It's All True - International Documentary Festival 2021

The name carries deliberate weight. Welles's abandoned film - he traveled to Brazil to document the country's culture and Carnival at the behest of the US State Department, but the project was shut down by the studio while he was on location - became a symbol of artistic ambition frustrated by commercial and political power. The festival's adoption of that title signals both a commitment to documentary truth-telling and an awareness of the forces that work against it.

It's All True is a significant event in the international documentary landscape, attracting submissions and selections from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The programme spans observational documentary, essay film, investigative non-fiction, and hybrid works that blend documentary modes with elements of experimental or narrative filmmaking. The scope is genuinely international, and the festival has established itself as one of the places in the world where documentary filmmakers seek to show their work.

The dual-city format - with screenings in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - reflects the festival's ambition to reach beyond a single urban market and speak to the broader Brazilian public. Both cities offer substantial and engaged film audiences, and the logistical challenge of running a festival across two metropolitan centres has been part of the event's identity from early in its history.

Brazilian documentary filmmaking has flourished alongside the festival, and It's All True has served as a platform for domestic non-fiction production as well as an international showcase. Brazilian directors working in documentary have addressed the country's social inequalities, political history, Amazonian ecology, urban violence, and cultural traditions in works that have drawn international attention, and several important Brazilian documentaries have premiered or screened at the festival.

The international programme brings significant works from the year's global documentary circuit to Brazilian audiences. Films that have competed at Amsterdam's IDFA, at Sheffield Doc/Fest, at Sundance, and at other major documentary festivals appear in the It's All True selection, giving the festival a position as a relay point for the best of international documentary production in the Latin American context.

Documentaire filmmaking from the region - Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru - is also well represented, and the festival's attention to Latin American non-fiction is one of its distinguishing characteristics. The common cultural and political context of the region gives these films a shared resonance that makes their grouping coherent rather than arbitrary.

The festival's jury awards are distributed across categories including best international feature, best Brazilian film, and best short documentary. The prizes carry weight in the international documentary community and help films find distributors and wider audiences after the festival.

An industry component supports the public programme, with pitching forums and co-production meetings that connect documentary filmmakers with financiers, broadcasters, and distributors. Given the importance of European and American co-production to documentary financing globally, these events are practically important for Latin American filmmakers seeking international partners.

It's All True has maintained its focus on documentary as a form across its three decades of operation, resisting the expansion into fiction programming that has transformed some originally specialist festivals into generalist events. That sustained commitment gives the festival a clear identity and a reputation as a serious engagement with non-fiction cinema rather than a programming exercise driven by market logic.

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