Swiss Documentary Film Festival Visions du Réel Strengthens Global Presence with 164 Films from 75 Countries in 2026 Lineup

The Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel (VdR), which translates to “Visions of Reality,” has announced its lineup for 2026. This year’s festival, taking place from April 17 to 26 in Nyon, near Geneva, will showcase a remarkable collection of 164 films from a record 75 countries. The festival aims to highlight both established filmmakers and emerging voices in the documentary genre.

Record-Breaking Lineup

This 57th edition of VdR features a diverse program that includes 128 new films. Among these, 83 will have their world premieres, while eight films will make their international debuts. The lineup also includes 58 first films, with 36 being feature-length debuts. Notably, there are 26 Swiss productions or co-productions represented in this year’s selection.

Notable Films and Premieres

Among the highlighted films is Heat, directed by Jacqueline Zünd, alongside recent festival favorites such as John Wilson’s The History of Concrete, American Doctor by Poh Si Teng, and Jaripeo by Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig. The festival will also feature the CPH:DOX winner Whispers in May by Dongnan Chen, as well as Oliver Laxe’s Oscar-nominated drama Sirât. The festival will kick off with a screening of Cover-Up, a film by Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras.

Expanding Cinematic Horizons

Emilie Bujès, the artistic director of VdR, expressed enthusiasm about the festival’s growing reputation. She noted that the festival continues to expand its cinematic territories and realities, reaffirming its commitment to showcasing new talent. The number of first films has increased to 58, including 36 debut feature-length films. Bujès emphasized that while some producing countries may differ from the filmmakers’ origins, the overall representation of countries in the selection is steadily increasing.

Focus on Underrepresented Regions

Bujès highlighted the prominence of certain regions in this year’s lineup, particularly Asia, as well as countries like Sudan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Yemen, and Palestine. She remarked that this representation is significant both cinematically and symbolically.

Special Guests and Events

This year’s festival will feature Kelly Reichardt as the guest of honor. The festival will include a retrospective of her films, a curated selection of documentaries, and a special evening dedicated to her work, culminating in the premiere of her latest feature, The Mastermind. A masterclass led by Reichardt will follow the event. Additionally, Sergei Loznitsa will be a special guest at VdR.

Competition Categories

The festival will include several competition categories, showcasing a variety of films:

International Feature Film Competition

• A Fire There by Marlene Edoyan, Canada, 2026, 94’, world premiere
• Death in the Making by Piotr Pawlus, Netherlands/Poland, 2026, 84’, world premiere
• Dentro by Elsa Amiel, France/Switzerland, 2026, 95’, world premiere
• Djeliya, mémoire du Mandé by Boubacar Sangaré, Burkina Faso/Côte d’Ivoire/Mali/Senegal/France, 2026, 112’, world premiere
• From Dawn to Dawn by Xisi Sofia Ye Chen, Spain/France, 2026, 94’, world premiere
• Heat by Jacqueline Zünd, Switzerland, 2026, 87’, world premiere
• Humboldt USA by G. Anthony Svatek, USA, 2026, 89’, world premiere
• Magilligan by Ross McClean, United Kingdom/Ireland/USA, 2026, 74’, world premiere
• Meanwhile in Namibia by Jonas Spriestersbach, Germany/Namibia, 2026, 120’, world premiere
• Saudades Eternas by Emma Boccanfuso, Switzerland/France, 2026, 94’, world premiere
• The Night and the Days of Miguel Burnier by João Dumans, Brazil, 2026, 82’, world premiere
• The Price of the Sun by Jérôme Le Maire, Belgium/France/Morocco, 2026, 91’, world premiere
• Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest by Viv Li, Germany/Netherlands, 2026, 85’, international premiere

Burning Lights Competition

• Above the Waterline by Elisa Sepulveda Ruddoff, Chile/France, 2026, 72’, world premiere
• Alea Jacarandas by Hassen Ferhani, France/Algeria, 2026, 78’, world premiere
• Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava by Nong Nhat Quang, Vietnam/South Korea, 2026, 104’, world premiere
• Club Heaven by Jona Honer, Netherlands/Belgium, 2026, 78’, world premiere
• Comme un château fort by Lou Colpé, Belgium, 2026, 83’, world premiere
• Don’t Tidy or Clean My Room, I Like It as It Is by Ignacio Ceroi, Argentina/Spain, 2026, 81’, world premiere
• Fracture by Keren Kraizer, Belgium, 2026, 85’, world premiere
• If Only the Year Had 364 Days by Almourad Aldeeb, Germany/Syria, 2026, 78’, world premiere
• In Between, a Place by Faezeh Nikoozad, Germany, 2026, 95’, world premiere
• Kukata Miti by Daniel Kötter, Germany/Indonesia/Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2026, 80’, world premiere
• La Voix du troupeau by Matthias Joulaud and Lucien Roux, Switzerland/France, 2026, 80’, world premiere
• Nothing Happens After the Revolution by Ibrahim Omar, Sudan, 2026, 74’, world premiere
• The Case Against Space by Graeme Arnfield, United Kingdom/France, 2026, 73’, world premiere
• The Illusion of a Quiet Night by Olga Chernykh and collective work, Ukraine, 2026, 70’, world premiere
• Time and Tide by Vee Shi, Australia, 2026, 99’, world premiere

National Competition

• Alma by Rafael Palacio Illingworth, Switzerland, 2026, 70’, world premiere
• Common Ground by Jonathan Jäggi, Switzerland, 2026, 89’, world premiere
• Der Runde Tisch by Benjamin Bucher and Juliette Menthonnex, Switzerland, 2026, 41’, world premiere
• En terrain neutre by Stéphane Goël and Mehdi Atmani, Switzerland, 2026, 80’, world premiere
• Eternal Snow by François Kohler, Switzerland, 2026, 90’, world premiere
• First Lap Crash by Liam Erlach, Switzerland, 2026, 73’, world premiere
• Nicole Nicole by Lauren Dällenbach, Switzerland/France, 2026, 81’, world premiere
• Safe Spaces by Sarah Horst, Switzerland, 2026, 104’, world premiere
• The Roots of Madness by Edgar Hagen, Switzerland, 2026, 107’, world premiere
• To the Moon and Back by Elisa Gomez Alvarez, Switzerland/France/Philippines/Qatar, 2026, 85’, world premiere
• Tricontinentale, lettre à ouvrir au cas où by Laura Cazador, Switzerland/Cuba, 2026, 96’, world premiere
• Was das Wasser erzählt by Maria Iorio and Raphaël Cuomo, Switzerland, 2026, 75’, world premiere
• What Comes From Sitting In Silence by Sophie Schargo, Switzerland/France/South Korea/USA, 2026, 77’, international premiere

New Sections

The festival has introduced a new section called Borderlight, dedicated to feature fiction films that engage with documentary approaches. Films in this category include Bouchra by Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani, Chronovisor by Jack Auen and Kevin Walker, and Forêt ivre by Manon Coubia.

The Wide Angle section will showcase films that have already garnered attention at other festivals or are expected to address contemporary social and political issues. Notable titles include Melt by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Dear Ancestor by Nantenaina Lova, and American Doctor by Poh Si Teng.

Special Screenings

The festival will also feature special screenings of significant works, including Cover-Up by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, Ghost Elephants by Werner Herzog, and Law and Order by Frederick Wiseman.

For further details, visit the official festival page. As reported by www.hollywoodreporter.com.

Explore the latest digital editions of FAME Delivered in the Magazine section.

Published on 2026-03-25 15:00:00 • By FAME Delivered News Desk