FIDOCS Returns: 29th Santiago International Documentary Film Festival Announces General Pass Sales

The Santiago International Documentary Film Festival (FIDOCS) will mark its 29th edition from November 19 to 26, reaffirming its standing as one of Latin America’s premier events and an essential meeting point for cinema of the real.

Across eight days, the festival will host more than 40 screenings across four main venues (Cineteca Nacional de Chile, Cine Arte Alameda – Sala CEINA, Sala K / U. Mayor and Sala Cine Centro de Extensión UC) plus an outdoor screening on Paseo Bulnes, alongside its signature industry and training platforms and a new edition of FIDOCS Expandido.

Organizers announced a general pass for this edition that includes access to every film in the program, the festival’s official tote bag, and exclusive discounts at partner businesses. It is available for purchase for $20,000 until October 26, or while supplies last, at fidocs.cl.

FIDOCS 29 returns with three official competitions: the National Competition, showcasing premieres by Chilean filmmakers; the International Competition, spotlighting works that have yet to enter commercial release; and the National Emerging Shorts Competition, created to champion new student talent. As in past years, the Young Jury will also present the award for Best Debut Feature.

Beyond the competitions, this year’s program introduces three thematic strands: Focus sections that tackle urgent issues through the lens of contemporary filmmakers; Special Screenings featuring celebrated directors; and the Docudays UA Window, a showcase dedicated to Ukraine’s International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

Antonia Girardi, the festival’s artistic director, said FIDOCS has grown into a space for exchange, reflection, and training around non‑fiction cinema, engaging urgently with the present while daring to imagine what comes next. On the threshold of its 30th year, she emphasized the audience’s continued growth and renewal, describing a community grounded in cinema yet extending beyond mere cinephilia.

Programming director Martín Castillo noted that this year’s journey embraces an expanded field of the real, where the intimate, the political, and the imaginary intersect to question how we inhabit the present and envision the future. One hundred and thirty years after its birth, he added, cinema remains an inexhaustible tool for imagination and activism, opening new horizons and inviting audiences to think and feel together in the darkened theater.

The festival will also host its signature industry, education, and outreach activities: FIDOCS Industria, which this year adds the New Voices Forum and continues with the Short Film Circulation Lab and the Docs in Progress FIDOCS + CONECTA competition; FIDOCS Expandido, a platform for audiovisual experimentation; and the FIDOCS School, gathering more than 150 film and communications students from across Chile for masterclasses, workshops, and interdisciplinary sessions with international and local guests.

El Ciudadano