The AJB DOC Film Festival, launched in 2018 by Al Jazeera Balkans, has officially announced the cancellation of its 8th edition. In a statement released by the organizers, the decision is attributed to the closure of the Al Jazeera Balkans channel, marking an abrupt pause in what had become a key event for documentary cinema in the region. A long-time MTR partner, find the official statement from AJB Doc Film Festival:
“The AJB DOC Film Festival was launched by Al Jazeera Balkans in collaboration with Al Jazeera Media Institute and Al Jazeera Documentary Channel in 2018. “Born great,” as industry professionals characterised it during its first edition, the festival was held consecutively for seven years under themes such as Refocus, Change, Voyage, Challenge, Peace, Right(s), Justice?. The 8th edition was set to take place under the theme Resilience, but this is where the story ends. For now.
We regret to inform the public, our collaborators, and beloved audience that the 8th edition, which was scheduled to take place from September 12 to 16, 2025, in Sarajevo, has been cancelled. The termination of the festival is a direct consequence of Al Jazeera Media Network’s decision to cease broadcasting the Al Jazeera Balkans channel as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its digital presence and expand onto new media platforms.
The 4th Al Jazeera Documentary Industry Days (AJD Industry Days), which took place during AJB DOC Film Festival in previous years, will be held at a different time and location, with further details to be announced by the organisers./p>
The festival established itself as one of the most significant platforms for documentary films intended for television broadcast in the Balkans and Europe, as well as a venue for showcasing the highest-quality documentaries covering a wide range of topics, warmly embraced by audiences in Sarajevo’s cinemas and later featured on Al Jazeera Balkans programming.
From its very first edition, the festival presented outstanding and contemporary television and feature-length documentaries, along with short documentaries by young authors, many of whom received their first opportunity at AJB DOC. Training sessions were organized for journalists and young authors to produce documentaries using smartphones, offering them the chance to learn from the world’s top professionals. Documentary films nominated for Academy Awards were showcased at the festival, attesting to the high quality of production and relevance of the topics. The popularity of AJB DOC, which transcended the boundaries of the Balkans and Europe, speaks volumes about the scale and significance of the project.
The festival was organised by a small and compact team, collaborating with numerous top professionals from related industries. On behalf of the organisers, we extend our gratitude to all sponsors who recognised the significance of AJB DOC, whether they were official institutions and organisations, private companies, media sponsors, or partners. We thank all those who contributed their energy and expertise to the realization of AJB DOC Film Festival.
A special and heartfelt thank you goes to our loyal audience. The Festival Director, Edhem Fočo, often said that AJB DOC is not an elitist festival, and it never has been. We are grateful for the time our audience dedicated to enjoying the program, prepared with much love.
We remain hopeful that the AJB DOC Film Festival will open its doors again in the future.”
