DOCK – INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the new edition of the DOCK International Historical Documentary Film Festival, taking place from 17 to 22 September 2026 in Burgas, Bulgaria. For six festival days, DOCK will once again bring together cinema, history, memory and contemporary perspectives on the past. Films from Bulgaria and around the world will introduce us to remarkable people, defining events and extraordinary stories, reminding us that history is never simply about what has passed, it continues to shape the questions we ask today. In 2026, DOCK also takes an important new step forward. For the first time, the festival introduces a dedicated competitive selection for short documentary films, opening the programme to new voices, new perspectives and new ways of exploring history through cinema. And for the first time, our audiences will also have a voice through the Audience Award, because the encounter between a film and its viewers lies at the very heart of a film festival. This year, DOCK’s parallel programme is dedicated to the theme “80 Years Since the End of the Third Bulgarian Tsardom”, inviting us to revisit one of the defining turning points in Bulgaria’s modern history and to reflect on the legacy it has left behind. 📅 17–22 September 2026 📍 NHK Cultural Centre, Burgas 🎟️ Free admission to all screenings Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the films in competition, their creators, our international jury, special guests and the events that will once again make Burgas a meeting place for historical documentary cinema. The festival is made possible with the financial support of the Municipality of Burgas and the Bulgarian National Film Center.