“The film of your future is already rolling” – the Budapest International Documentary Film Festival kicks off with 60 films

The 12th Budapest International Documentary Festival (BIDF) will take place between 24 January and 1 February 2026. The programme includes 60 films and 250 screenings in the capital and at 12 locations across the country. Numerous filmmakers, directors and protagonists will attend Hungary’s largest documentary showcase in person to speak about the making of their films.

Budapest International Documentary Film Festival 2026

This year’s programme is as diverse as the world we live in. One film, for instance, introduces a Chinese dating guru, while another follows a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist who is trying to cope with challenges on two fronts: at home and in the midst of war. We hear from Ukrainian students who continue going to school under the threat of bombings, eyewitnesses of an Israeli terrorist attack, and we witness the gruelling days of a surgeon operating in Gaza.

The festival will also present a film offering exclusive footage from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s final, arduous year in office. Other topics include Kenyan essay writers who produce university papers for elite students as paid contractors. The programme further explores dementia, the drama of intergenerational divides within families, and the strength of love in old age.

From 24 January 2026, audiences will be able to watch sixty festival films over the course of a week, including 33 competition titles vying for the international jury’s recognition. A total of 250 screenings will be held at BIDF, with the productions shown not only at Budapest’s Cinema City Mammut but also in 12 cities across Hungary (Békéscsaba, Debrecen, Eger, Győr, Jászberény, Kecskemét, Pécs, Sopron, Szeged, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely and Veszprém). Visitors will have the chance to see documentaries by Oscar, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Toronto IFF and IDFA award-winning filmmakers – many of whom will travel to Hungary in person.

“At the Budapest International Documentary Festival, the films reflect the message conveyed by our poster: the film of your future is already rolling! It shows a confident, pregnant woman smiling while holding her belly. The future of your family is in your hands – as is the future of the world, of knowledge, of truth, and of your relationships. These are the ideas around which the films revolve, each featuring protagonists who wish to take an active role in shaping their own future,” said documentary director Ágnes Sós, BIDF co-founder and festival director.