ATLANTIDOC – International Documentary Film Festival of Uruguay

October 19 to November 5, 2026

This annual event aims to present an overview of new documentary productions, bringing the best and most diverse content of the genre to our country, as well as training talented filmmakers from the Ibero-American region, as we have been doing since the first edition of the festival. The programming criteria are based on the quality of the works, the virtues of form and content.

The experience over the years has been very positive and Atlantidoc now has a place of consideration among all documentary filmmakers around the world, who recognize it as the only festival of its kind in Uruguay and for the seriousness with which it pursues all its objectives. It promotes the works of young filmmakers while also giving an important space to established documentary filmmakers from around the world.

Atlantidoc is Uruguay's leading International Documentary Film Festival. Founded in 2006, it takes place annually to showcase the most compelling new documentaries from around the world while nurturing the next generation of Ibero-American filmmakers.

Held each year in the final quarter, the festival offers screenings, competitions, masterclasses, workshops, and networking opportunities. It highlights both emerging and established filmmakers, selecting films based on artistic quality, thematic relevance, and creative originality.

With nearly two decades of continuous programming, Atlantidoc has earned a respected place in the international documentary community. Known for its professionalism, creative vision, and commitment to documentary education, it is the only festival of its kind in Uruguay.

Through partnerships and one of Latin America's longest-running project development programs, Atlantidoc has supported hundreds of filmmakers, contributing to the evolution of the genre in the region. The festival continues to grow, championing socially engaged storytelling and connecting creators and audiences worldwide.

For more information on past editions, submissions, and upcoming programming, visit www.atlantidoc.com.

Awards & Prizes

Productions with the following characteristics will be accepted: international documentaries between 10 and 100 minutes in length, completed after July 2025.
For the works in competition, the following awards will be given to the documentaries that the different juries consider to be the best. Each award promotes a filmmaker who has made an important contribution, pioneers in some cases and fundamental references in others:

ATLANTIDOC AWARD for the best documentary of the Festival, Félix Oliver Award.
BEST URUGUAYAN DOCUMENTARY AWARD, Mario Handler Award.
BEST IBERO-AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY AWARD, Eduardo Coutinho Award.
BEST DEBUT FILM AWARD, Kristina Konrad Award.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM AND SHORT FILM AWARD, Enrico Gras and Ferruccio Musitelli Awards.
BEST URUGUAYAN DOCUMENTARY IN PRODUCTION AWARD, Ronald Melzer Award.
SIGNIS AWARD for best documentary at the festival, María Blanca Pigola Award.

The awards will be granted by a three-member jury composed of renowned artists, film experts, and critics appointed by the organizers. Special awards will have their own juries composed of representatives from the institutions granting them. Individuals with interests in the production and/or exploitation of the films submitted to the competition may not serve on the jury.

The members of the jury undertake not to publicly express their opinions on the films submitted for consideration before the official announcement of the awards.
The SIGNIS Jury (World Catholic Association for Communication) provides an international jury for its award.

The awards will be presented to the directors and producers of the winning films or their representatives at the Festival's Closing Ceremony, to which they are all invited.

The Festival Organization will select the works it considers most suitable for this purpose, in accordance with the guidelines followed by all international documentary film festivals, always based on quality. Documentaries will not be accepted for programming unless they are submitted with the corresponding completed and signed Registration Form.
Each jury will have to consider up to a maximum of 12 works for the decision and will view them well in advance of the festival. The composition of the juries will be announced well in advance of the closing date for registrations.

The selected documentaries will be screened in movie theaters, on streaming platforms, or on television channels, georeferenced to Uruguay only and in agreement with the producer or distributor of the work. The Festival Organization will decide on the programming schedule and the dates and times of each film's screening, taking into account the audiences of each screening venue.

The organizers reserve the right to reject, for the Competition, any documentaries that do not comply with the conditions set forth in these Rules. Propaganda films, as well as educational films intended exclusively for classroom use, or purely commercial films, will be excluded from the Festival.

Rules & Terms

Applications must be submitted by the producer or director, or, exceptionally, by film organizations or institutions that hold the distribution rights in the area. Producers who hold the rights to a film must, before the closing date of the call for entries, notify the Festival of their desire to participate by sending the duly completed registration form, which will serve as a sworn statement confirming that they are familiar with and accept these Rules. This is repeated on the distribution platforms to the festivals. If these are transferred after registration, the new owner shall not prevent participation in the Festival. The statements written on the registration form shall be considered valid and must be accompanied by:

a. Complete technical specifications.
b. Five-line informative synopsis of the documentary.
c. Link to the documentary via Filmfreeway for selection.

Send applications by April 20, 2026.
Registration will close at 8 p.m. Montevideo time. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of these Rules. Any conflict (of organization or operation) not provided for herein will be resolved by the Festival Organization.

COPIES for screening must include:
Photos, posters, and informational material for the press.
Director's bio-filmography.
List of awards won.
Send everything by email if selected by the Festival.

COPIES OF AWARD-WINNING FILMS. The Festival organizers, with the approval of the producers, will retain a copy of the award-winning short and feature films. These copies will form part of the Festival Archive (Mediateca Atlantidoc) and will be used solely for Festival purposes. No copies will be permitted for commercial or other uses.

About languages and subtitling: Selected documentaries will be screened in their original version, but all need to be subtitled in Spanish if their language is not Spanish.

All Festival screenings will be digital. They will be used exclusively for the scheduled screenings, which will be duly publicized on the website: www.atlantidoc.com.

For more information, please contact:

Ricardo Casas contacto.atlantidoc@gmail.com
1 Review
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Renate Zylla

    Working with this dedicated festival was a valuable experience. As the festival agent for the German documentary GIRLS DON'T CRY, which had its Uruguayan premiere at this festival, I am grateful for the attention the festival gave to the film. I wish the festival and its founder and festival director, Ricardo Casas, continued success, recognition, and support worldwide.

    November 2025
    Helpful