Planeta.doc Festival (10)

Festival start: 25 September 2025      Festival end: 25 December 2025

The tenth edition of the International Festival of Socio-Environmental Cinema PLANET.Doc 2025 will take place from September 25 to December 25, 2025, in a hybrid format, with an extensive online program accessible throughout Brazil. The event presents a curated selection of international, Brazilian, and regional (Catarinense) documentaries, animations, and virtual reality films focused on socio-environmental and scientific themes.

In addition, the Festival will host the fifth edition of the PLANET.Doc Conference, which will bring together leading thinkers, scientists, journalists, and cultural agents from around the world in a major global conversation on sustainability. The conference will take place during the opening week of the festival and will be streamed to universities, schools, and the general public.

The event promotes an active dialogue between cinema, science, and society, offering film screenings and thematic discussions aimed at educational institutions, NGOs, and broader audiences across Brazil.

Submissions of documentaries, animations, and virtual reality works will be accepted until July 31, 2025, in the following categories:

SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTARY

NATURE DOCUMENTARY

ANIMATION

SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTARY

As a whole, the festival offers a remarkable showcase of some of the most relevant cinematic works about the Planet today—bringing together science, technology, nature, and society in a free, accessible experience for schools, universities, and cultural centers, primarily through digital platforms.

For more information, please visit the official website: https://www.planetadoc.com

PLANET.Doc International: up to 10 selected films, including honorable mentions (without financial award)

PLANET.Doc Brazil: up to 14 awarded films (with cash prizes)

PLANET.Doc Santa Catarina: up to 4 awarded films (with cash prizes)

RULES AND REGULATIONS - 10th International Festival of Socio-Environmental Cinema


The tenth edition of the International Festival of Socio-Environmental Cinema PLANET.Doc will take place from September 25 to December 25, 2025, in a hybrid format, through online platforms accessible throughout Brazil and with selected in-person activities. The event will feature showcases of International, Brazilian, and Santa Catarina documentaries, animations, and virtual reality films focusing on socio-environmental and scientific themes.

In addition, the festival will host the fifth edition of the PLANET.Doc Conference, bringing together thinkers, scientists, filmmakers, and journalists from around the world in a major global event focused on the future of sustainability. The event aims to connect cinema, science, and society, reaching universities, schools, NGOs, and the broader public across Brazil.


1. FESTIVAL GOALS

The festival provides a space in Brazil for the exhibition and recognition of documentaries, animations, and virtual reality films that explore Earth as a living system and inspire reflection on contemporary society. The objective is to promote awareness of environmental and social challenges, and highlight innovative solutions for sustainability.

The PLANET.Doc Festival values interdisciplinary thought and emphasizes the need to integrate science, technology, and traditional knowledge to address today’s global crises. It challenges the outdated division between "saving humanity" and "saving the planet," advocating for a holistic socio-environmental approach.


2 EXHIBITIONS

All festival activities will be free and accessible to the public, primarily through digital platforms. Film screenings will take place on the official streaming platform https://planetdoc.org and on the Planeta na Escola platform (www.planetanaescola.com) between September 25 and December 25, 2025.

Additionally, there will be in-person screenings and events in the cities of Florianópolis (Santa Catarina), São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília at universities, cultural centers, and partner institutions.


3. COMPETITIVE AND NON-COMPETITIVE SHOWCASES

3.1 COMPETITIVE
PLANET.Doc Brazil: For Brazilian productions (or majority-Brazilian co-productions, according to ANCINE certification). Includes documentaries, animations, and virtual reality works.

PLANET.Doc International: For films produced outside Brazil, focusing on environmental and scientific themes.

PLANET.Doc Santa Catarina: For works produced in the state of Santa Catarina (Brazil), including fiction, animation, and documentaries.

3.2 NON-COMPETITIVE
The festival reserves the right to organize thematic and curated non-competitive showcases, which will be announced at the start of the exhibition period.

4. THEMES OF INTEREST
The festival welcomes films that explore socio-environmental dynamics through the following axes:

4.1 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Renewable energy, urban mobility, sustainable architecture, food production, waste and recycling, biotechnology, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and sustainable innovation.

4.2 NATURE
Water, air, oceans, forests, ecosystems, biodiversity, climate, geology, and exploration of micro/macro worlds.

4.3 SOCIETY & GOVERNANCE
Social and environmental justice, traditional peoples and ancestral knowledge, public policies, community responses to crises (e.g., COVID-19), human rights, and behavior change.

5. REGISTRATION
Submissions are free of charge and must be made via: https://festhome.com/festival/planeta-doc-festival
Submission window: May 15 to July 31, 2025

Eligible formats:
Shorts: up to 25 minutes
Medium-length: 26–59 minutes
Feature-length: 60–180 minutes
Virtual Reality (VR): immersive projects up to 30 minutes

All films must have been completed within the last 8 years. There is no limit to the number of submissions per director. Films in languages other than Portuguese must include subtitles in Portuguese or Spanish.

6. SELECTION
The selection of films is the sole responsibility of the festival’s curatorial board and directors. The list of selected works will be published on September 01, 2025, at www.planetadoc.com and across official social media channels.

7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF SELECTED FILMS
Participants must provide a downloadable copy of the selected film via the email addresses: International films: planetadoc.international@gmail.com

Accepted formats: Quicktime (.mov H.264) or MP4 (H.264).

All materials must include Portuguese or Spanish subtitles.

A copyright clearance declaration is required, waiving any ECAD charges (per Brazilian law 9.610/98), and must be signed by both the director and the composer of the original soundtrack.

7.1 PLANETA NA ESCOLA
Selected participants agree to the potential exhibition of their works on the Planeta na Escola platform (https://planetanaescola.com), unless expressly refused.

8. AWARDS
The PLANET.Doc Trophy will be awarded in the following categories:

Showcase Category
Number of Awarded Films

Type of Award
PLANET.Doc Brazil: up to 14 films Award
PLANET.Doc Santa Catarina: up to 4 films Award
PLANET.Doc International: up to 10 films Award (Non-monetary honorable mentions only)

Winners will be selected by a panel of invited jurors, including filmmakers, scientists, academics, and cultural experts, both national and international.

The official announcement and award ceremony will take place by December 06 2025.

9. FINAL PROVISIONS
Participation in PLANET.Doc implies full acceptance of this regulation. Screening copies must meet the technical standards required by the festival. PLANET.Doc reserves the right to disqualify any film that fails to meet these standards or the conditions outlined herein.

The festival may use up to 3 minutes of selected works for promotional purposes, including screenings on TV or social media.