Sound, vision and truly unforgettable stories: Doc’n Roll Film Festival – “the Glastonbury of music movie fests” (Time Out) – returns for its 13th edition, an 18-day celebration of artists who rewrote musical history, brought to the big screen via the best in independent filmmaking.
From punk to jazz, rebel roots and blues, soul and electronica to prog-folk and queer art-pop, and Afro-funk to Indigenous rhythms and Basque rock, this year’s lineup is full of cinematic tributes to the joy and intensity of live performance and the back-stories to iconic recordings, festivals, venues and subcultures.
Along the way, these films allow the music-makers themselves to share their powerful, deeply personal reflections on courage, success and failure; legacy and mortality; collaborations and community; and unexpected second chances and deeply moving final acts.
This year’s four World premieres include THE MAGIC OF IT ALL – THE STORY OF STRAWBS, PUNK BRIGHTON, PEVEN EVERETT: VOICE OF A GENERATION, and 7 DAYS IN MAY: MAC DEMARCO AND RYAN PARIS.
Eleven UK premieres will spotlight musicians and scenes ranging from NOFX and Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia) to Amadou & Mariam and Fermin Muguruza; from The Fugs, Peter Frampton and Ann Wilson of Heart to King Records, the Newport Folk Festival, Berlin’s transgressive underground and a beloved Brooklyn dive bar.
Finally, five London premieres include feature documentaries on Heaven 17, Keith Jarrett, Patrick Wolf, the 1995 Summersault tour featuring an all-star alt-rock lineup, and the sounds of the Indigenous Arctic, while Doc’n Roll’s acclaimed Shorts Night will spotlight rebel energy via five great docs from emerging talents.
Kicking off at the Barbican with the London premiere of WOLF, the festival screenings and accompanying Q&As with directors and key talent will take place across seven of the city’s favourite venues, including BFI IMAX, Barbican Cinemas, the ICA and the Rio Cinema.
Recently hailed by Forbes magazine for its mission to spotlight independent music filmmakers and its success in building a “loyal, like-minded community of viewers”, Doc’n Roll will also be taking selected feature documentaries from the 2026 London programme on the road next spring.
Vanessa Lobon Garcia, director and co-founder of Doc’n Roll Film Fest, says: “With 2026 marking 50 years of punk, it feels like the perfect moment to reflect on the DIY attitude that has been part of Doc’n Roll since we started in 2014. As music documentaries enter a golden era and reach bigger audiences than ever before, our passion remains in digging deeper: championing cult artists, musicians’ musicians, subcultures and the people who inspired the artists we know today. It’s really exciting to have another unique lineup for this London edition.”
Colm Forde, programmer and co-founder of Doc’n Roll Film Fest, adds: “This year’s programme reflects our DIY spirit and our commitment to giving a platform to the charismatic, compelling, unforgettable talents outside the mainstream. As an independent festival, we take pride in working against the grain, and we’re thrilled to showcase filmmakers and musicians whose bold creativity aligns with our ethos.”
Once again this year, Doc'n Roll has recruited a panel of music and film industry luminaries to judge the Doc'n Roll Jury Award for Music Doc of the Year, and we will also give Doc'n Roll-goers a chance to select their favourite via the viewer-voted Doc'n Roll Audience Award – stay tuned for more details!
Our 2026 jury members are: Jonny Banger (artist/designer), Gina Birch (artist/musician), Flo Dill (broadcaster), Nina Kehagia (cultural curator, director, writer and broadcaster), Normski (photographer) and Elizabeth Pauker (producer and curator).
The shortlisted films for the Best Doc Award are: Takkuuk, Newport and the Great Folk Dream, The Best Summer, Heaven 17: The Last Temptation, 7 Days in May: Mac DeMarco and Ryan Paris, and Amadou & Mariam: The Blind Couple from Mali.
See the full lineup for Doc'n Roll's 13th edition and book your tickets!