The second edition of the Brugg Documentary Film Festival will take place from the 14th to the 17th of September 2023. The film festival was launched in 2021 and for the first time the city of Brugg shone a spotlight on the genre of documentary filmmaking. Filmscreenings took place in both of the Brugg cinemas ODEON and Excelsior, as well as in the art gallery Zimmermannhaus. Many filmmakers were present at the numerous premieres and discussion rounds which took place at the three projection venues. With an elaborate supporting programme, made up of concerts, film discussions, exhibitions and guests visiting from Switzerland and surrounding countries, it became a celebration of documentary film.

In 2023, the Brugger Documentary Film Festival will be launching a short-film competition for young documentary filmmakers. The competition aims to give young filmmakers and their films a platform to be seen by a broad audience and is intended to create a stepping stone on the journey to professional filmmaking.

Awards & Prizes

The main prize of the Brugger Documentary Film Festival is endowed with 2500 CHF together with an award designed by a regional artist.

Four to five films selected by the jury will be sent on a cinema tour through Switzerland and be shown in several cinemas. The filmmakers will receive 50% of the ticket revenue.

In addition, an audience prize will be awarded.

The award ceremony will take place on the 17th of September 2023 at 6 pm in the cinema ODEON BRUGG.

Rules & Terms

The competition will only accept documentary films.

The competition is open to young filmmakers with a European residency.

The film must have been made within the past two years.

The filmmaker(s) must declare that they were under 30 years of age during the making of the film.

The film must be submitted with German sound or with German or English subtitles.

The maximum running time of the film must not exceed 30 minutes (including credits).

The filmmaker agrees that a copy of the submitted film will be stored in the festival’s archive.

The entrant ensures that the image and sound material used is either their own property or that they have permission to use it (e.g. Suisa, Gema, etc.).

Furthermore, no (promotional) films with racist, pornographic, violent or other unconstitutional content will be accepted. The sender is liable for any violations.

The filmmaker agrees that the film will be shown at the Brugger Documentary Film Festival if nominated. The filmmaker agrees that excerpts of the film or stills may be used for advertising purposes and in public media. The filmmaker agrees that excerpts of the film may be used for the official trailer of the Brugger Dokumentarfilmtage.

In the event of a nomination and non-appearance at the award ceremony, the filmmaker must send a short video message in which they comment on their film.

The filmmaker assures that the submitted film does not contain any discriminatory content or unconstitutional symbols.

The legal process is excluded.