DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival Association has decided to award the 2026 Apollo Award to the Finnish Documentary Guild (Dokumenttikilta ry). The award is intended to celebrate and thank the Finnish Documentary Guild for its long-term work for Finnish documentary film.

Founded in 1996, the Finnish Documentary Guild will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. For three decades, the Guild has been a community, a voice and a forum for Finnish documentary filmmakers. It has been a place for discussion, the sharing of knowledge and the defence of the value of creative documentary film.

DocPoint explains its decision as follows:

“The Finnish Documentary Guild has been a significant and consistent force in the field of Finnish documentary film. It has built a community that supports filmmakers and promotes openness, ethical practice and professionalism. At DocPoint, we wish to express our appreciation for the Guild’s important work and to emphasise how important cooperation and shared discussion are in the field of documentary film.”

In recent years, amid the challenges facing the field, the Finnish Documentary Guild has continued its work tirelessly. It has brought forward key perspectives for documentary filmmakers and provided concrete peer support at a time when funding and structures in the field have been under pressure.

Sanna Kultanen, Executive Director of the Finnish Documentary Guild, states that the Guild is honoured that the significance of its work is being recognised with the Apollo Award. “The award encourages documentary filmmakers to cherish their community as a resource and to continue their work even when the future is uncertain.”

Maija Hirvonen, Chair of the Board of the Finnish Documentary Guild, adds: “When we share experiences, question ideas and become inspired by ideas together, we sustain the vitality of the art form.”

Anniversary Year and Visibility at the Festival

At the 2026 DocPoint Festival from 3 to 8 February 2026, the Finnish Documentary Guild will celebrate its 30-year history prominently. The festival programme will include, among other events, an anniversary seminar organised by the Finnish Documentary Guild and a film screening curated by the Guild at the Kiasma Theatre.

These events are part of the festival programme and will highlight the diversity, history and future of the documentary filmmakers’ community.

“We want to offer the Finnish Documentary Guild the best possible framework to celebrate its community and we are developing the anniversary programme in close cooperation with the Guild. The field of documentary film is constantly evolving and communities such as the Finnish Documentary Guild, which engage in unique and long-term work, are at the core of its vitality,” states Betty Marschan, Chair of the Board of DocPoint.

The Apollo Award is DocPoint’s honorary award. It is presented to an individual, community or institution for significant work in promoting the visibility and status of documentary film in Finland.

In 2025, the award was presented to director Virpi Suutari.

We have around 120 volunteers working with us yearly. The volunteer tasks vary from customer service to ushering, from driving to distributing, and from hosting to communications. The volunteer work takes place during the festival week but some teams, mainly distribution and translators, have shifts available before the festival as well. 

BENEFITS FOR VOLUNTEERS

We hope that the volunteers can commit to 20 hours. Shifts are approx. 4–6 hours long each. However, we warmly welcome you to apply even if you want to try volunteering for 1 shift only.

Volunteers who take 20 hours will get a festival pass that grants access to all the screenings that have room, and a food voucher per 5 hours of volunteer work. Work hours will be summed, and vouchers will be given based on the total number of hours. If you take less than 20 hours, you will be given complimentary festival tickets instead of the festival pass. 

After the festival, we will invite all the volunteers to an amazing wrap-up party. A volunteer work testimonial will be provided for all those who want it.

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

28.12.2025: We are still looking for photographers and videographers (who have their own equipment), and a few experienced Theater Supervisors. If you are interested in these tasks, read the descriptions behind the link below and message Volunteer Coordinator Riikka directly, riikka@docpoint.fi.

We’ve received enough applications for all the other teams. We have closed the application. All of you who have applied so far, thank you! We are processing the applications and will get back to you shortly.

DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. The anniversary edition will take place from 3–8 February 2026, once again bringing the most topical documentary films to the silver screen. DocPoint will once again feature three competition categories: the International Competition, the National Competition and the National Short Film Competition.

The International Competition will present ten films, while eight films have been selected for the National Competition. In addition, nineteen films will compete in the National Short Film Competition. One of the films in the National Competition, Days of Wonder directed by Karin Pennanen, has been selected as the festival’s opening film. The work is a personal portrayal of the director’s reclusive uncle, whose home revealed an extraordinary artistic life’s work after his death.

The National and International Competitions have been part of DocPoint’s programme since 2021. The competitions feature works that represent the full breadth of documentary cinema as an art form and that are bold and distinctive in their approach. The winners will be selected by professional juries and announced at the festival’s awards gala on Saturday, 7 February 2026.

