Dokufest is an International Documentary and Short Film Festival held in the Kosovo town of Prizren. It is an annual festival held in August. Dokufest was founded in 2002 by a group of friends. It has since grown into a cultural event that attracts international and regional artists and audiences. Films are screened throughout the eight-day festival and accompanied by programs, activities and workshops.
Dokufest is the largest film festival in Kosovo. Each year the festival brings the cinemas and improvised screening venues around historic city center of Prizren a selection of more than 200 hand picked films from around the world.The festival is known for its lively atmosphere, the amazing enthusiasm that grasps the city and its people and for the high number of 150 volunteers working for the festival. Documentary photo exhibitions, debates, master classes and lively music events are also part of the 9-day festival.
DokuFest was established on as a volunteer based organization with almost no funding at the beginning and continues to draw support from the community and agencies within Kosovo.
However, its path has often been associated with major difficulties due to the unique context that organization operated (such as the post war situation, lack of similar referent events, lack of trust from institutions and potential donors etc.)
It was run by volunteers until the introduction of full-time and part-time contracts came into place in 2008 and led to the employment of a small number of staff. The need for an organizational structure arose when the organization became involved in implementation of yearly-based projects, in addition to organizing the festival. This led to the establishment of a core team that took over the design, planning and implementation of many initiatives resulting in successful implementation of several projects.
As well as organising large-scale cultural events, DokuFest also concerns culture, education and activism for sound cultural policies and alternative education system in Kosovo.
As of 2014 more than 18,000 visitors from across the world went to Prizren during Dokufest.