Docudays UA (International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival)

Overview

Docudays UA is Ukraine's largest documentary film festival and the country's primary platform for human rights cinema. The 23rd edition runs from June 5 to 12, 2026, in Kyiv. The festival is a member of the Documentary Association Europe (DAE) and the International Human Rights Film Network. Due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the festival's traditional March dates have been temporarily moved to June. The festival is non-political and non-commercial, and after the main event, selected films tour across Ukraine in October and November as part of the Travelling Docudays UA program, with screenings in cinemas, libraries, universities, schools, and even prisons.

The festival accepts submissions via FilmFreeway across three competitive sections: DOCU/WORLD (international feature and medium-length documentaries over 40 minutes), DOCU/SHORT (international short documentaries up to 40 minutes), and DOCU/UKRAINE (national competition for documentaries made in Ukraine or in co-production with Ukraine). Submission fees range from $10 (early deadline, short film) to $30 (final deadline, feature film). Films produced in Ukraine or in co-production with Ukraine can be submitted free of charge. The festival also offers a 50% discount for filmmakers from select developing countries.

All jury awards in each competition section are 35,000 UAH (approximately USD 850) per prize, awarded to the film director(s). The festival also awards the RIGHTS NOW! special prize (35,000 UAH) for documentaries that make a significant contribution to the discussion about human dignity, freedom, and equality, selected from up to 10 nominated films across all festival programs.

Key Sections

• DOCU/WORLD - international competition of feature-length and medium-length documentaries over 40 minutes
• DOCU/SHORT - international competition of short documentaries up to 40 minutes
• DOCU/UKRAINE - national competition for documentaries created in Ukraine or in co-production with Ukraine, or by Ukrainian filmmakers in collaboration with international production companies; varying lengths accepted
• RIGHTS NOW! - a special prize category with up to 10 films nominated from across all festival programs, awarded to documentaries exploring contemporary human rights issues
• RAW DOC - a showcase for feature-length projects at the final editing stage, offering closed test screenings for international industry experts including European public broadcasters, sales agents, and festival representatives; up to 3 projects selected; free to apply; deadline April 20, 2026
• UKRAINE WAR ARCHIVE / Fragments of Resistance - a non-competitive program seeking creative documentary films by active Ukrainian military personnel or about units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; deadline April 10, 2026; submitted via Google Forms
• DOCU/PRO - industry accreditation and professional development programming
• Travelling Docudays UA - post-festival touring program screening selected films across Ukrainian regions in October and November, including in prisons and educational facilities

Submission Details

Submission platform: FilmFreeway. Visit filmfreeway.com/docudays.

Entry fees and deadlines:

Films from select developing countries (including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and others) receive a 50% discount on submission fees depending on the selected competition section.

Notification date: April 17, 2026. First public announcements of festival programs begin in early May 2026.

Eligibility:

• Creative documentaries of any length, completed in 2024 or later
• Films must not have had premieres at Ukrainian film festivals, on Ukrainian television, or on Ukrainian online platforms (for international submissions)
• For DOCU/UKRAINE: Ukrainian premiere is also required, though Ukrainian films that have already had a national premiere may be considered for non-competitive programs
• A film can only be submitted to the Selection Committee once; if not accepted, it cannot be resubmitted the following year
• Films can be uploaded directly with the application or provided as a closed Vimeo/YouTube link; links must remain active until the end of May 2026
• File-sharing service links (WeTransfer, MegaUpload, etc.) are not accepted
• The Selection Council includes professionals in the documentary industry and human rights advocacy

RAW DOC submissions: Open until April 20, 2026. Free to apply. Up to 3 projects at the final editing stage selected. Participants announced May 5, 2026. Apply through the Docudays UA website.

Ukraine War Archive submissions: Open until April 10, 2026. Completed films of any length and works in the editing stage are eligible. Must not have been previously screened in Ukraine or published on digital platforms. Submit via Google Forms.

Major Awards

All jury awards are 35,000 UAH (approximately USD 850) per prize, awarded to the film director(s). In each nomination, the jury can give special mentions to up to two films.

