Hot Springs Documentary Festival unveils 35th edition lineup
Penny Lane's Wild Inside will open the 35th Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, with Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu to close it.
The festival runs 9-17 October in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Its 2026 lineup was disclosed in an exclusive reported by Deadline on 17 September. The event describes itself as the longest-running all-documentary festival in North America, according to the festival.
Wild Inside takes the opening night slot. The closing night selection follows comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross on a climb of Machu Picchu. Both titles were confirmed in the announcement carried by Deadline.
The centrepiece is new. That slot goes to the world premiere of Nick Capezzera's The Other Side of Memory. A world premiere means the first public screening anywhere.
Hot Springs will also screen Ava DuVernay's documentary 14th. That screening follows its world premiere at the New York Film Festival. The Arkansas programme will then give US premieres, meaning first screenings in the United States, to two titles: Pretenders by Joss Crowley and Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been by Barry Avrich.
Singer Darlene Love doubles up in Hot Springs. She is the subject of Avrich's film and she will serve as the festival's honorary chair. An honorary chair is a public ambassador for the edition, appearing at events through the week.
Filmmaker Joe Berlinger will receive the Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award. The festival will also mark 30 years of Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, which Berlinger directed with Bruce Sinofsky, with a special anniversary screening. Both the award and the screening were detailed in the report by Deadline.
Documentary maker Yoruba Richen will receive the Impact Award. The presentation is set for the Filmmaker Forum on 12 October. The Forum runs 12-13 October as a two-day gathering for filmmakers and industry guests, according to the festival's Forum page.
What makes this stand out is the balance. New discoveries sit beside touring titles and an anniversary revisit. For audiences, that means nine days built entirely around non-fiction, from music stories to mountain climbs.
Mountain Valley Spring Water is listed as the festival's premiere sponsor, brand owner Primo Brands announced in July. The backing supports a week where deal-making and public screenings run side by side.
