Lens Award: Cutting Through Rocks (dirs. Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, Iran) - documents Iranian women building a road through a mountain.
- Justice Frame Award: This Is My Body (dir. Jerome Clement-Wilz, France) - explores bodily autonomy and legal frameworks.
- Dutch Focus Award: Between Brothers (dir. Tom Fassaert, Netherlands) - examines family dynamics and intergenerational trauma.
- Shorts Award: Rahhala: Hayya ala Hayya (dir. Lujain Jo) - EUR 1,500 prize.
2025 edition (17th):
- Grand Jury Documentary Award: Facing War (dir. Tommy Gulliksen, Norway) - about Jens Stoltenberg's final year as NATO secretary general.
- Grand Jury Fiction Award: Manas (dir. Marianna Brennand, Brazil) - set in the Amazon rainforest.
- Dutch Focus Award: Home Game (dir. Lidija Zelovic, Netherlands) - a 30-year portrait of a displaced family from Sarajevo.
- Shorts Award: Man Number 4 (dir. Miranda Pennell) - set in Gaza in December 2023.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- Traces (dirs. Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, 2026) - won the Grand Jury Documentary Award at MtMF 2026. Also screened at IDFA and was acquired for international distribution by Dogwoof.
- Aisha Can't Fly Away (dir. Morad Mostafa, 2026) - won the Grand Jury Fiction Award at MtMF 2026. Premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2025. Picked up by Film Movement for US distribution.
- Facing War (dir. Tommy Gulliksen, 2025) - won the Grand Jury Documentary Award at MtMF 2025. Screened at CPH:DOX and Hot Docs.
- Manas (dir. Marianna Brennand, 2025) - won the Grand Jury Fiction Award at MtMF 2025. Screened at Toronto and San Sebastian before arriving at MtMF.
- Cutting Through Rocks (dirs. Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, 2026) - won the Activist Lens Award at MtMF 2026. Also screened at CPH:DOX and IDFA Best of Fests.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
The six-category competition structure gives filmmakers multiple entry points. Documentary filmmakers pursuing Academy Award qualification should target the Grand Jury Documentary category. Only films finalized in 2025 or 2026 are eligible, and the festival takes premiere status into account during selection, though it does not require a premiere.
The Activist Lens category specifically seeks documentaries about human rights defenders. Films about individuals or groups working on the front lines of human rights advocacy fit this category better than the broader Grand Jury Documentary section. The Justice Frame category targets films about international justice and the rule of law. It is a natural fit for documentaries about war crimes tribunals, transitional justice, or legal systems.
Films not selected for competition may still be programmed in the Panorama section. The Panorama thematic strands include Take on Power, Take on Love, Take on Future, Take on Freedom, Deep Dive, and Festival Favourites. These provide non-competitive screening opportunities and eligibility for the Audience Award.
The Early Bird fee of EUR 20 offers a 43 percent savings over the late fee of EUR 35. Submitting before July 31 reduces costs, particularly for filmmakers submitting multiple films.
Industry Reputation Notes
Movies that Matter occupies a distinctive position among European documentary festivals. Its Academy Award-qualifying status for the Grand Jury Documentary Award places it alongside IDFA, CPH:DOX, Sheffield DocFest, and Hot Docs. This makes it strategically valuable for documentary filmmakers pursuing Oscar recognition.
The festival's location in The Hague gives it a unique audience profile. Post-screening discussions regularly feature judges, lawyers, diplomats, and NGO professionals with direct experience of the issues on screen, creating networking opportunities unavailable at general documentary festivals.
Compared to IDFA, which programs a broader range of documentary cinema, MtMF has a narrower thematic focus on human rights and social justice. MtMF's March schedule fills a different slot in the festival calendar, avoiding direct competition with IDFA. The two festivals serve complementary roles in the Dutch documentary ecosystem.
Watch
See Also
For festival circuit planning and premiere strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate the financial return of festival submissions, see the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For documentary filmmaking, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For IDFA Amsterdam, the Netherlands' other major documentary festival, see IDFA Amsterdam.
