Irish Film Institute -IRISH FILM SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR IFI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2026

IRISH FILM SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR IFI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2026

IFI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2026 

23rd – 27th September 2026 

IRISH FILM SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN

The IFI Documentary Festival is looking for original and exciting Irish feature films for inclusion in our 2026 edition, which will run this year from September 23rd to 27th. Submissions are now open for feature-length documentaries (over 60 minutes) made in or about Ireland or made by Irish filmmakers.

To apply, simply fill out this online form, or complete the embedded version below. The deadline for submissions is 18.00 on Friday, July 3rd 2026.

Now in its 25th year, the IFI Documentary Festival has screened a powerful array of Irish documentaries including A Want In Her, Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man, In Time: Dónal Lunny, Housewife of the Year, Gaza, and Love Yourself Today. International hits such as ORWELL: 2+2=5, Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, Dahomey, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, Your Fat Friend, Minding the Gap, Love Child and The Imposter have all had their Irish premieres at the festival. The festival brings the very best of non-fiction filmmaking from home and abroad to IFI cinemas.

The IFI acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council.

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This online form is for submission of Irish feature documentaries – ie non-fiction films documenting reality which are longer than 60 minutes  

 

SUBMISSION PROCESS/ELIGIBILITY: 

 

  • Films must be submitted online by 18.00 on Friday, July 3rd 2026. 
  • No entry fee applies. 
  • Preference will be given to films which are Irish premieres. 
  • Submitted films must be defined as Irish within at least one of the following categories: Made by Irish-born, Irish citizen, or current Irish resident / Produced by Irish-based production company/ Content located primarily in Ireland with subject matter which is wholly, significantly, or primarily Irish-themed.  
  • Films that are publicly available online or have been broadcast on Irish television or on a channel available to Irish television audiences should not be entered and will not be considered. 
  • Films that have been submitted for previous IFI Documentary Festivals will not be considered unless they have been altered substantially since last submission. 
  • Films must have been completed no more than 24 months before submission date.  
  • Films must be completed by July 3rd 2026. In exceptional circumstances feature films may be submitted as rough cuts but only where producers can guarantee completion date by August 29th 2026.  
  • Feature films will be no shorter than 60 minutes  
  • IFI will notify successful applicants of their selection by 14th August 2026. 
  • Films will be selected by a team of experienced IFI programmers. Their decisions on selection will be final, and they will not enter correspondence in this regard. 

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT: THE PRODUCER 

Successful applicants will generally be represented by The Producer unless otherwise advised. 

The Producer will: 

  • Deliver films for exhibition on DCP compliant with IFI tech specs. 
  • Deliver exhibition copies to the IFI no later than Friday August 28th 2026 and will agree to meet all other festival deadlines as stipulated by IFI. 
  • Provide exhibition copies of Irish language or foreign language films with English subtitles. 
  • Confirm that they are legally entitled to authorise screening of their film at IFI Documentary Festival and there are no legal obstacles or litigation preventing them from doing so. 
  • Will keep IFI appraised of all screenings (national and international) scheduled for their film on dates before IFI Documentary Festival and will endeavour to ensure that no screenings will take place in Dublin before the 23rd  September 2026 either in a theatrical setting or other commercial outlet (including DVD, internet streaming, VOD or television). Successful applicants agree to notify IFI immediately if this status changes at any point prior to the Festival screening. 

 

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT: IFI 

  • Publicity: IFI reserves the right to use extracts of up to 2 minutes from submissions for festival publicity and marketing purposes including but not limited to exhibition on the IFI website, and to provide preview links for purposes of press coverage and publicity. 
  • Screening Copies: IFI will test all incoming materials and deem them fit for exhibition. Where IFI deems submitted material technically unfit for exhibition, the producer will provide suitable alternative promptly and at no cost to IFI. Where IFI deems material fit for exhibition, IFI will proceed with screening of this material and is not obliged to accommodate substitutions. IFI accepts no obligation to provide cinema preview facilities for test screenings. 
  • Scheduling of films within the Festival Programme: time, date and screen allocation will be at the sole discretion of the IFI Documentary Festival. 

 

GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR) 

By submitting to our festival, we will utilise any personal data that you submit to us as part of the details of your submission, to evaluate your submission for the purposes of the festival. 

We will use your data as part of our internal surveys to assess the number of submissions for the festival and where submissions came from and from what category. 

You are in control of your data and should you wish to delete your data, you may request us to do this at anytime. 

To withdraw consent to use your data and delete it from our systems, please email us with your request. 

Data Consent 

By submitting to our festival you are giving us consent to utilise your data in the ways listed above. 

It is impossible for our festival to manage your submission and your involvement in our festival without using your data. 

If you do not consent to this and would like us to delete your data entirely after the festival, please contact us. By making a submission to our festival you are giving your consent for us to use your data. 

 

IFI CINEMAS TODAY


The IFI is supported
by The Arts Council

Arts Council of Ireland