Documenta Madrid, Madrid City Council's International Film Festival, organised by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport, an international meeting point for creators, professionals and audiences, is once again calling for entries for its National and International competitive sections, aimed at films completed after 1 January 2025, and Corte Final section, aimed at supporting national projects at an advanced stage of production. 

The festival, which celebrates its 23 edition from 26 to 31 May 2026, maintains its commitment to an open and plural way of understanding the documentary genre, accompanying and promoting new models and authors, allying itself with the impulse of discovery that characterises this film genre, and rewarding innovation and good work.

Call for entries opens today and will remain active until 20 February. **DEADLINE CLOSED**

> CHECK DOCUMENTA MADRID 2026 RULES AND REGULATIONS

> COMPETITIVE SECTIONS ENTRY FORM

Sections and prizes
In its 23rd edition, the festival has two competitive sections, International and National, each with three different prizes: the Jury Prize for Best Film, worth 10,000 € for each section; the Fugas Jury Prize, also worth 5,000 € for each section, aimed at rewarding innovation and a willingness to cross borders; and the Cineteca Madrid Audience Award, worth 1,000 € per section, the latter awarded by audience voting. For their part, the projects selected for Corte Final will once again compete for a cash prize of €4,000. In addition, the Freak Agency Distribution Award will allow one of the four projects selected for Corte Final to create the film's screening archives, as well as its distribution at festivals for two years, starting from the moment it is completed.

In addition, the jury may award a special mention for each category -National Competition, International Competition and Corte Final-, endowed with a diploma. And the films in the National Competition will also be eligible to receive the CineZeta Award, given by the young programmers of Cinezeta, at Cineteca Madrid, also endowed with a diploma. This prize is awarded by decision of the 10 members of the team of young programmers of CineZeta, the Cineteca Madrid programme that invites young people under the age of 26 to learn first-hand the craft of film programming, bringing their own proposals to the screen of the Sala Borau every Saturday.

Selection
The Programming Committee, which together with the Artistic Direction of Cineteca is in charge of designing the content of the festival and selecting the films in competition, will be formed by Pablo Caldera, philosopher, film critic, and researcher; Irene Castro Rivas, programmer and co-founder of the Roedor project; Nuria Cubas, filmaker, programmer and director of FILMADRID, International Film Festival; and Florencia de Mugica, producer and industry coordinator at Seminci. 

Any questions regarding the interpretation of the rules and regulations or the registration process will be answered by the festival team at info@documentamadrid.com.