Montreal, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 - The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) is proud to unveil the program for its 29th edition, taking place from November 19 to 29, 2026. Featuring 127 films from 54 countries—including 25 world premieres, 19 North American premieres, 22 Canadian premieres, and 28 Quebec premieres—the festival offers a rich and bold panorama of documentary cinema, bringing together unique perspectives, emerging voices, and renowned filmmakers.
“We are living through times of profound contradictions and turmoil. Political upheaval, social fractures, ecological precarity and shifting balances of power shape the world around us and the ways we seek to understand it. For this 29th edition, we invite festival-goers to discover a cinema that meets the present with curiosity and imagination, that resists easy answers and that opens up new ways of seeing, listening and connecting.” - Mégane Chatelet (interim executive direction), Marlene Edoyan and Hubert Sabino-Brunette (artistic and co-direction and programming)
In line with its mission to bridge perspectives and open new windows to the world, this edition features works that question our times, challenge preconceived ideas, and fuel reflection. To extend these exchanges beyond the screenings, RIDM will also offer a series of discussions, activities, and unifying events, many of which will be accessible free of charge.
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RIDM are thrilled to launch their new program with the feature film To Hold a Mountain, filmed through an intimate lens in the mountains of Montenegro, where a mother and daughter see their agricultural way of life threatened by a NATO project. The opening night will take place at the Salle Pierre-Mercure du Centre Pierre-Péladeau (300 de Maisonneuve Blvd. E.) on Thursday, November 19, with filmmaker Biljana Tutorov—who co-directed the film alongside Petar Glomazić—in attendance. The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this deeply feminist, anti-patriarchal, and environmental portrait has been showcased at some of the world’s most prominent documentary festivals, including CPH:DOX, Visions du Réel, Cinéma du réel, Hot Docs, and Dok.fest München.
Several films that have garnered international acclaim will be presented to Quebec audiences during this 29th edition. Citizen Osama by Ahmed Hassouna—unveiled at the recent Venice Film Festival and selected to represent Palestine at the 2027 Oscars®—follows Gaza journalist Osama Al-Ashi undertaking the essential political act of documenting the genocide and the destruction, death and famine caused by the Israeli army. In Memory, which premiered at Visions du Réel, filmmaker Vladlena Sandu revisits her childhood in Chechnya to understand the cycle of violence that spans generations. The power of female voices also takes centre stage in the program, with Virages—directed by Céline Carridroit and Aline Suter, and first showcased at the Cannes Film Festival—as well as Hanabi by Brazilian filmmaker Ana Vaz, a prominent figure in the experimental film and visual arts scene; its screening at RIDM follows presentations at festivals in Vienna, New York, London, and Locarno. Also featured at Locarno, Atcha Atcha by Mamadou Dia captures, with a strong focus on dance and its transmission, the final year of training at the École des Sables in Senegal.
Loran Bonnardot co-directed Tristan Forever alongside Tobias Nölle—whose documentary Preparation for a Miracle opened the 2024 RIDM. Festival-goers will thus have the opportunity to follow the work of this Swiss filmmaker, as well as that of Algerian director Hassen Ferhani (143, Sahra Street), who returns to the festival with his latest film, Alea Jacarandas—a work that garnered attention at Visions du Réel. Other essential films this year include Once Upon a Time in Harlem by William Greaves and David Greaves, a moving tribute to the Harlem Renaissance, and Amílcar by Miguel Eek—a luminous poetic essay dedicated to Amílcar Cabral, the African agronomist, thinker and revolutionary who led the anti-colonial struggle in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
The festival renews its commitment to showcasing local works with 54 Quebecois, Canadian, and Indigenous films making their premieres this year. Audiences will have the chance to see recent works by André-Line Beauparlant (My Name is Tom) and Steve Patry (A Breath at a Time), both of which examine the dynamics of violence and the possibilities of breaking free from it. Also featured are films by Catherine Hébert and Elric Robichon (We Will Not Be Silenced), Simon Plouffe (Cranes and Voices), and David Sanchez (Our Sprouting Ruins)—works united by a desire to build a community and organize against gentrification. Through original directorial approaches, François Jacob (Nowhere, Everywhere) and Emanuel Licha (A Zone of Echoes) offer unique cinematic perspectives for grappling with complex realities. New documentary forms are further explored in films by Matthew Rankin (Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney) and Karl Lemieux (Platforms)—the latter accompanied by an installation.
