38-Second Documentary Contest: “We’re Cheering On Your Courage”

The 38-Second Documentary Contest encourages anyone to create a documentary-style video without restrictions on form, helping broaden public engagement with documentary. This year’s theme, “We’re Cheering On Your Courage,” resonates with the slogan of the 18th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, “Peace Is Not Silent.” Documentary has long stood with acts of friendship and solidarity, recording suffering and courageous voices. A single act of courage may not change everything, but small gestures can move us closer to the kind of day we wish to live. Participants are invited to capture an everyday experience in which their actions brought about positive change—such as yielding to an ambulance or clearing litter in their neighborhood—in a video lasting 38 seconds, or up to 60 seconds.