The International Documentary Film Festival Astra Film Festival has opened submissions for this year’s edition. Productions by filmmakers from all over the world are welcome until March 10, 2026, and will compete in one of the festival’s four competitive sections: Emerging Voices of Documentary, Central and Eastern Europe, Romania, and DocSchool. During the selection process, priority will be given to films that have not previously been screened in Sibiu or in Romania.
Founded in 1993, Astra Film Festival is one of the most important platforms dedicated to documentary cinema in Romania and Europe. The festival promotes auteur documentary filmmaking, with a strong emphasis on the director’s perspective, both formally and thematically. For this year’s edition, which will take place in Sibiu between October 17–25, eligible films must be documentary productions completed after January 1, 2025. The organizers particularly value “cinematic quality and honesty, the courage to tackle difficult subjects, originality, and creativity.”
This year, Astra Film Festival will feature four competitive sections: Emerging Voices of Documentary, Central & Eastern Europe, Romania, and DocSchool.
Eligible films are feature-length documentaries (over 60 minutes) made by filmmakers presenting their first, second, or at most third documentary film.
Eligible films are feature-length documentaries (over 60 minutes) addressing issues specific to Central and Eastern Europe / the former communist bloc.
Eligible films include documentaries produced or co-produced in Romania or the Republic of Moldova, as well as international productions or co-productions addressing topics relevant to the Romanian context, regardless of length. The Romania competitive section is judged by international experts and represents the most important line-up of contemporary Romanian documentary filmmaking. Priority in the Romania competition selection is given to films having their national premiere at Astra Film Festival.
Eligible films are documentaries produced or co-produced by universities or film institutes, or made within postgraduate film specialization programs, with a minimum length of 15 minutes, in which the filmmaker is still in training in documentary cinema.
The official selection will be published on the festival’s website by the end of August 2026. Films that are not selected will not be notified individually. The authors of selected films will be invited to attend the festival. The winning films in each competition will benefit from an additional screening on the last day of the festival.
Selections and awards obtained at Astra Film Festival—an event included on the official list of eligible festivals of the European Film Academy—are recognized as scoring criteria in applications for funding future cinematic projects. The Astra Film Festival program includes both competitive and non-competitive sections. Up-to-date information about Astra Film Festival activities can be found on the festival’s website and social media pages.
