According to the Public Relations Department of Documentary, Experimental and Animation Film Center (DEFC), Iran International Documentary Film Festival, Cinema Verite seeks to explore the relationship between reality and truth through documentary films.

The festival’s official call for submissions highlights a diverse range of competitive and non-competitive categories, including the National Competition, International Competition, Student Films, the Shahid Avini Prize, and Photo Competition alongside special events, workshops, seminars, and tributes.

The international section comprises three categories: feature-length, mid-length, and short documentaries, with eligibility limited to those produced after January 2025.

All international documentaries—regardless of length, format, or subject—produced after January 2024 are eligible to participate in the non-competitive section.

New this year, Cinema Verite is pleased to introduce a non-competitive section dedicated to documentaries made for teenage audiences (ages 11–18).

The festival will also present a special non-competitive program, "Panorama of Spanish Documentaries". Documentary films are eligible for this section if they are directed by a filmmaker from Spain, produced in Spain, or explore Spain, its people, culture, history, or society.

The call for entries for the Cinema Verite is now open, and submissions will be accepted until August 31, 2026.

All films should be submitted via: Submit

Filmmakers seeking further details and submission guidelines are encouraged to visit Festival’s Website for more information.

The 20th Iran International Documentary Film Festival "Cinema Verité" will be held in December 2026 in Tehran, Iran.