Les Escales Documentaires

The detailed schedule for the 26th edition (films, times, venues) has not yet been released by the organizers; it will be added as soon as it becomes available. Only a preliminary program is currently online (see the "2026 Program" page, published on August 26, 2026): the films listed below are "tentative" and have not yet been assigned specific screening times.

2026 Preliminary Program

• Focus — "Those Who Watch, Those Who Tell": female filmmakers from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. About fifteen films, featuring discussions and a roundtable with the directors in attendance. Tentative films: Fatma 75 (1976) by Salma Baccar; Clef du sol (2023) by Louiza Belamri; À Mansourah, tu nous as séparés (2019) by Dorothée-Myriam Kellou; El Baraka (2023) by Rima Kerkebane; Fatima (2015) and Je me suis mordue la langue (2021) by Nina Khada; Le Park (2015), Stand by office (2017), Bab-sebta (2019), and L'Mina (2025) by Randa Maroufi; Le Facebook de mon père (2012) and La voie normale (2018) by Erige Sehiri; Shakespeare à Casablanca (2017), Marokkiates (2017-2018), and L7sla (l'impasse) (2020) by Sonia Terrab.
• Guest of Honor — Dominique Cabrera, who will preside over the international competition jury. Three of her films will be presented, selected from: Ici et là-bas (1988), Réjane dans la tour (1993), Demain et encore demain – Journal 1995 (1997), Ranger les photos (2009), Je marche avec #NousToutes (2019), Je ne lâcherais pas ta main (2022), Un mensch (2023), Le Cinquième plan de la jetée (2024).
• New Writing and Emerging Forms — A special showcase is planned, possibly as a carte blanche for young directors; nothing is confirmed yet.
• International Competition — Eight films competing for the Grand Jury Prize; Youth Prize — Six films selected by high school students and young residents of Horizon Habitat Jeunes. Two new awards are added for this 26th edition: the City of La Rochelle Short Film Prize and the Prize Against Hate and Discrimination. The selection has not yet been announced.
• Out of Competition — Escales Océan (ocean and science films, Maritime Museum), Docs d'à côté (films partially produced in Nouvelle-Aquitaine), Escales Sonores (collective podcast listening sessions), Escales de mémoire (historical films, in partnership with ONAC-VG).