DocPoint Industry events revealed!

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DocPoint celebrates its 25th anniversary between 3–8 February 2026.

Industry events for the upcoming festival will take place between 4–6 February. All events will be held at Kiasma Theatre. Everyone who has accredited can participate to Industry events.  

Accreditation for Industry events is available at Early Bird prices until 21 December. After that, accreditation remains open until 23 January 2026.

Early Bird priced Industry accreditation costs €60. The Early Bird accreditation for students costs €30. Apply for accreditation here.

DocPoint Industry programme

Events held on Wednesday will be in Finnish, while Thursday’s and Friday’s Industry events are in English.

Wednesday 4 February (events in Finnish)

10.30–12.00: KESKENERÄISYYDEN AMMATTILAISET — MITEN KEHITTYÄ PALAUTTEEN ANTAJANA JA SAAJANA
Filmmaker Katri Myllyniemi offers guidance on how to improve in both giving and receiving feedback.

13.00–14.30: SUOMALAISEN DOKUMENTTIELOKUVA SEURAAVAT 30 VUOTTA
A panel discussion on the future of Finnish documentary filmmaking.

14.45–16.15: DOKUMENTTIKILTA ESITTÄÄ: LYHYTELOKUVIEN HELMIÄ
A screening of a collection of Finnish contemporary documentary short classics, curated by the Finnish Documentary Guild. All films will be subtitled in English.

Thursday 5 February (events in English)

10.15–11: MEET THE INDUSTRY

11.00–14.15: NORDIC ROUGH CUT
An event hosted in collaboration with Nordisk Panorama.

15.15–16.15: BREAKING THE FUNDING LOOP: NEW PATHS FOR FINNISH DOCUMENTARIES

16.30–17.30: BEYOND THE FRAME: SAFETY, CONSENT, AND FAIR REPRESENTATION IN DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE

18.00–19.30: INDUSTRY AFTER WORK  

Friday 6 February (events in English):

13.00-15.00: HOW TO CREATE IMPACTFUL POSTERS FOR DOCUMENTARIES
Workshop organised in collaboration with Finnish Film Foundation.

Read more about the Industry events on our website: https://docpoint.fi/en/films/events/

Apollo-palkinto 2026 Dokumenttikilta ry:lle

Apollo Award 2026 to the Finnish Documentary Guild

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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.

DocPoint’s 25th Anniversary Visual Identity for 2026 Has Been Released

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The visual identity and poster for DocPoint’s 25th anniversary in 2026 have been designed by graphic designer Klaus Welp.

“The poster brings together two different feelings. On the one hand, following the state of the world and chains of events can make it feel as though one should be wearing a protective helmet. On the other hand, the visual identity seeks to convey how, through the festival’s documentary films, we are able to experience and sense new worlds, with the sensors of an open-style space helmet raised and ready,” Welp explains.

Klaus Welp is a photojournalist, graphic designer, photographer and director who works through his own company. He is responsible for the illustrations of Long Play’s long-form journalism, the visual identity of the Outsider Art Festival, and serves on the organising committee of the internationally renowned Lahti Poster Triennial. Welp’s first feature-length documentary film, focusing on the ten-year struggle to protect the former Lapinlahti psychiatric hospital, will premiere in cinemas in early 2026.

DocPoint’s 25th anniversary festival season has now begun. The competition programmes were announced on Wednesday 10 December 2025, alongside the launch of Early Bird festival pass sales.

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 are available at Early Bird prices until 29 December 2025.

5 tickets for €58 / concessions €42.50
10 tickets for €105 / concessions €80

Tickets

The DocPoint Documentary Film Festival will take place in Helsinki from 3 to 8 February 2026.

Further information on festival passes and ticket sales can be found on DocPoint’s Tickets page.

DocPoint’s 25th anniversary poster in 2026 designed by graphic designer Klaus Welp.

DocPoint is looking for volunteers!

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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.

Read more about the positions here

DocPoint x Savoy Theatre: Film and Concert – Ivo Dimchev

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During the DocPoint festival week, on Friday 6 February 2026, audiences will have the chance to experience a truly special evening as DocPoint and Savoy Theatre present Ivo Dimchev. Dimchev is one of Europe’s most intriguing and provocative contemporary artists.

In Hell With Ivo premieres in Finland

The evening begins with the Finnish premiere of In Hell With Ivo (2024, dir. Kristina Nikolova).

The documentary offers a captivating portrait of the Bulgarian queer artist and singer-songwriter who transforms personal vulnerability and societal pressures into bold, boundary-pushing art and activism. The film is a powerful testament to the healing potential of creativity.

Concert: Ivo Dimchev & Band

After the film, Dimchev takes the stage with his band. The internationally acclaimed choreographer, performance artist and musician presents a show blending physical theatre, dark poetry and vibrant musical intensity.

Dimchev’s music moves between blues, art pop and techno, while his impressive stage presence shifts from rock star to cabaret primadonna. His Balkan roots are also strongly reflected in the band’s sound.

Tickets

Tickets for the evening are available through two sales channels:

Schedule

  • 18:00 In Hell With Ivo – documentary screening
  • 20:30 Ivo Dimchev Band (Bulgaria)
Buy ticket for the film!

Still Karin Pennasen elokuvasta Päivien lumo

COMPETITION FILMS ANNOUNCED – DAYS OF WONDER TO OPEN THE FESTIVAL

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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