The International Documentary Challenge is a timed filmmaking competition where filmmakers have 5 days to make a short non-fiction film (4-7 minutes.) All of the registered participants make their films during the same time period (early March) and are required to ship the movie by the deadline. In addition to being restricted on time, the filmmakers must choose between 2 assigned documentary genres (such as Biography, Music, 1st Person, etc.) and are assigned a specific theme (such as “Freedom”) that will dictate the content and direction of their film. The top 12 films (determined by a panel of judges) premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto where the Winners are announced. After the premiere, there are additional theatrical screenings in major cities, possible television exposure and a DVD release of the best films.

The mission of The International Documentary Challenge is to encourage documentary filmmakers to create and to give those filmmakers an international platform to showcase their talents. The feedback we’ve received is that the “challenge” is an exhilarating experience for
the students that helps them focus in a new and effective way. Initially it seems like a ridiculous notion to think of completing a film in such a short time, but that, in essence, is the point of this competition – to encourage filmmakers to work straight from their gut, make quick decisions and finish a creative project under pressure. When making a film in a few days, one learns a lot about what is and isn’t important in filmmaking – lessons that will never be forgotten.

Download the International Documentary Challenge Classroom Guide. The Classroom Screening Guide is intended for use by educators in Middle School, High School and College. If you have purchased the DVD, this PDF is included as a DVD-Rom feature.

If you have not already done so, in order to obtain the rights to use the Doc Challenge in your classroom, please purchase an educational copy of the Best of the Doc Challenge DVD from us. Contact us here. To register your class or group for the Doc Challenge visit the IDC online.

Quotes from participants:

“I did not give my students enough credit for the amount of hard work they were willing to put into a project. I feel really bad about that because I assumed that maybe it would be too intense, too much of a time commitment, that it would be too much trouble, essentially. And for what reward? I wasn’t sure if they would see the benefits. You know what? They did! They grabbed the experience and just totally dove in and really made it something that was valuable to them. And I’m really proud.”
–Courtney Hermann, Digital Filmmaking Instructor, Art Institute of Portland

“The Doc Challenge was a life-altering experience for me because prior to the Doc Challenge I thought I was just all about narrative fiction. I had never given documentary filmmaking even a glance. After Doc Challenge I realized just how great documentary filmmaking is. Great because not only are you making a story out of real people and real life experiences, but you have the opportunity to really change the way people see the world. I now focus on non-fiction as opposed to fiction.”
–Karlyn Gibson, Student

“I learned so much by doing this challenge that I know I am going to use in my future filmmaking projects. You do the best that you can with what you’ve got in the time that you have and you make whatever situation you’re given work!”
–Liz Vice, Student