Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival (FilmScene)

Overview

The Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival is Iowa's most important documentary film festival. Founded in 2009 and held annually in Iowa City -- home of the University of Iowa and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the most celebrated creative writing program in the United States -- the festival presents international and American documentary cinema to one of the Midwest's most intellectually engaged audiences.

Iowa City's identity as a UNESCO City of Literature and the home of a graduate writing program that has produced some of America's most celebrated novelists and poets creates an audience that approaches documentary with unusual literary and narrative sophistication. The festival reflects this context by programming documentary that rewards close attention to storytelling craft.

FilmScene, the festival's home cinema, is Iowa City's beloved independent movie theater and serves as a year-round cultural institution alongside the annual festival.

Key Sections

• International Documentary Competition -- documentaries competing for jury prizes
• American Documentary Program -- new US nonfiction
• Iowa Film Showcase -- films by Iowa filmmakers
• Short Documentary Program -- nonfiction short films
• Literary Connections -- documentaries about writers and literature

What Filmmakers Should Know

FilmScene accepts open submissions. The festival's literary culture makes it particularly receptive to documentaries with strong narrative structure and character. For Iowa filmmakers, this is the most important domestic documentary platform.

Major Awards

• Best International Documentary -- jury prize
• Audience Award

Festival History

The Iowa City documentary festival was founded in 2009 in close relationship with FilmScene, Iowa City's independent cinema.

See Also

For documentary filmmaking, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For Midwest festivals, see Film Festival Strategy.