The next edition of the festival will take place on October 1-6, 2026 at the Kinomuzeum MSN in Warsaw. We invite you to join us and help co-create our festival!
Volunteering is about much more than simply helping with the organisation of the festival. It’s an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of organising a cultural event, meet new people, work together, watch films, and spend a few days as part of a great team and in very good company. We invite all cis and trans women and non-binary people to join our festival crew!
If you would like to join us as a volunteer, please fill in the form below. The application form will be open until 10 September 2026, and we will respond to all applications by 15 September 2026.
Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee a place on the volunteer team. The decision to accept volunteers — including the approval of applications and signing of volunteer agreements — is made by the HER Docs Foundation.
If you have any questions, please contact us at: info@herdocs.pl
We announce
the program
of the short films Showcase
We are pleased to announce the results of the open call for short films for this year’s edition of HER Docs Film Festival. Thank you so much for all your submissions! We watched over 70 documentary, experimental, animated and video art films.
For the sixth time, we are selecting films that show that documentary cinema does not have to fit into a single form or tell stories in an obvious way. This is exactly what we love about them: they can afford to do more – to experiment with form, combine documentary with animation, video art and other techniques, search for their own language, and tell stories that are difficult to accommodate within the traditional frameworks of documentary cinema. We are particularly happy to showcase the work of female directors who are just starting out on their filmmaking journeys: students, debut filmmakers and creators taking their first steps in the industry.
We have selected 16 films. We warmly invite you to the screenings during HER Docs Film Festival, taking place 1–6 October, followed by Q&As with the filmmakers!
MIX, dir. Klaudia Szott
SELECTED FILMS
A CO BYŚ DZISIAJ ZROBIŁ INACZEJ? (WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY TODAY?), dir. Jaśmina Wójcik BEST REGARDS, dir. Katarzyna Romatowska CZY TY MNIE SŁYSZYSZ? (CAN YOU HEAR ME?), dir. Anastazja Naumenko DOBRE SERCE (A GOOD HEART), dir. Aleksandra Kubisa FOUR PERCENT, dir. Monika Masłoń GŁOSY KRYZYSU (VOICES OF CRISIS), dir. Katarzyna Małyszko HORYZONT (HORIZON), dir. Małgorzata Mazur KRÓTKIE MGNIENIA PIĘKNA (BRIEF GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY), dir. Katarzyna Karwańska MIX, dir. Klaudia Szott OBIETNICA SZYBKIEJ ŚMIERCI W DOLINIE KREWETEK (A PROMISE OF A QUICK DEATH IN SHRIMP VALLEY), dir. Zuzanna Orch OSTATNIA DZIKA RZEKA (THE LAST WILD RIVER), dir. Agnieszka Kokowska, Anastazja Dąbrowska OSTATNIE MIEJSCE NA ZIEMI (THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH), dir. Ewa Japola THE TONGUE THAT GRASPS, dir. Marta Hryniuk, Nick Thomas TWIN DAYS, dir. Sara Szymańska, Nadia Szymańska UKRYTE (HIDDEN), dir. Monika Kotecka WOLNO, SZYBKO, WOLNO (SLOW, FAST, SLOW), dir. Jagoda Czarnek
A Promise of a Quick Death in Shrimp Valley, dir. Zuzanna Orch
We invite women directors working on their first or second documentary to apply for the HER Development workshop, held as part of the HER Docs Film Festival & Forum [only in Polish].
The HER Docs Foundation invites documentary filmmakers to participate in the fifth edition of HER Development, a workshop for women directors. The workshop will take place as part of the HER Docs Film Festival & Forum on September 29–30, 2026, in Warsaw.
We welcome applications from cis, trans women directors and non-binary persons working on their first or second documentary film (mid-length or feature-length). Projects should be at the development or early production stage.
The workshop will be led by film marketing expert Joanna Solecka, producer Anna Wydra, and director Zuzanna Solakiewicz.
In an intimate and supportive setting, participants will have the opportunity to discuss the potential of their projects, the challenges of the creative process and production, and gain an understanding of the basic tools of film marketing.
Participation is free of charge, but the number of places is limited. Applications should be sent toinfo@herdocs.plby September 3, 2026.
Applicants will be notified of the results by email no later than September 10, 2026.
Applications should be submitted as a PDF and include:
full name, email address, and phone number,
a short biography and filmography,
a logline (1–2 sentences summarizing the film),
a film synopsis (1–2 pages),
a director’s statement (max. 1 page),
a motivation letter including a brief description of the current stage of the project and its most important needs (max. 1 page),
if available, video materials (teaser, trailer, or film excerpts/scenes; the material should be available via a Vimeo link and should not exceed 10 minutes in total).
The workshop is funded by the Polish Film Institute, with the support of the Andrzej Wajda Centre for Film Culture.
The industry programme HER Docs Forum will take place on October 1–2, 2026. Follow programme updates on herdocs.pl and our social media channels.
The HER Docs Foundation’s activities now extend beyond Poland through collaboration with five partners across Europe. Together, we aim to bring into the spotlight the work of selected women directors – creators of extraordinary documentary films who remain largely unknown to wider audiences. Thanks to the ANOTHER STORY project, viewers across Europe will have the opportunity to discover and be inspired by their remarkable films.
This is not the film history you know. ANOTHER STORY joins the existing feminist movement to recover women’s documentary cinema for audiences around Europe and rewrite the history in a way it should be told: with multitude of voices and women’s perspective on reality.
