Circle Women Doc Accelerator Selects 10 Nonfiction Projects For 2026 Mentorship Program

The Circle Women Doc Accelerator today announced the projects that will take part in the latest edition of the training program for women and gender-expansive nonfiction filmmakers.

Syria, Germany, Denmark, and Malaysia are just a few of the countries represented in this year’s selection. See the full list of titles below.

The programme begins on June 22nd in Edipsos, Greece, continuing in Portorož, Slovenia in October and then Trieste, Italy in January 2027.

This year’s selection process was headed by Circle’s programme director Biljana Tutorov and Circle’s Co-Head of Studies Brigid O’Shea with the support of a selection committee consisting of writer and producer Suzy Gillet, film scholar Jelena Mišeljić, and two Circle alumni: director and producer Koval Bhatia and director and producer Zipporah Nyaruri.

This year’s mentors include director, producer, and scriptwriter Diana El Jeiroudi, director Salomé Jashi (Taming the Garden), director Gianluca Matarrese (GEN_), and producer and documentary consultant Lucila Moctezuma.

Among Circle’s alumni are Something Familiar by Rachel Taparjan (CPH: DOX 2026), White Lies by Alba Zari (IFFR 2026), Truck Mamma by Zipporah Nyaruri (IDFA 2025), River Dreams by Kristina Mikhailova (Berlinale Forum 2026 – Ecumenical Jury Award), Becoming Ema by Patricia Drati (CPH: DOX 2026), and In Between, A Place by Faezeh Nikozaad (Visions du Réel 2026).

Selected Circle Women Doc Accelerator projects 2026-27:

Rama Abdy / director (Syria)

Project: House No. 7

Producer: Hazar Yazji

Country of Production: Syria , Qatar

Sophie Ataya / director (Germany)

Project: Who We Are

Production company: SEERA FILMS

Producers: Thomas Kaske / Marion Schmidt

Country of Production: Germany

Sara Geurtsen / producer and writer (Germany)

Project: Sanctuary