Films & Events Program Strands International Documentaries

International Documentaries

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You’ll see it to believe it when the very best of non-fiction filmmaking from around the world arrives at SFF. 

The International Documentaries lineup is back with more extraordinary true stories and real-life storytelling that promises to inspire, challenge and transform.

Documentary
32 Meters
Women aren’t allowed in the local shooting contest in Halime’s small Turkish village. So, she creates her own in this bold, hilarious and moving documentary. Hot Docs Festival 2026.
Documentary
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist
An AI future seems inevitable. Oscar winner Daniel Roher (Navalny, SFF 2022) and Charlie Tyrell break open all the promise and perils in this illuminating doc. Sundance 2026.
Documentary
American Doctor
Three American doctors travel to Gaza, risking everything to save lives – in turn exposing the reality of the war and the endurance of human compassion. Sundance 2026.
Documentary
Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava
A Vietnamese family confront their past, present and imagined future with the impending arrival of baby Guava in this startlingly intimate directorial debut. Hot Docs 2026.
Documentary
Birds of War
This unbelievable love story uses 13 years of personal archives to chart the evolving romance between a Lebanese journalist and a Syrian cameraman. Award winner, Sundance 2026.
Documentary
A Child of My Own
A woman fakes a pregnancy and goes to extreme lengths to sustain the lie in this thrilling new doc from two-time Oscar nominee Maite Alberdi (The Eternal Memory, SFF 2023).
Documentary
Closure
One of the top-reviewed documentaries at Sundance, Michał Marczak (Fuck for Forest, SFF 2013) delivers a powerfully emotive portrait of a father's search for his missing son.
Documentary
Crocodile
The astonishing story behind the Nigerian filmmaking collective The Critics, whose handmade science fiction films have taken the world by storm. Berlinale 2026.
Documentary
The Cycle of Love
The heart-warming story of a Delhi street artist's attempt to cycle from India to Sweden to reunite with the love of his life, from Oscar-winner Orlando von Einsiedel.
Documentary
Daughters of the Forest
This one-of-a-kind sci-fi documentary follows two mycologists in Mexico working to preserve and share remarkable ancestral mushroom knowledge. Award winner, SXSW 2026.
Documentary
Everybody to Kenmure Street
This Sundance award winner captures the dawn immigration raid that sparked an unprecedented community uprising in Glasgow. Featuring Emma Thompson and Kate Dickie.
Documentary
A Fox Under a Pink Moon
Winner of the top prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, this unforgettable doc follows 16-year-old Soraya as she risks everything to escape Iran.
Documentary
Give Me the Ball!
The definitive Billie Jean King documentary – revealing her sacrifices and triumphs both off and on the tennis court through interviews and rare archival footage. Sundance 2026.
Documentary
Hanging by a Wire
This nail-biting doc follows a desperate rescue attempt when a cable car carrying eight people fails 900 metres above a remote region of Pakistan. Sundance 2026.
Documentary
The History of Concrete
A hysterical debut and instant classic from the genius behind How To with John Wilson. An unexpected meditation on politics, celebrity, religion and urbanism. Sundance 2026.
Guest
Documentary
If Pigeons Turned to Gold
Pepa Lubojacki tells their family's story, confronting intergenerational addiction with a mix of devices rarely seen in a documentary film. Winner, Berlinale Documentary Award.
Documentary
Just Look Up
This pressing documentary follows Michael Greenberg, the leader of the climate activist group Climate Defiance which is fighting for the planet's future. Award winner, CPH:DOX 2026.
Documentary
Landmarks
This explosive documentary directed by Lucrecia Martel (Zama, SFF 2018) won Best Film at BFI London Film Festival. A gripping investigation into the killing of an Indigenous leader.
Guest
Documentary
Lomu
This exhilarating documentary charts the rise of rugby legend Jonah Lomu, a once in a lifetime talent and sporting icon who would go on to change the landscape of rugby forever.
Documentary
My Father and Qaddafi
Director Jihan K reconstructs her father's disappearance after he opposed Qaddafi, with the help of her determined mother who never stopped searching. Award winner, Venice.
Documentary
Nuisance Bear
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, this urgent doc follows polar bears in Manitoba struggling to adapt to a world transformed by climate change.
Documentary
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Footage of a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of Harlem Renaissance legends in 1972 is revealed in this exquisite and lauded documentary. Sundance; Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2026.
Documentary
Past Future Continuous 1
Firouzeh Khosrovani returns after Radiograph of a Family (SFF 2021) with a striking doc following an involuntary immigrant who surveils her parents who remain in Iran. Venice 2025.
Documentary
Remake
Revered filmmaker Ross McElwee (Sherman's March, SFF 1986; Bright Leaves, SFF 2004) returns after 14 years with a heart-rending tribute to his lost son. Award winner, Venice 2025.
Guest
Documentary
The Seoul Guardians
An audience award winner at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, this electrifying documentary relives six breathless hours when martial law was declared in Seoul.
Documentary
Steal This Story, Please!
This multiple audience award-winning film on Democracy Now! cofounder Amy Goodman reveals why fearless journalism matters more than ever. Executive produced by Jane Fonda.
Documentary
Summer 2000: the X-cetra Story
This whimsical documentary follows four women whose childhood album unexpectedly goes viral decades later, sparking an unplanned reunion. Winner, SXSW Documentary Competition.
Documentary
The Tale of Silyan
Oscar-nominated Tamara Kotevska’s (Honeyland, SFF 2019) remarkable new documentary follows a Macedonian farmer and an injured stork, whose unlikely friendship transforms a solitary life. Venice, 2025.
Guest
Documentary
TheyDream
A visionary filmmaker and his mother heal their grief through art, combining family archives with animation to bring their loved ones back to life. Prize winner, Sundance.
Documentary
Time and Water
Oscar nominee Sara Dosa’s (Fire of Love, SFF 2022) latest stunner sees writer Andri Snær Magnason reflect on family, memory and Iceland’s disappearing glaciers. Sundance 2026.
Documentary
To Hold a Mountain
Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Prize, this enthralling film follows a mother and daughter trying to stop their picturesque mountain home from becoming a NATO base.
Documentary
Traces
Winner of the Berlinale Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary, Traces follows brave Ukrainian women who break their silence about sexual violence during Russia's war.
Documentary
Whispers in the Woods
A visual stunner, drawing one million people to French cinemas. Photographer Vincent Munier journeys with his father and son through the Vosges, France. Featuring music by Warren Ellis.
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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