The Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest returns for its eighth edition on 25 April. The 2026 festival will take place at Summerhall Arts, featuring a programme of nine short and feature-length documentary films.
Dedicated to showcasing independent documentary filmmaking and sharing compelling stories from around the world, EDDF 2026 presents a carefully curated line-up. Exploring a range of themes, historical moments and current issues, the selection offers insight into different cultures and perspectives through the eyes of filmmakers.
The Festival kicks off with ‘Comprarsa‘ by Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson. The multi-awarded documentary immerses the audience in the intense world of Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala and tells the story of a powerful youth movement sparked by Lesli and Lupe.
The second programme combines 8 shorts of different themes, styles, and aesthetics. A story of grief with the Finnish lake landscape as the backdrop in ‘Memoriam / Islanders‘ (dir. Matleena Jänis), the power of photography as an act of correspondence in Laurence Ly’s ‘Maybe in the Snow,’ and the notions of colonialism, emigration, identity, and tourism in ‘Time to Smile‘ by Jonas Almeida Braga Amarante. Diverse and multicultural, this programme takes viewers on a journey through powerful stories and images.
The 8th Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest is partnering with the IDA (International Documentary Association), which is sponsoring the winners’ awards.
