Doc10 Documentary Film Festival — Chicago

Chicago’s Doc10 documentary festival is midway through its 11th edition, running April 24 through May 3 with films, talks and civic-dialogue events across the city. (doc10.org) (doc10.eventive.org) This year’s program includes 12 official selections, not just a single slate of 10, plus a parallel “Speak Truth” series built around post-screening conversations and issue-focused events. (blockclubchicago.org) (doc10.eventive.org) The festival’s home base is the Davis Theater in Lincoln Square, with additional screenings and events at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Both venues are listed by Doc10 as host theaters for 2026. (doc10.org) (siskelfilmcenter.org) The lineup pulls from Sundance, Berlin, Venice and other top-tier festivals, and Doc10 says 20 of the more than 50 films it has premiered since 2015 were shortlisted or nominated for Academy Awards. (doc10.org) The 2026 slate leans hard into public-facing subjects. Films this week include “Steal This Story Please!” on April 29, “Give Me the Ball!” about Billie Jean King on April 30, and “Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story” on May 2. (doc10.eventive.org) (variety.com) Special guests are part of the draw. Block Club Chicago reported Henry Winkler and Salman Rushdie among the featured names, and the closing-night screening of Alex Gibney’s “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie” is followed by a Q&A with Rushdie. (blockclubchicago.org) (doc10.eventive.org) The festival is also arriving in a rough market for nonfiction film. WBEZ reported that documentary makers are facing tighter financing and distribution, while Doc10 organizers say the event is trying to keep theatrical documentary culture visible in Chicago. (wbez.org) That pressure extends to arts funding. Block Club Chicago reported the festival returned this year despite federal funding cuts, while Chicago Reader said the new “Speak Truth” program was designed to push audiences from watching into discussion and engagement. (blockclubchicago.org) (chicagoreader.com) Doc10 has built its identity on being selective rather than sprawling. The festival says Chicago audiences often get their first, and sometimes only, big-screen chance to see these documentaries before awards season or streaming deals reshape the field. (doc10.org) (wbez.org) The run ends Sunday, May 3, with two more “Speak Truth” events, the Polish documentary “Closure,” and Rushdie on stage after “Knife.” For a festival built around nonfiction, the closing night is set up like a live argument for seeing it in person. (doc10.eventive.org)