
Today, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced the slate of films for AFI DOCS 2016, running June 22-26 in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, MD. The 14th edition showcases 94 films representing 30 countries, including three world premieres, seven North American premieres, three U.S. premieres, 12 East Coast premieres and one international premiere. AFI DOCS 2016 screenings will take place in Washington, DC, at the Newseum and the Landmark E Street Cinema, and in Silver Spring, MD, at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.
The lineup at AFI DOCS 2016 illustrates that everyone has a story, and that those stories are as entertaining, twisted and provocative as fiction, said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI DOCS. While our artists and policy leaders will engage in the urgent realities presented in these films, audiences will experience the best in documentary cinema today throughout the festival.
As previously announced, the Newseum - this years Official Gala Screening Sponsor - will host the Opening Night Gala and North American premiere of ZERO DAYS (DIR Alex Gibney) and the Closing Night Gala screening of NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU (DIRS Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady).
Also previously announced, AFI will recognize Academy Award -nominated filmmaker Werner Herzog at AFI DOCS as the Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree at the Newseum on June 24. The Symposium will include a conversation, moderated by Ramin Bahrani, followed by the East Coast premiere of Herzogs latest film LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD.
The Newseum will also host this years Spotlight Screenings - AUDRIE & DAISY (DIRS Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk), CHECK IT (DIRS Toby Oppenheimer, Dana Flor), LIFE, ANIMATED (DIR Roger Ross Williams) and NEWTOWN (DIR Kim A. Snyder) - with panel discussions or extended Q&As with special guests to follow.
Newly announced films from notable documentarians include COMMAND AND CONTROL (DIR Robert Kenner), the world premiere of DOC & DARRYL (DIRS Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio) and MISS SHARON JONES! (DIR Barbara Kopple).
AFI DOCS will offer additional programs for festival filmmakers as a way to connect with film industry and policy leaders. The festival will also include a Filmmaker Forum open to the documentary filmmaking community.
Tickets to AFI DOCS, including Galas and Spotlight Screenings, will be available to AFI members exclusively from May 9-17, and to the public on May 18. Passes for AFI DOCS 2016 are now on sale at AFI.com/afidocs.
AFI DOCS 2016 PROGRAM
OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT GALAS, SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS AND CHARLES GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM AND SCREENING
Wednesday, June 22
OPENING NIGHT GALA: ZERO DAYS: DIR Alex Gibney. USA. Academy Award -winning filmmaker Alex Gibney returns to the festival with ZERO DAYS, a fascinating expos of American and Israeli covert operations aimed at Irans nuclear program. North American premiere.
Thursday, June 23
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: AUDRIE & DAISY: DIRS Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk. USA. Two teenaged victims of sexual assault fight to survive and heal in this riveting examination of what happens when social media spirals frighteningly out of control.
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: NEWTOWN: DIR Kim A. Snyder. USA. A deeply moving portrait of a community scarred by gun violence yet bound together in their grief and commitment to honor the ones they have lost.
Friday, June 24
THE CHARLES GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM AND SCREENING: The Charles Guggenheim Symposium honors the legacy of the late four-time Academy Award -winning filmmaker Charles Guggenheim. This year, the Symposium pays tribute to legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog. The Guggenheim Symposium will present clips from Herzogs documentary oeuvre along with a discussion with Herzog moderated by celebrated filmmaker Ramin Bahrani. The conversation will be followed by the East Coast premiere of Herzogs latest film LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD. Herzogs non-fiction works include INTO THE ABYSS , the Oscar -nominated ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD , THE WHITE DIAMOND (2004), the Emmy -nominated LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY , FATA MORGANA .
Saturday, June 25
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: CHECK IT: DIRS Dana Flor, Toby Oppenheimer. USA. A gang of gay and transgender Washington, DC, teens attempts to overcome violence, poverty and prostitution by finding a more productive outlet - through the world of fashion.
SPOTLIGHT SCREENING: LIFE, ANIMATED: DIR Roger Ross Williams. USA. In this joyous and uncommon coming-of-age tale, a boy with autism learns to communicate with his family by reciting lines from his beloved Disney characters.
Sunday, June 26
CLOSING NIGHT GALA: NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU: DIRS Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady. USA. At 93, an energetic, funny and thoughtful Norman Lear looks back on a remarkable career that defined American television in the 1970s.
FEATURE FILM SELECTIONS:
5 OCTOBER: DIR Martin Kollar. Czech Republic/Slovakia. Facing a surgery with a 50/50 chance of survival, a man vagabonds across Europe. Solemn yet upbeat, 5 OCTOBER delivers a beautiful portrait of humanity in limbo, both geographical and mortal. North American premiere.
ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL: DIR Tracy Droz Tragos. USA. Director Tracy Droz Tragos surveys reproductive politics in her native Missouri, which some hope to proclaim the first abortion-free state in the nation.
AFTER SPRING: DIRS Ellen Martinez, Steph Ching. USA. AFTER SPRING follows several residents of Jordans Zaatari refugee camp - the largest in the Middle East - a temporary home to many Syrians fleeing the brutal civil war.
ALL THIS PANIC: DIR Jenny Gage. USA. This sumptuously photographed portrait shot over three years centers on seven teen girls navigating the excitement and anxiety of adolescence in New York.
ALMOST SUNRISE: DIR Michael Collins. USA. Two Iraq War vets hike a 2,700-mile course fro
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
20/06/2026
New add-on creates doubles & vocal stacks
IK Multimedia's latest ReSing add-on kits the innovative software out with the ability to automatically genera...
