Bogota Prepares to Host the 2026 International Documentary Film Festival

Bogota is set to host the 28th edition of the International Documentary Film Festival, known as MIDBO, from October 27 to November 4, 2026. The event will explore the theme of "Essential Sound," highlighting how sound can reveal dimensions of reality not conveyed through images alone.

Spanning 12 venues across the city, the festival will showcase 120 films from 40 countries. It will also feature filmmakers, researchers, and artists engaging in various formats such as screenings, discussions, art installations, and sound-based experiences. These activities aim to bring documentary cinema to diverse audiences through multiple formats.

In addition to Bogota, the festival will extend its reach to other Colombian cities including Cali, Medellin, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Barranquilla, and Leticia. This broader presence seeks to connect audiences nationwide with documentary cinema and foster wider circulation of these productions.

Key international guests include French filmmaker Claire Simon and Chilean director Ignacio Agüero. Their participation will introduce Colombian audiences to distinct approaches in nonfiction filmmaking, allowing them to engage in discussions about creative processes and the relationship between documentary cinema and everyday life.

The festival will also pay tribute to notable figures in Latin American cinema, such as Cuban filmmaker Sara Gómez and Chilean documentary filmmaker Santiago Álvarez. These retrospectives aim to introduce new generations of viewers to films and creative approaches that have shaped Latin American documentary filmmaking, bridging contemporary discussions with audiovisual traditions that use the camera as a tool for observation, memory, and critique.