• DOCU/WORLD Competition Jury Award - 35,000 UAH, for best international feature/medium-length documentary
• DOCU/SHORT Competition Jury Award - 35,000 UAH, for best international short documentary
• DOCU/UKRAINE Competition Jury Award - 35,000 UAH, for best Ukrainian documentary
• RIGHTS NOW! Special Prize - 35,000 UAH, awarded by the human rights jury to a film from up to 10 nominated films across all programs
• Andriy Matrosov Award - 35,000 UAH, founded in memory of the festival's producer who died in a car accident on February 16, 2010
• Student Jury Award - 35,000 UAH
• Best Emerging Ukrainian Producer - supported by ARTE, for short documentary
• Audience Award - determined by audience survey

Past Winners

2025 DOCU/WORLD Competition (22nd edition)

• *2000 Meters to Andriivka* - dir. Mstyslav Chernov (USA/Ukraine). The jury called it "a powerful film, an extraordinary tribute to the human spirit." The film won the Sundance Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary in January 2025, the F:ACT Award at CPH:DOX, Best International Documentary at Doc Aviv, and the City of Poznan Freedom Award at Millennium Docs Against Gravity. PBS Distribution released it theatrically in the US, and it premiered on PBS Frontline in November 2025. The film was Oscar-shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature.
• Special Mention: *On Sacred and Profane* - dir. Giedre Beinoriute (Lithuania). A film about cultural identity with the Russian war as backdrop.

2025 DOCU/UKRAINE Competition

• *Songs of Slow Burning Earth* - dir. Olha Zhurba (Ukraine/Denmark/Sweden/France). The jury praised its "accurate and profound depiction of the collective experience of war and the multilayered nature of trauma."

2024 DOCU/WORLD Competition (21st edition)

• *A Golden Life* - dir. Boubacar Sangare (Burkina Faso/Benin/France). The jury honored the film for "seeking the human in a dehumanising industry" and its "subtle cinematic language" depicting precarious working youth in a gold mine.
• Special Mention: *Fragments of Ice* - dir. Maria Stoianova (Ukraine/Norway). A film using family archives to explore personal and political history.

2023 DOCU/UKRAINE Competition (20th edition)

• *20 Days in Mariupol* - dir. Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine). Won the DOCU/UKRAINE main prize and the Audience Award. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Oscars. It also earned the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Associated Press team's coverage. The film was distributed by PBS Distribution in the US.

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

Docudays UA has programmed films that achieved major international recognition, particularly in the documentary and human rights space.

• *20 Days in Mariupol* (2023, dir. Mstyslav Chernov) - Won the DOCU/UKRAINE prize and Audience Award at Docudays UA 2023. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2024, making it the most internationally recognized film in the festival's history. The Associated Press team earned the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the underlying coverage. PBS Distribution released the film in the US.
• *2000 Meters to Andriivka* (2025, dir. Mstyslav Chernov) - Won the DOCU/WORLD main prize at Docudays UA 2025. Premiered at Sundance 2025 where it won the Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary. PBS Frontline aired the full documentary in November 2025. The film was Oscar-shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature.
• *We Will Not Fade Away* (2023, dir. Alisa Kovalenko) - Won the main prize at Docudays UA 2023. The film also screened at the Berlin Film Festival to a standing ovation. It won awards at Millennium Docs Against Gravity, DOXA Documentary Film Festival, and goEast Film Festival.
• *A Golden Life* (2024, dir. Boubacar Sangare) - Won the DOCU/WORLD main prize at Docudays UA 2024. The Burkina Faso/Benin/France co-production was praised for its cinematic language and humanist approach to gold mining labor.

Submission Tips Specific to This Festival

Human rights focus is not optional. Docudays UA is a human rights documentary festival. The Selection Council includes professionals in both documentary cinema and human rights advocacy. Your film should engage with human rights, ethical, or social issues through creative documentary form. Pure observational documentaries without a human rights dimension are less competitive than films that explicitly engage with dignity, freedom, equality, or justice.

Creative documentary form matters. The festival programs "creative documentaries" - films with artistic vision, not just journalistic reports. The 2025 DOCU/WORLD winner used immersive combat footage with personal voiceover. The 2024 winner developed its own "subtle cinematic language" in a gold mine setting. Submit work that treats documentary as cinema, not as news content.

Ukrainian premiere requirement for international submissions. International films must not have had premieres at Ukrainian film festivals, on Ukrainian television, or on Ukrainian online platforms. This protects the festival's premiere status. For DOCU/UKRAINE, a Ukrainian premiere is required, though films that already had a national premiere may be considered for non-competitive programs.

No resubmission policy. A film can only be submitted to the Selection Committee once. If not accepted, it cannot be resubmitted the following year. Make sure your film is ready and fits the festival's programming before submitting.

Free for Ukrainian films and co-productions. Ukrainian filmmakers and co-productions submit free of charge. Filmmakers from select developing countries receive a 50% discount. If you qualify for either, take advantage of the reduced or waived fee.

RAW DOC for final-stage films. If your feature documentary is in the final editing stage, consider applying to RAW DOC instead of the competition sections. Up to 3 projects receive closed test screenings with European broadcasters, sales agents, and festival representatives. This is an industry feedback mechanism, not a public screening. It is free to apply.