Everyone Knows Who Is Behind Whom, dir. Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz
The mission of ANOTHER STORY is to enhance the visibility, accessibility, and circulation of overlooked works by women filmmakers, spark curiosity, encourage dialogue, and share their artistic visions and cultural contributions. By reconnecting with the legacy of pioneering women in film, the project aims to inspire future generations of documentary creators while contributing to a collective pan-European effort to reshape film history through education, participation, and rediscovery.
Nightshift, dir. Robina Rose
Moving between intimate domestic spaces and the structures of institutional power, the programme traces gestures of resistance, confronts social taboos, and lingers on the politics embedded in everyday life. As diverse in form as in subject, the films stretch the boundaries of documentary itself. Told in a poetic, risk-taking language—at times blurring documentary and fiction, at others embracing the experimental—they are formally inventive, politically sharp, and emotionally precise. Still urgent now.
ANOTHER STORY is a two-year collaboration between five European partners: HER Docs Foundation (Poland), Festival dei Popoli (Italy), The Good Media Network / Doxumentale (Germany), Balkan Documentary Center / Sofia DocuMental (Bulgaria) and Cineuropa (Belgium).
More information about the project and a full film catalog will you find on ANOTHER STORY website and social media profiles:
The summer film warm-up for HER Docs Film Festival 2026 is here! Join us for the second edition of HER Docs Summer Cinema. We’ll be spending Warsaw’s summer evenings together under the open sky—with deck chairs, beautiful sunsets, and unforgettable female protagonists whose stories stay with you long after the credits roll.
This July and August, HER Docs WARM-UP returns with a series of summer screenings. As a prelude to the upcoming 6th edition of HER Docs Film Festival, WARM-UP is an opportunity to revisit films from previous editions that continue to spark conversations, raise questions, and inspire discussion. These films not only explore timely issues and introduce extraordinary women protagonists, but also gain new layers of meaning and resonate even more strongly with the passage of time.
Join us for free screenings of films from past festival editions: discover the untold story of the women who created the earliest instruments still used in electronic music today; meet a feminist journalism collective challenging the ethics of politically driven media; explore the story of the best-selling lesbian magazine in history; and follow the mysterious hotel receptionist whose visions blur the boundaries between dreams and reality.
HER Docs WARM-UP will take place at cultural venues across Warsaw: Plac Zabaw on the Vistula River, Turnus in its new location on Emilia Plater Street, Letnie Kino Tęcza, and the Kinomuzeum at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.
PROGRAM:
Sisters with Transistors, dir. Lisa Rovner 22 July | 8:30 PM | Plac Zabaw by the Vistula This documentary uncovers the untold story of the pioneering women of electronic music. It follows visionary composers who embraced new technologies as a tool of creative freedom, transforming the way music is made and heard today.
Writing with Fire, dir. Sushmit Ghosh & Rintu Thomas 28 July | TęczaSummer Cinema In the male-dominated world of Indian media, the country’s only newspaper run entirely by Dalit women (formerly known as “untouchables,” historically placed at the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy) challenges both social and political power structures. Armed with smartphones, chief reporter Meera and her team break barriers as they cover the nation’s biggest stories while confronting inequality within their own homes. A powerful story about courage, journalism, and redefining what strength means.
Ahead of the Curve, dir. Rivkah Beth Medow & Jen Rainin Date to be announced | Turnus Café & Komuna Warszawa Through a fortunate chain of events and extraordinary determination, Franco Stevens founded Curve—the best-selling lesbian magazine in history. As the publication’s future becomes uncertain, Franco enters into dialogue with a new generation of queer activists, exploring the role Curve can play in a rapidly changing world.
Nightshift, dir. Robina Rose 27 August | MSN Museum Cinema The receptionist of a small hotel begins experiencing ethereal visions while carrying out her nightly routine. Time stretches, and the liminal space of the hotel dissolves the boundaries between reality and imagination. As the night unfolds, a web of interconnected stories gradually comes to light.
Admission to all screenings is free.
Partners: Komuna Warszawa, Plac Zabaw, Andrzej Wajda Centre for Film Culture, Turnus Cafe. The 6th HER Docs Film Festival, celebrating women’s non-fiction filmmaking, will take place 1–6 October 2026 in Warsaw. HER Docs Film Festival is co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage through the Culture Promotion Fund, the Polish Film Institute, the ZAiKS Authors’ Association, and Creative Europe MEDIA.
We love short-form cinema, especially works that experiment with form, tell unconventional stories at the intersection of art and non-fiction and explore diverse filmmaking techniques such as video art and animation. The HER Docs showcase is an annual short film program accompanied by Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.
What films are we looking for?
Works created within the broad field of non-fiction, including documentary films, experimental films, animations and video works;
Films produced in Poland, Polish co-productions or works by Polish filmmakers produced abroad;
Running time of up to 30 minutes;
Films produced in 2025 or 2026.
We welcome submissions from women, non-binary, and gender-diverse filmmakers.
The submission deadline is June 30, 2026.
Detailed information about the regulations and the submission form can be found here:
HER Docs Film Festival coming back in October 2026!
The 2026 edition of the HER Docs Film Festival will take place on October 1–6, 2026. The first program announcements are coming soon, but in the meantime – save the dates in your calendars!
Each year, the HER Docs Festival presents films that stay with audiences long after the screening ends and spark conversations that continue well beyond the cinema. We invite directors, as well as other women filmmakers, to meet with audiences, and above all, we strive to create a safe and welcoming space for discussion and exchange of ideas. As always, the festival will feature a showcase of the latest Polish short films that push boundaries of documentary cinema. The special ANOTHER STORY section will highlight surprising and often overlooked works by women filmmakers whose contributions are rarely found in film history textbooks.
The festival will also host the annual HER Docs Forum, an industry event for professional women documentary filmmakers working across different fields of the non-fiction sector. More information coming soon!
