The "Official Selection" shortlist will be decided by the festival curators. We are doing things a bit differently because we want to include all the quality films. Sometimes excellent films get overlooked because the volunteer reviewers do not like the topic or the style, or because it does not fit the festival theme. We want to change this, so the first tier of reviewers will be the festival staff, experts in the field.

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For transparency and to give filmmakers an opportunity to get involved, the second tier of reviewers will be the filmmakers who submitted to the 2020 festival. ​Filmmakers will be invited to review a number of films and, based on their reviews, the semi-finalists will be selected.

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The finalists and award-winners will be chosen by the panel of judges. We aim to get film professionals as well as professionals in the field that each category ​focuses on. We believe the focus of documentary is the topic depicted on screen and the contributors, so we aim to look beyond film experts to make the final decision. For example, in the Human Rights category, human rights lawyers or professionals might be involved.

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The quarantine film section is a separate part of the festival, and will be decided through a public vote.

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There will also be an Audience Award, with audience members being asked to vote for their favourite film on the weekend of the festival.