The DC/DOX documentary film festival has announced the Signature Screenings for their 2026 edition. The fourth annual DC/DOX will open with Give Me The Ball!, Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff’s portrait of tennis legend Billie Jean King, and close with Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s The Weight Of The World) directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. The Centerpiece Screening will be Sara Bareilles: Good Grief, directed by Josh Alexander, and the Spotlight Screening will be Sam Pollard’s The Lorraine.
The DC/DOX festival will be held June 11-14, 2026, in Washington, DC.
“With our fourth year, DC/DOX continues to bring our audiences together with films that are not only beautifully made, but have something important to say,” said DC/DOX co-founder and festival director Sky Sitney. “These four films perfectly capture the ways documentary films can introduce us to new stories, give us a different perspective on ones we think we know, and inspire us to continue fighting for the kind of world we want to live in.”
“DC/DOX remains committed to bringing together filmmakers, journalists, thought leaders, and film lovers of all kinds in the nation’s capital to celebrate these stories,” said DC/DOX co-founder Jamie Shor. “In this Signature Slate, we are blown away by stories of courage: both in the personal and the public.”
DC/DOX was founded in 2022 with the goal of bringing together innovative visions, bold voices, and timely stories in our nation’s capital. Last year’s edition featured over 90 films from 25 countries, including the world premieres of the features Immutable, The Last Class, The Right Track, A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant, and Steal This Story, Please! and the world premieres of the shorts Coach, Edge of Daybreak, The Hustle of Funny, Making Spaces: The Legend of Union Arts, La Orquesta, To Your Hands and Vs. Goliath: Appalachia.
The 2025 festival also screened the DC premieres of The Alabama Solution, Come See Me In The Good Light, Cutting Through Rocks, and The Perfect Neighbor, all of which went on to be Academy Award® nominees for Best Documentary Feature, and the DC premieres of Armed With Only A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, and Perfectly A Strangeness, which were both nominees for Best Documentary Short.
The winner of the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, also made its DC premiere at DC/DOX 2025.
Further information about DC/DOX screenings and other special events will be announced in the coming weeks.
DC/DOX 2026 Signature Screenings
Opening Night Screening: Thursday, June 11
GIVE ME THE BALL!: DIRS Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff. PRODS Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, and Gentry Kirby. USA.
This intimate portrait of tennis legend and trailblazer Billie Jean King reveals the personal toll behind the immense sacrifices she made to transform her sport—and the world.
Courtesy of ESPN Films
Centerpiece Screening: Friday, June 12
SARA BAREILLES: GOOD GRIEF: DIR Josh Alexander. PRODS Daniel J. Chalfen and Josh Alexander. USA.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles returns to the recording studio with close friends for the first time in seven years in this raw, cinematic portrait of her creative process—one that becomes a profoundly personal and ultimately hopeful reflection on recent loss and grief and the power of music to heal.
Closing Night Screening: Saturday, June 13
EARTH, WIND & FIRE (TO BE CELESTIAL vs THAT’S THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD): DIR Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. PRODS Dave Sirulnick, Samantha Grogin, KB White, Arron Saxe, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. USA.
Few bands are as influential or enduring as Earth, Wind & Fire. They displayed Black joy and excellence to the world. They imbued their music with metaphysical positivity to uplift consciousness and empower everyone to be their best. In this captivating portrait, Academy Award-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson honors and explores the most beloved band we know the least about.
Courtesy of HBO.
Spotlight Screening: Sunday, June 14
THE LORRAINE: DIR Sam Pollard. PRODS Dan Braun, Joe Wemple, and Ben Braun. USA.
Renowned documentarian Sam Pollard tells the astonishing and inspiring story of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee—the site of the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.—and of its remarkable owners, Walter and Loree Bailey.