20/06/2026
What exactly is Apogee Control V3?
Control V3 is a new mixer application that controls Apogee interfaces. The new hit feature is that V3 finally allows for...
19/06/2026
Split compound eases operational challenges at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club...
19/06/2026
North Carolina, Oklahoma meet in the best-of-three Finals as ESPN leans into spe...
19/06/2026
Company launch comprehensive mix-comparison tool
The Him DSP are a plug-in company founded by The Him, an EDM DJ and producer who has amassed over half a bi...
19/06/2026
Major Sampler upgrades introduced
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW software has just entered public beta testing, and is available now for all users w...
19/06/2026
Four times the power of their predecessors
Akai Pro have just introduced upgraded versions of two of their popular standalone MPC systems, kitting them out ...
19/06/2026
Data from May shows seasonal outdoor trends triggers lower viewing
Warsaw, Pola...
19/06/2026
Buttons is best control system in the rAVe Best of Infocomm Awards 2026...
19/06/2026
Mavis Studio Makes iPad Production More Powerful
Brie Clayton June 19, 2026
0 Comments
InfoComm update brings new NDI Preview, PTZ control, USB audio ...
19/06/2026
Immersive Studio Metaverse Stage Tackles Post with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 19, 2026
0 Comments
New narrative projects rely on DaVinci Reso...
19/06/2026
How to Run the Original 1993 After Effects
Graham Quince June 19, 2026
0 Comments
How to the original After Effects v1 in an emulator, and you don'...
19/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/06/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists and engineers, has announced that its entire Standards catalog is now freely available to the global medi...
19/06/2026
nsign, the digital signage SaaS platform built around its core principle of Simplify Complexity, has announced a partnership with BrightSign , expanding the dep...
19/06/2026
Visual Productions announces the availability of its new RdmRelay2 at InfoComm 2026 (ACT Entertainment, Booth N6813). A networked, four-channel DMX relay, it is...
19/06/2026
Adobe Unveils Major Expansion of Creative Agent Across Firefly and Creative Clou...
19/06/2026
Immersive Studio Metaverse Stage Innovates Storytelling with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton June 18, 2026
0 Comments
Two new narrative short films c...
19/06/2026
Friday 19 June 2026
How to watch the 2026/27 Premier League season on Sky Sports
Which matches are Sky Sports showing on the 2026/27 Premier League opening we...
19/06/2026
Catch up on the latest developments across Baselight and Daylight v7, Nara and FilmLight API Wednesday 8 July, 5pm onwards
Firehouse: DCTV, 87 Lafayette St, Ne...
19/06/2026
Lab studies explain how new cancer drug works as it enters patient testing Immunologists at Scripps Research show how a new, experimental drug revives immune ce...
18/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
18/06/2026
PTZOptics has unveiled new Visual Reasoning demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 (Boo...
18/06/2026
IBC2026 will take place at the RAI Amsterdam from September 11-14, bringing toge...
18/06/2026
InfoComm 2026 held its first-ever Media Day on June 17, providing journalists an...
18/06/2026
FOR-A America has announced a Trade Agreements Act (TAA)-compliant LED display solution combining Alfalite's Litepix LED displays and Brompton Technology...
18/06/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
18/06/2026
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and TMRW Sports have an...
18/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has unveiled Io Xpand, a Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion ...
18/06/2026
ESPN has announced its coverage plans for the 30th anniversary of the WNBA's...
18/06/2026
FOX Sports' Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live from Wembley Stadium in Lon...
18/06/2026
InfoComm 2026 opened on Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing t...
18/06/2026
As media companies look to deliver more live, VOD, and snackable sports content ...
18/06/2026
Top L-R: Take Me Home, The Lake
Bottom L-R: TheyDream, Union County
Free Summer Screening Series Announced
Screenings for the Local Utah Community at...
18/06/2026
Improvements & new IR content
iamReverb Audio have just launched a free update that kits their convolution reverb plug-in out with some new features and int...
18/06/2026
Modelling suite gains improved captures, iOS support & more
Two notes Audio Engineering have just announced the launch of Genome 2.0, a significant update t...
18/06/2026
New AI assistance feature, video overhaul & more
VSL have just announced the launch of Vienna Ensemble Pro 8.1 and 8.1V, a pair of major updates to their ev...
18/06/2026
The average daily TV screen time in May was 3 hours and 36 minutes, marking a clear decrease of 15 minutes compared to April. This trend proved to be much stron...
18/06/2026
Integration embeds Gracenote content intelligence, including contextual segments...
18/06/2026
AJA Video Systems unveiled Io Xpand, a high-performance Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion chassis for AJA KONA and Corvid video and audio I/O cards. As dema...
18/06/2026
New NVRT-driven workflow enables on-demand traffic mirroring and guided troubleshooting for AV teams, integrators, and support organizations ahead of InfoComm 2...
18/06/2026
At InfoComm 2026, Mavis announced a major update to Mavis Studio, its live production app for the iPad, with new features designed to make professional AV produ...
18/06/2026
Transaction Positions Harmonic as a Pure-Play Broadband Company
Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtualized broadband solutions, today a...
18/06/2026
ACT Entertainment and NETGEAR have announced a strategic partnership that establishes verified interoperability between NETGEAR Switches and key technologies fr...
18/06/2026
IBC2026 is set to bring the global media, entertainment and technology community together at the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September, enabling industry players f...