Renowned for his short films, Aziz Zoromba will present his first feature film (LOUF) in addition to delivering a masterclass during the Emerging Talent Day. In fact, this 29th edition spotlights emerging filmmakers, with 24 debut features in the lineup. With 66 short and medium-length films presented this year, RIDM is giving a prime place to this format, which is very rich in cinematic exploration. These works will be showcased across several sections (Panorama, Retrospective, Focus), as well as in a program dedicated to the short films of Miryam Charles. The festival will also feature a tribute screening of two works by Jocelyne Saab—a leading figure in the New Lebanese Cinema—along with the traditional Soirée de la relève Radio-Canada.
The 2026 program also features a strong presence of cinema by First Peoples, with works that encourage reconnection to the land, as well as the affirmation and sharing of culture. Audiences will have the opportunity to discover Itilli Gathering by Myna Ishulutak and Aïda Maigre-Touchet, Inuguiniq by Olivia Ikey, Ceremony by Banchi Hanuse, Aanikoobijigan [ancestor / great-grandparent / great-grandchild] by Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil, and the short film Endless Sunlight by Tyson Houseman. In addition, seven short films from Wapikoni will be screened—rotating before each film in the national competition—to highlight the talent of young Indigenous creators and the significance of the issues they explore. A discussion titled Indigenous Cinema: Stories and New Forms will invite collective reflection on the new directions Indigenous cinema is taking today. Furthermore, to complement these stories, four screenings will be held in the National Film Board of Canada’s (NFB) magnificent Alanis Obomsawin Theatre.
RIDM will also expand into a brand-new venue in Montreal—the Maison Théâtre—which will host several major premieres. The Quartier Latin thus becomes the beating heart of this 29th edition, with the festival’s headquarters remaining at the Cinémathèque québécoise, home to the must-attend RIDM Late Nights. The programming will unfold in a variety of formats, ranging from the Retrospective Bani Khoshnoudi: Territories of Memory and the Western Balkans Focus: Blurring the Lines, to a diverse array of installations, performances, and listening sessions. RIDM will also make room for families with activities like Ciné poupon (Gabin by Maxence Voiseux, Cannes 2026) and Première vue, which will showcase the work of artist and filmmaker Alisi Telengut. These diverse offerings turn the festival into a unifying gathering, connecting varied audiences through the multiple forms of documentary.
Before concluding this event rich in discoveries, an awards ceremony in a 5-to-7 format will take place at the Cinémathèque québécoise on Saturday, November 28. This will be followed by a screening of the Canadian documentary Ba’s Book, directed by Ashley Da-Lê Duong, at the Maison Théâtre (245 Ontario St. E). Having already enjoyed an impressive run—with selections at TIFF, VIFF, the BFI London Film Festival, and CIFF (where it won two awards)—this touching and inspiring film recreates scenes from a book written by the filmmaker’s father, as she and her family examine the impacts and the intergenerational legacy of the Vietnam War.
Cinephiles can enjoy the festival through Sunday, November 29, with a final day of screenings capping off this 29th edition.
To read the full press release: ridm.ca/en/press/press-releases
Thanks to RIDM’s partners
RIDM wishes to acknowledge the support of the institutional and primary partners who contribute to the success of this 29th edition. Many thanks to the Gouvernement du Québec, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, SODEC, the Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine, the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie, the Ministère du Tourisme, the Centre des Services aux Entreprises – Intégration en emploi (Emploi-Québec), the Government of Canada, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ville de Montréal, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Canada Media Fund, Tourisme Montréal, Radio-Canada and Télé-Québec, as well as the Cinémathèque québécoise, Maison Théâtre, the National Film Board of Canada, Cinéma du Parc and Cinéma du Musée. The festival also thanks Post-Moderne and Rodeo FX, as well as Benoit Parent, Arthur Gaumont-Marchant, David Beaulieu, Juliette Moal, and Josianne Lacroix.
About RIDM
Striving to showcase the most stimulating and diverse visions of documentary cinema, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) offers audiences a unique program that brings together the works of established filmmakers and promising new talents, while focusing on creating encounters between artists and audiences.
The 29th annual RIDM will take place from November 19 to 29, 2026.
at the Cinémathèque québécoise, the Maison Théâtre, Cinéma du Parc, Cinéma du Musée, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), BAnQ, the Concordia Auditorium, the artist-run centre OBORO, the artist-run centre daphne, and the Centre Pierre-Péladeau.
Information: ridm.ca / info@ridm.ca
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For interview requests or press materials, please contact:
Caroline Rompré | pixelleX communications | 514-778-9294 |caroline@pixellex.ca
Accreditation / online application (must be completed prior to November 6): ridm.ca/en/press-accreditation
Full 2026 Programming Press Release: see attachment
All 2026 Press Releases: ridm.ca/en/press/press-releases
Press screening schedule: see attachment
Media space / downloads (poster, trailers, photos, excerpts, etc.): ridm.ca/en/press/downloads