Biarritz Film Festival
Bellevue Auditorium, Gare du Midi, Casino Municipal, Le Royal cinema, and Le Colisée
Festival at a Glance
Submission Platform
Event Dates
January 23 – January 31, 2026
Submission Fee
€10 to €120
Festival Type
documentary film festival
Suitable For
All forms of documentary films, including true stories, digital/immersive (VR/AR/interactive), series, and innovative formats.
Estimated Participants
International delegations; producers; young Europeans; jury members
Location
du Midi, Bellevue Auditorium, and the Casino Municipal
Festival Location
Acceptance Difficulty
Easy
Moderate
Very Competitive
Festival Guide
OverView
Film Submission Details
Participators
Technical Specs
Requirements
Genres
Travel Perks
Past Winners
Success Story
Festival Overview
FIPADOC (Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels Documentaires) is France’s leading international documentary film festival, held annually in the coastal city of Biarritz. It is the first major international documentary event of the year and serves as a key platform for both the general public and industry professionals.
Who Is Biarritz Best For?
FIPADOC stands out as a welcoming yet professionally oriented international documentary festival that bridges artistic discovery with industry networking. It caters to a wide range of participants, but shines most for specific groups in the documentary/non-fiction ecosystem.
✅ Good Fit If
- Your film has a strong independent documentary voice
- You are aiming for an international or French premiere
- Your project has artistic, social, or investigative relevance
- You seek industry exposure and distribution in the documentary space
❌ Not a Good Fit If
- Your film is fiction, primarily commercial, or genre-driven
- The film is already widely released or broadcast in France
- You are looking for easy acceptance
Who Might Not Be a Good Fit?
- Commercial studio-driven fiction projects
- Films already widely available online, on TV, or theatrically released in France
- Low-budget projects without strong narrative or artistic identity
key festival Facts
- Founded:
1987
Location:Biarritz, France
Festival Type:International / Documentary-Focused / Industry + Public
Frequency:Annual (January)
Submission Platform:Festicine Pro
Premiere Status:France premiere required
Film Submission Details
FIPADOC (Biarritz) film submission details (for the 2026 edition, now closed):
Submissions via Festicine Pro (https://film-fipadoc.festicine.pro/en). Deadlines: Sept 26, 2025 (non-competitive/Francophone), Oct 6, 2025 (competitive/new films). Fees: ~€48–€60 (features >60 min), €12 (shorts/New Talent), €100–€120 (series), €15–€18 (VR/immersive); discounts up to 50% for independents. Priority for French premieres in competitive sections; Vimeo link required. For 2027, check https://www.fipadoc.com/en from mid-2026.
Submission Notes:
- European First Films Pitches: October 31, 2025 (official project deadline).
FIPADOC
International Pitches: October 3, 2025 (official project deadline). Official submission deadline for festival competition films is not available on the public static pages.
Films must be produced between October 2024 and October 2025 (general); © 2024 or © 2025 for New Talent, SMART, Short Film, European Stories. Minimum duration: 50 minutes (except New Talent ≤60 min, Short Films ≤20 min, digital experiences). Premiere status: French premiere required for Grand Prix competitions (not yet released in France); no constraint for New Talent, SMART, Short Film; already released for French speaking documentaries Panorama. Films previously submitted to FIPADOC ineligible. Directors/producers must hold rights. Submissions via online form on FestiCiné or Shortfilmdepot, with digital video link (original version with English/French subtitles). Selection Committee assigns categories. For selected films: DCP format required; cannot withdraw; include FIPADOC logo in credits; provide promotional materials.
Genres & Program Sections
Sundance embraces a wide range of storytelling forms while maintaining a strong curatorial identity focused on innovation and authenticity.
Career Impact & Success Stories
- Collective (2020 Grand Prix International) → Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
- The Mole Agent (2021 Grand Prix International) → Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
- Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2024 Grand Prix International) → Sundance Best Direction, European Film Award for Best Documentary.
- Black Box Diaries (2025 Grand Prix International) → Strong international festival run and critical acclaim.
- Yintah (2025 Grand Prix Impact) → Amplified advocacy impact and additional screenings.
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’État (2025 Grand Prix Musical) → Oscar consideration and wider discussions on history/colonialism.
Awards & Recognition :
2026
- Grand Prix International: Redlight to Limelight, Bipuljit Basu (India)
- Grand Prix French: The Strike, Gabrielle Stemmer (France)
- Grand Prix Musical: The Orchestra, Philippe Béziat (France)
- Grand Prix Impact: An Eye for an Eye, Tanaz Eshaghian & Farzad Jafari (Iran)
- Audience Award: The Extraordinary Journey of Mister Jack – Sarah Moon Howe (Belgium)
- Short Film: What Does the Mud Whisper?Dea Tcholokava (Georgia)
- New Talent: Drawn in Water, Heta Jokinen (Finland)
- Smart Immersive: Impulse: Playing With Reality, May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy (UK)
Travel Perks :
- Networking & Events: Access to over 60 professional sessions, including workshops, round tables, and matchmaking activities.
- Free Accreditation for Directors: Directors of projects selected for the Co-production Forum receive free professional accreditation.
- Reduced Rates for Specific Regions: Special submission rates are available for filmmakers from Spain, Portugal, LLC countries, Ukraine, and Palestine.
- Broad Access: Accreditations (Professional, Talent, Press, and Campus) provide access to all screenings, digital experience spaces, and festival events
Festival Contact & Information
Official Website
Submission Platform
https://shortfilmdepot.com/en/festival/1 (or https://shortfilmdepot.com/en/festival/Clermont_Ferrand_ISFF)
Social Media