Industry Reputation Notes

Docudays UA holds a unique position in the documentary festival landscape. Its closest peers are IDFA (Amsterdam), CPH:DOX (Copenhagen), and the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, but Docudays UA operates under conditions no other festival faces.

The festival has continued programming throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. While IDFA and CPH:DOX operate in stable environments, Docudays UA has adapted to wartime conditions, temporarily moving dates from March to June and continuing to program international and Ukrainian documentary cinema amid missile attacks and air raid sirens. This resilience has made the festival a symbol of cultural endurance.

Compared to IDFA, which programs approximately 300 films and operates one of the world's largest documentary markets, Docudays UA is smaller but more focused. Its human rights mandate gives it a specific curatorial lens that broader documentary festivals lack. The RIGHTS NOW! prize, awarded to films that "make a significant contribution to the discussion about human dignity, freedom, and equality," reflects this focus.

The Travelling Docudays UA program gives the festival unusual reach. After the main event, selected films tour across Ukrainian regions in October and November, screening in cinemas, libraries, universities, schools, and even prisons. Each screening includes a human rights discussion with experts. No comparable documentary festival operates this kind of national touring program at this scale.

The festival's membership in the Documentary Association Europe (DAE) and the International Human Rights Film Network connects selected filmmakers to broader European documentary industry networks. The DOCU/PRO industry program provides accreditation for professionals attending the festival.

The RAW DOC showcase has grown into a recognized industry platform for work-in-progress documentary features. Past participating films include Traces by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, and Another Man's Diary by Oleksandr Tkachenko.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Docudays UA has continued to operate throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The festival has adapted to wartime conditions, temporarily moving its dates from March to June and continuing to program international and Ukrainian documentary cinema. For international filmmakers, submitting to Docudays UA means joining a festival that has become a symbol of cultural resilience under extraordinary circumstances.

The free submission for Ukrainian films and co-productions is a concrete support mechanism for the domestic documentary industry. Ukrainian filmmakers facing financial hardship due to the war can submit without cost. The 50% discount for filmmakers from developing countries extends this accessibility beyond Ukraine.

The RAW DOC program is particularly valuable for filmmakers in the final editing stage. Selected projects receive closed test screenings with representatives of leading European public broadcasters, sales agents, and festivals. This is not a public screening - it is an industry feedback mechanism. Past participating films include Traces by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, Another Man's Diary by Oleksandr Tkachenko, and A Full Picture by Maryna Stepanska. The program is free to apply and accepts up to 3 projects.

The Travelling Docudays UA program provides unusual national distribution for documentary content. After the festival, selected films screen across Ukrainian regions in October and November, in venues ranging from cinemas and libraries to prisons and penitentiary training facilities. Each screening is accompanied by a human rights discussion with experts. For international filmmakers, this means your film reaches audiences far beyond Kyiv, in communities that rarely have access to international documentary cinema.

The festival's membership in the Documentary Association Europe (DAE) and the International Human Rights Film Network connects selected filmmakers to broader European documentary industry networks. The DOCU/PRO industry program provides accreditation for industry professionals attending the festival.

The Ukraine War Archive / Fragments of Resistance program is a unique non-competitive section. It seeks films made by active military personnel, communications units of military formations, or films about units or individual operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Both completed films and works in the editing stage are eligible. This program provides a platform for stories from the frontline that might not fit traditional documentary festival categories.

Festival History

Docudays UA was founded in 2003 as Ukraine's first documentary film festival focused on human rights. The festival has operated through Ukraine's Orange Revolution (2004), Euromaidan (2013-2014), and the ongoing war with Russia, adapting to extraordinary circumstances while maintaining its commitment to documentary as a tool for civic engagement.

Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, the festival was held annually in March. The dates were temporarily moved to June due to the security situation. The festival has continued to program international documentary cinema alongside Ukrainian films, bringing global human rights documentaries to Kyiv audiences even as the city has faced missile attacks and air raid sirens.

The Travelling Docudays UA program, which tours selected films across Ukrainian regions after the main festival, has been operating since the festival's early years. The program reaches communities that have limited access to documentary cinema, using screenings as a starting point for human rights discussions with local experts.

The RAW DOC showcase was launched three years ago and has grown into a recognized industry platform for work-in-progress documentary features. The Ukraine War Archive / Fragments of Resistance program was added in response to the full-scale invasion, providing a dedicated space for films from the frontline.

The 23rd edition in 2026 runs June 5-12 in Kyiv, with the Travelling Festival following in October and November.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For documentary filmmaking and human rights, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate your festival submission budget across multiple festivals, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For film financing strategies, see Film Financing Guide.