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