Default Banner
Published by Editor
Sep 21, 2026
Established 1995 filmfestivals.com serves and documents the festival community, offering 92.000 articles of news, free blog profiles and functions to enable festival matchmaking with filmmakers.THE NEWSLETTER REACHES 198 000 FILM...

Lunenburg Doc Fest Line up revealed

Photo: Two film fans captured having a ‘reeling’ good time at the 2025 Doc Fest.

Have fun being a documentary explorers with these two planning tools

We booked a lot of documentaries, which is great, but also daunting. To help you find the stories you like, we’ve created two planning tools.

 

One path is packed with information. With the 2026 Program Guide you can choose by logistics (date and time), by story (film synopsis), and by artistry (filmmaker biographies).  Take a look!

Flippable & Digital: 2026 Program Guide

 

When you have 75+ documentaries to fit into your calendar, 47 filmmakers to read about, and 25 decision makers to meet,  it’s good to have an easy-to-access, at-a-glance source of information on the festival and local advertisers.

View the Guide

Thematic Groupings

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

The second path is broader, more thematic. We looked for common threads in subject matter and considered what conversation are popular in Nova Scotia.  We found six themes as a result, and we hope you find them very interesting: Environment, Gender and Sexuality, Protests and Politics, Black Community and History, and Personal Histories & Struggles.

 

1: The Environment

Rural communities know the affects of the environment. There are the daily pleasure of enjoying nature but also concerns over climate change risks, discrimination, and protection of water and wildlife. As such, we are sharing with the LDF community a list of films that have the environment as a central theme.

 

ENVIRONMENT

AT THE LUNENBURG DOC FEST

 

Boatbuilders

Over four seasons, director Luke Lorentzen follows the meticulous construction of a 56-foot sailboat, while immersing us in the lives of the boatbuilders and their close-knit Maine community.

🐦‍⬛ Wednesday., September 23, 12pm, Opera House

 

 

Derek Vs Derek

Derek’s wilding crusade collides with Derek’s fury as storks, boar, and rising tensions reveal a larger battle. Can nature’s return coexist with feeding the world.

🐦‍⬛ Friday, September 25, 12:30pm, Opera House

 

 

In Tyee Country

An old industry town is home to the legendary Tyee Club of British Columbia, where membership is restricted to who can catch a 30lb+ Chinook salmon from a traditional rowboat. Dwindling salmon and climate change force an existential crisis.

🐦‍⬛ Thursday September 24, 10am, Ice House Theatre

 

 

To Hold a Mountain

Living high on Montenegro’s mountain plateau, a mother and daughter defend their ancestral land from becoming a military training ground, confronting memory, loss, and an uncertain future.

🐦‍⬛ Sunday, September 27, 7:00pm, Ice House Theatre

 

 

Wild Inside

Flaco, a giant owl escapes from the New York Central Park Zoo. The following months are filled with action, concern, and city-dwellers following his every move.

🐦‍⬛ Sunday, September 27, 11:30am, Opera House

 

Did these help? We have more themes to share in the coming days.

View Schedule

 

Industry Conference

The Dock Market 2026 Schedule

 

 

Look at everything we have planned for our industry friends like you.  All sessions are hybrid in-person and virtual, except for those in-person only events marked with an asterisk (*). All times are listed in Atlantic Time. Please note these times and overall schedule are subject to change.

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

8:30am - 9:00am Coffee and Conversation (informal)

9:00am - 10:45am Presentations by Decision Makers

10:45am - 11:00am Break

11:15am - 12:00am PANEL - Trends, Challenges, Opportunities

12:00pm - 1:15pm Lunch (explore the town!)

1:15pm - 1:45pm Presentations by Decision Makers

2:00pm - 2:45pm PANEL - Creative ways to showcase your docs

2:45pm - 3:00pm Break

3:00pm - 4:30pm Dock Market 1-1 meetings (must preregister in advance)

5:00pm - 6:30pm Industry Cruise #1 aboard the Eastern Star (by invitation only due  to limited space)

8:00pm - 11:00pm Festival Party - Light Ship Brewery

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

8:30am - 9:00am Coffee and Conversation (informal)

9:00am - 10:00am Presentations by Decision Makers

10:30am - 12:00pm THE LAUNCH 2026 Pitch Contest*

12:00pm - 1:15pm Industry Lunch (provided on 2nd Floor Zwicker Building)

1:15pm - 2:00pm Presentation by Decision Makers

2:00pm - 2:45pm Case Study - Modern Whore documentary

2:45pm-3:00pm Break

3:00pm - 4:30pm Dock Market 1-1 meetings (must preregister in advance)

5:00pm - 6:30pm Industry Cruise#2 aboard the Eastern Star (by invitation only due to limited space)

8:00pm - 11:00pm Industry Event - Doc Atlantic Reception - Tide and Trails Outfitter

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

8:30am - 9:15am Coffee and Conversation (informal)

9:15am - 10:00am Presentations by Decision Makers

10:00am - 10:45am PANEL - Documentary Ethics

10:45am - 11:00am Break

11:00am - 11:15am Presentations by Decision Makers

11:15am - 12:00pm PANEL - The view from here: Veteran doc makers share their tips

12:00pm - 3:00pm Conference wraps at Noon but stick around for more informal conversations

 

We can’t wait to host everyone!

Learn more

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

Canal: