A Film Festival Based in Vancouver – DOXA Documentary Film Festival
The DOXA Documentary Film Festival takes place every year in the Canadian city of Vancouver. It is held over the course of 10 days and showcases Canadian and international documentaries.
About DOXA
DOXA is organised by The Documentary Media Society, a non-profit, charitable society based in Vancouver, that was incorporated in 1998. The society presents independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences.
The aim of the society is to educate the public with regards documentary films as an art form. And one of the ways it does this is through the DOXA Documentary Film Festival. The festival includes public screenings, panel discussions, public forums and educational programs. The 17th annual DOXA Documentary Festival is due to take place in 2018, from May 3rd to May 13th.
DOXA also has a year-round programming initiative that provides screening for some of the world’s best documentaries in communities around Lower Mainland.
Making a submission
Submissions for upcoming festivals are selected by a jury and thematic programming is also presented by independent curators. To be submitted, a documentary can be short or feature length. Award categories include Short Documentary, Feature Documentary, Canadian Documentary and Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming. The deadline for early bird submissions was October 16th, 2017. Regular submissions can be made up until December 8th, 2017. Fees are $35 for international films and £25 for Canadian films. Late submissions can be made up until January 8th, 2018. The fees for which are $55 for international films and $45 for Canadian films.
Films can be submitted with FilmFreeway or Withoutabox service, along with the relevant payment. Award winners are selected on the basis of three major criteria:
- Success and innovation in the realisation of the project’s concept
- Originality and relevance of subject matter and approach
- Overall artistic and technical proficiency
Rules and terms of the DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Certain rules and terms are in place for any film makers who want to take part in the festival. Projects screened or broadcast prior to the festival in Vancouver will be ineligible to participate. Rough cuts will only be eligible if the final cut is ready by February 14th, 2018. If the work is produced in a language other than English, English subtitles must be included. A brief synapsis and screening history has to be part of the submission. Projects that do not take a conventional journalistic or commercial approach will be given more weight. A number of rules have to be followed and these can be read on the festivals dedicated website.
Tickets for this event can be purchased online or from the DOXA office. General admission is $13, for weekday evenings and weekends. Weekday matinee tickets cost £11. Opening Night tickets are available at a cost of $22 for a film and party. There are also special closing night and special presentation tickets at $15. 5 and 10 ticket packs are also available.
The venues for screenings are as follows:
- VIFF’s Vancity Theatre
- The Cinematheque
- The Orpheum Annex
- SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
- Museum of Vancouver
- The Vogue Theatre