The 8th West Lake International Documentary Festival (abbreviated as “IDF2026”), co-hosted by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism and the China Academy of Art, was held in Hangzhou, China, from October 23 to 25, 2026. This edition featured five main content sections: the “West Lake Honor” awards, the “Light of Documentary” screenings, the “IDF Symposium” academic program, the “IDF Pitch” proposal session, and the “IDF Academy” training program. Documentary filmmakers, production companies, distribution agencies, cultural scholars, and media professionals from China and abroad gathered at the China Academy of Art to celebrate this cinematic event dedicated to documentary film.

IDF stands for “I Documentary Fact,” a high-quality humanities and arts platform integrating documentary awards, screenings, academic exchange, pitching, and workshops, intended to explore the relationship among the creative subject of documentary, the cinematic method, and the filmed subject. Launched in 2017, the festival has been successfully held seven times. The theme of this edition is “Un·Coming”: “Un” is negation-all image-making is an expectation of the unknown; “Coming” is affirmation-for creators to keep walking is itself courage. Documentary today is not merely a documentary archive; it also reveals the next moment. Documentary filmmakers keep their bodies present, and every shot recorded should be an arrival for both oneself and the audience, worthy of being watched in the future. The first West Lake International Documentary Festival in 2017 began with attention to “Mat·ter”; in 2018, the experience of life and inner experience converged into “Wor·ld”; in 2019, time and space formed the intriguing “Ea·st and We·st”; in 2020, we reflected on the present “Li·fe” in the post-truth era; in 2021, following each person’s “Per·ception,”we engaged in full dialogue and discussion on how images can rebuild faith; in 2023, starting from “Peo·ple,” we connected the ideal world; in 2024, we focused on “Co·existence” to imagine a growing community. After ten years and seven editions, and facing the wave of technology, 2026’s “Un·Coming” has been forged.

Chen Guangsheng, Party Secretary and Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, stated that the 8th edition delivered a substantial report card: “West Lake is both a screening room and a debating chamber, and even more a documentary laboratory facing the future.” He described the West Lake International Documentary Festival as “a documentary academy without walls,” highly affirming the academic and international influence the festival has achieved over its eight editions.

Yu Xuhong, President of the China Academy of Art, stated that the festival has always upheld the original aspiration of “I, Documentary, Fact,” and has grown into one of China’s most academic, professional, and international humanities documentary events, becoming a shining calling card of the China Academy of Art. The West Lake International Documentary Festival will continue to uphold a fair attitude, with professional judgment, a forward-looking vision, and an open mind, rationally selecting outstanding documentary works that combine ideological depth, artistic value, and the spirit of the times. Together with global documentary creators, it will inspire new possibilities for cinematic expression through exchange and mutual learning, and jointly build a documentary event with international reputation, academic influence, and shared enjoyment by all, allowing the light of documentary to continue growing on the shores of West Lake.