DocPoint’s Artistic Director Inka Achté comments:

“Documentary cinema is needed in these times of crisis more urgently than ever. DocPoint’s competitions respond to the surrounding world in many different ways; the selection includes multi-layered portrayals of individuals, collectively created films in which the personal intertwines with the political, as well as works in which history is ‘rewritten’ by re-editing old archival material. What the competition films share is the way they reveal humanity behind data and news reports, keep political and moral imagination alive, and help us read between the lines.”

NATIONAL COMPETITION FILMS
Eight feature-length documentaries have been selected for the National Competition.

Christopher Petit and Emma Matthews’ D Is for Distance examines the meanings of distance and closeness on both emotional and geographical levels.

Sinna Virtanen’s Etna is a poetic documentary about intergenerational trauma, in which a volcano transforms from a metaphor for suppressed emotions into a living agent.

Ann-Mari Leinonen and Einari Paakkanen’s The Invisible Enemy follows two Finnish volunteer soldiers who fought in Ukraine as they undergo trauma therapy in order to find their way back to everyday life.

Karin Pennanen’s Days of Wonder is an intimate portrait of a long-overlooked Finnish artist and his life’s work.

Jenni Kivistö and Jussi Rastas’ Silent Legacy tells the story of Sibiri, a contemporary dancer living in Finland, and his identity process between two realities.

Tonislav Hristov’s Truth or Dare follows, ahead of the Bulgarian elections, a journalist investigating disinformation and an engineer who spreads conservative conspiracy theories.

Mohamed El Aboudi’s The Last Chapter examines the reflections of ageing first-generation immigrants on identity, belonging, love and death.

Panu Suuronen’s In Full Agreement explores how the war in Ukraine has reshaped the identity and sense of belonging of Russian-speaking Finns.

National Competition Jury:
Darko Nabakov (MakeDox), Jasmina Vignjevic, Murtada Elfadl

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INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FILMS

Ten documentary films have been selected for the International Competition.

Déni Oumar Pitsaev’s Imago follows a return to one’s roots in the Caucasus, where the dream of a house in the forest reveals wounded family relationships and layered identities.

Lana Daher’s Do You Love Me? is a love letter to Beirut and its history, composed from archival material.

Aboozar Amini’s Kabul, Between Prayers follows a young man navigating Taliban ideology, family expectations and everyday life in Afghanistan.

Khartoum, directed by Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed and Phil Cox, portrays the everyday reality and resilience of Sudanese people living amid war.

Misha Vallejo’s Light Memories is a personal journey into intergenerational trauma and hidden family secrets.

Robin Petré’s Only on Earth examines the tension between humans and nature in the age of the climate crisis.

Brittany Shyne’s Seeds depicts the lives of African American farmers in the United States during a historical transition.

Hemen Khaledi’s Singing Wings portrays a Kurdish woman’s relationship with an injured stork, paralleling the emotions sparked by her daughter’s plans to move away.

Yrsa Roca Fannberg’s film-shot The Ground Beneath Our Feet observes the small daily wonders in the life of care home residents.

Nils Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg and Olle Toftenow’s Zlatan’s Nose blends true crime, comedy and filmmaking in the mystery of the missing nose of a Zlatan Ibrahimović statue.

International Competition Jury:
Ali Khechen (Doha Film Institute), Chico Pereira, Enikő Gyureskó

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NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Nineteen films have been selected for the National Short Film Competition, screened across three different programmes. The films explore themes such as urban environments, the relationship between humans and nature, layered memory and experiences shaped by times of crisis. The selection also features experimental works that make use of archival materials, animation and fiction. The programme reflects current uncertainties, but also everyday humour and hope.

National Short Film Competition Jury:
Amani Al-mehsen, Antti Lempiäinen, Dario Oliveira

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FESTIVAL PROGRAMME AND TICKET SALES

The full festival programme will be announced on 8 January 2026, and individual screening tickets will go on sale on 13 January 2026.

Festival passes will be available from 10 December 2025, with Early Bird prices valid until 29 December 2025:
– 5 tickets for €58 / concessions €42,5
– 10 tickets for €105 / concessions €80

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NATIONAL COMPETITION – FULL LIST

Christopher Petit, Emma Matthews: D Is for Distance
Sinna Virtanen: Etna
Panu Suuronen: In Full Agreement
Einari Paakkanen, Ann-Mari Leinonen: The Invisible Enemy
Karin Pennanen: Days of Wonder
Jenni Kivistö, Jussi Rastas: Silent Legacy
Tonislav Hristov: Truth or Dare
Mohamed El Aboudi: The Last Chapter

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INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION – FULL LIST

