Are you working on a film – fiction or documentary – that explores social issues, human rights, or sustainability? Submit your work to the Movies that Matter Festival 2026, taking place from 20 to 28 March in The Hague. We welcome films of all lengths, including shorts.

Submissions are open until 1 November 2025. Take advantage of the Early Bird discount by submitting your film by 31 July at the latest.

Our grant programme is proud to support a dynamic and diverse lineup of film festivals and initiatives this year. From solar-powered mobile screenings in Zimbabwean communities to a Queer Film Festival honoring LGBTQIA+ stories in Nepal’s capital, these projects showcase the vital role cinema can play in fostering social justice and community empowerment.

Margje de Koning, artistic director of Movies that Matter, has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences alongside fellow Dutch invitees Halina Reijn, Victoria Warmerdam, and Trent and Nina Gantz. Margje: “I feel very honoured to be able to use my knowledge and experience to help determine the best documentaries of the past year. My special focus is on films on the cutting edge of powerful cinematography and important stories, capable of moving people.”

In Burkina Faso, a country grappling with conflict, displacement, and deep uncertainty, filmmaker and film festival organiser Abdoulaye Diallo has chosen the camera as his tool of resistance – and the film festival as a stage for hope. We spoke with him about his view on films in relation to human rights and how the Human Rights Film Network offers a sense of solidarity to other human rights film festival organisers.

In the brand-new Movies that Matter podcast, we dive deeper into the stories, people, and human rights issues behind the films shown at our festival. In this first episode, we share a conversation with Tommy Gulliksen, director of the documentary Facing War, recorded live in March during our festival in The Hague.