Awards & Fellowships  

Sarajevo Film Festival

Held August 14–21 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFF is the largest film festival in Southeast Europe.

✦ Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić’s To Hold a Mountain won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary

Diane Weyermann Fellowship

Points North's Diane Weyermann Fellowship supports three advanced-career directors and producers making feature-length documentaries on urgent, timely themes. Fellows get an 18-month program, two tailored creative retreats, and $100,000 unrestricted.

✦ Natalia Almada’s Captions Will Be Needed was selected for the 2025–2026 cohort

Sundance Institute | The Asian American Foundation Fellowship and Scholarship

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and Sundance Institute announced their fourth cohort: 12 new Asian American and Pacific Islander fellows and scholars in film and TV. Each will receive mentorship, resources, and community to help develop their projects. 

✦ Patrick G. Lee’s BECOMING BECOMING was selected for the 2026 cohort

Shine Global’s 2026 Resilience Awards

These awards celebrate stories that center the strength and resilience of children and young people.

✦ Cynthia Lowen and Jon Cohrs’ Kids Like Me won the 2026 Grand Prize

DOC NYC’s Visionaries Tribute

DOC NYC announced its 13th annual Visionaries Tribute honorees, who will be celebrated at the opening of this November's festival with a gala.

✦ Stephen Maing will be honored with the Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence

TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award

Each year, CBC Films and TIFF honor a writer who "reflects, represents, and reframes Canadian perspectives through character-driven stories." The winner receives $15,000 CAD and mentorship opportunities. 

✦ Yuqi Kang is the 2026 winner for her screenplay Hatch.

Festivals & Screenings  

San Sebastián International Film Festival

Held September 18–26 in Spain, San Sebastián is a prestigious festival with a strong industry focus.

✦ Tatiana Huezo’s Galerna won the EGEDA Platino Industria Award for best WIP LATAM

Morelia International Film Festival

Held October 16–25, FICM is one of Mexico's most prestigious film festivals.

✦ Dano García’s Mickey will compete in the Sección de Documental Mexicano (Mexican Documentary Feature Section)

✦ Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig’s Jaripeo will compete in the Sección de Documental Mexicano (Mexican Documentary Feature Section)

Baby Doe September Screening Tour

September was a busy month for Jessica Earnshaw's Baby Doe: the film visited communities across nine states with the help of 17 incredible partners, with many screenings followed by conversations featuring Earnshaw, film participants, and local experts.

Toronto International Film Festival

Held September 10–20 in Toronto, TIFF celebrates the best of Canadian and global cinema. 

✦ Rebeca Huntt’s Rapinoe had its world premiere as the official opening night film for TIFF Docs

Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival

Held September 23–27 in Trinidad, TTFF/26 celebrates film from the Caribbean islands and their global diaspora.

✦ Michèle Stephenson’s True North screened as a special presentation feature

An Act of Worship’s Next Generation Fellowship

Last year, Nausheen Dadabhoy's An Act of Worship team launched the Next Generation Fellowship, giving four Gen Z Muslim filmmakers a small grant and mentorship to make a micro-doc on what it means to be Muslim in America today.

✦ The resulting film, Muslim America: The Next Generation, screened alongside Dadabhoy's short Halal Bodies on September 18 at the Dolby Screening Room in NYC

Orgasm Inc. at Lincoln Center

✦ Liz Canner’s Orgasm Inc.: The Strange Science of Female Pleasure had a special screening at Lincoln Center on September 10, followed by a discussion with Canner, Dr. Leonore Tiefer, and Dr. Susan Bennett

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

Held November 12–22 in Amsterdam, IDFA is an influential festival solely dedicated to documentary films.

✦ Tatiana Huezo is the festival’s 2026 Guest of Honor ✦ Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller's They're Here will screen in the Signed section ✦ Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić’s To Hold a Mountain will screen in the Best of Fests section ✦ Viv Li's Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest will screen in the Best of Fests section

NewFest

Held October 15–25 in New York City, NewFest is the United States’ largest LGBTQ+ film festival.

✦ Viv Li’s Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest ✦ Dano García’s Mickey ✦ Catherine Gund’s Dispatches from Cleveland

Hola Mexico Film Festival

Held September 25–October 3 in Los Angeles.

✦ Indira Cato's Being Olimpia

Streaming 

✦ Volia Chajkouskaya’s Not Made for Politics is streaming on HBO Max in Europe

Job well done 

✦ In a new interview with Cineuropa, Petar Glomazić reflects on the eight-year journey to make To Hold a Mountain, crediting the team's funders as a key reason it happened. Their support, he said, let the team "remain independent and fully realise [their] artistic vision," while connecting them with key industry collaborators.

✦ Sasha Wortzel’s River of Grass launched a free learning guide with lessons ranging from learning about the Everglades’ ecosystem to the region's art and poetry.