Doxa Film Festival

The DOXA Documentary Film Festival features screenings of captivating documentaries in Vancouver. In 2022 the festival happened as both a virtual and drive-in event.

In 2023 the films ran from May 4th to 14th (the last day of which was Mother’s Day). The festival returns in May in 2024, although exact dates are to be confirmed.

Other events that took place in the first half of May in 2023 included Chor Leoni men’s choir concerts, shows with the Royal Canadian Circus, Spring Fling at Hycroft, the Westcoast Wellness Show, Coquitlam Block Party and Fort Langley Big Band Concert & Swing Dance. Tulip festivals in the Fraser Valley also continued until the middle of the month in 2023.

To learn about other events happening around the same time this year, see our May Events Calendar. To learn more about the DOXA Film Festival, continue reading.

Vancouver’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival

The DOXA Documentary Film Festival is an annual event that showcases creative documentaries to audiences in Vancouver. The event is put together by The Documentary Media Society which is a non-profit organization based in Vancouver.

The festival has been running since 2001. In normal years it features public screenings, live discussions, forums and more. Various awards are usually up for grabs too, as a panel of judges critique all the documentaries and decide on the winners each year.

In 2021, the DOXA Documentary Film Festival happened as an online and drive-in event between May 6th and 16th. The festival took place from May 5th until the 15th in 2022, with both online and in-person screenings.

In 2023 the DOXA Documentary Film Festival ran from May 4th to 14th. There were in-person screenings at various venues during the festival. Select films were also available to watch online after the festival from May 15th to the 24th.

DOXA 2023 Festival

In 2023 there were over 60 films that screened. Most were mid-length or feature films, but there were 25 short films as well. Some of the screenings included live discussions and question and answer sessions. The festival also offered a number of separate social events to attend.

Tickets and How to Watch

Since the movies have not been assessed by Consumer Protection BC, everyone who attends the in-person screenings must be ages 18+ and a member of The Documentary Media Society. A membership costs $2 and the card has to be shown at the theatre.

On top of the membership (which you just buy once) tickets for in-person screenings cost $15 for adults. Seniors and students cost $13. You can also buy a five-ticket pack for $65 which is valid for any five non-special presentation screenings. Full festival passes for access to all film screenings (except for the Opening Gala) cost $195 per person.

In 2023 some films could be watched online at any point from May 15th to 24th, but once admission was purchased it was only valid for 48 hours. It cost $10 to watch a film at home or $8 for seniors and students.

Note: Online content of the 2023 festival was only accessible to people in Canada. Prices above excluded additional fees and were subject to change. We expect these prices to be comparable when the festival returns in May 2024. Details are to be confirmed.

2023 Full Programming

The 2023 in-person screenings took place at three different venues in Vancouver. They were the VIFF Centre, the Cinematheque and the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Meanwhile, the social events took place at SFU’s World Arts Centre.

Featured films this past year included Big Fight in Little Chinatown, Kokomo City, King Coal, Kite Zo A, and many more. There were films from Canada, USA, Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine, and other countries across the globe.

There were also various in-person events held throughout the run of the festival. These included case studies, lectures, workshops and more with filmmakers and other festival members.

For the full schedule of in-person film screenings and events click 2023 programming.

The program lineup for 2024 is to be confirmed.