Lana Daher: Do You Love Me
Deni Oumar Pitsaev: Imago
Aboozar Amini: Kabul, Between Prayers
Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Phil Cox: Khartoum
Misha Vallejo: Light Memories
Robin Petré: Only on Earth
Brittany Shyne: Seeds
Hemen Khaledi: Singing Wings
Yrsa Roca Fannberg: The Ground Beneath Our Feet
Nils Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg, Olle Toftenow: Zlatan’s Nose

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NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION – FULL LIST

Anni Tiainen, Teresia Fant: 20 Metres from Russia
Eero Tammi: The Ghost Feel Hour
Jani Peltonen: Equal Dust
Martta Tuomaala: Am I Calling You at a Bad Time?
Heta Kuchka: Homesick
Heidi Tirri: Human Machine
Joel Karppanen: John 9:25
Moona Pennanen: All the Light That Remains
Miia Autio: Letter 1 / AIR
Juice Huhtala: Lonely Rider
Emilia Hernesniemi: The Monster
Pilvi Takala: Feeling Defensive (Part 1)
P.V. Lehtinen: Simo Was Here
Niina Suominen: Smoking Spot
Paola Fernanda: Diving Wombs
Anni Sairio, Joonatan Turkki: Speeding, of Course
Risto-Pekka Blom: Invasive Species
Marja Viitahuhta, Ánnámáret, Turkka Inkilä, Ilkka Heinonen: Vuoiŋŋat
Ewa Górzna, Katarzyna Miron: Watchful

DocPoint — Helsinki Documentary Film Festival is looking for trainees to join the next festival team! Are you a solution-oriented and positive team player who keeps the strings in your hands? Are you a proactive and can you work under pressure?

Read more about the open trainee positions and fill out an application. Please apply by Tuesday, 12 August, 2025, at 6pm.
An internship at DocPoint is suitable for students from many different fields. The important thing is an interest in creative documentary films and international art and cultural cooperation, as well as a desire to develop one’s own skills. We require the applicant to have relevant experience and/or education. Language requirements can be found in the task-specific descriptions.

The next DocPoint — Helsinki Documentary Film Festival will take place from February 3 to 8, 2026. DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival is one of the largest documentary festivals in the Nordic countries and the only festival solely dedicated to documentary films in Finland. You get to work with an international, enthusiastic and encouraging team and learn new things. The internship is located in Helsinki. Unfortunately, the festival office is not accessible.

We value the diversity of the working community and work for equality. We want applicants from different backgrounds, such as people of different ages, genders, people with disabilities, and people from different languages, cultures or other population groups. We hope that no picture is attached to the applications.

Application deadline: August 12, 2025 at 6pm. Interviews will take place during week of 34/2025 (18.8.-22.8.2025). For further information, please contact Executive Director Johanna Råman by e-mail: johanna.raman(at)docpoint.fi.

There are two open trainee positions for DocPoint — Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2026 as follows:

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

As a Production Assistant, you will work in versatile tasks related to festival production. You will be involved in the production of Q&A events. The tasks also include collecting data and materials, maintaining and archiving files, communicating with different parties, and various production tasks. In addition, the Production Assistant helps with various everyday tasks in the office. The job requires strong knowledge of the English language. Versatile other language skills are considered as an advantage.

Type: 8.12.2025-13.2.2026, fixed-term and full-time
Salary: gross 1.430,00 €/ month

Please apply here >>>

We consider it an advantage if the intern has the opportunity to receive subsidy from the educational institution.

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

The Communications Assistant works as a close part of the festival’s communications team. The job description includes versatile tasks related to the festival’s communications. The Communication Assistant participates in producing content for websites, social media channels and internal databases. In addition, they participate in the proofreading of communications materials, sending press releases, and managing film credit, image and promo materials. During the festival, they participate in daily communications. The intern is expected to have strong visual and written skills, as well as knowledge of social media. Knowledge of WordPress is an advantage. The job requires strong knowledge of English and Finnish languages. Versatile other language skills are considered an advantage.

Type: 17.11.2025-13.2.2026, fixed-term and full-time
Salary: gross 1.430,00 € / month

Please apply here >>>

We consider it an advantage if the intern has the opportunity to receive subsidy from the educational institution.

DocPoint Film Events Association (in Finnish: DocPoint-elokuvatapahtumat ry), founded in 2001, is a not-for-profit organization that strives to promote creative documentary film and culture in Finland, and creates dialogue between international professionals and audiences. DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival is one of the largest documentary festivals in the Nordic countries and the only festival solely dedicated to documentary films in Finland.

Register of personal data: Please note that with this form DocPoint-elokuvatapahtumat ry gathers information about applicants for trainee positions at DocPoint — Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2026. The information is only accessible to the festival employees and is stored only as long as necessary. At the end of the storage period, the data is destroyed.

Photo: Pavel Arkharov