The American Documentary and Animation Film Festival and Film Fund (AmDocs) is one of the largest Docs and Animation festivals in the United States, located near the media capital of Hollywood in beautiful Palm Springs. This unique event focuses on international films in both the short and feature categories as well as showcasing animation. Recipients of the festival’s qualifying awards will be eligible for consideration in the Documentary Short Film category of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. In conjunction with the festival is the American Documentary Film Fund where U.S. filmmakers compete for start-up or finishing funds in order to complete their film masterpieces. Typically, the festival program proudly consists of 90% from film submissions. AmDocs, seeing the bigger picture.

For the Film Fund, competing filmmakers can win up to $50,000 in cash and post-production prizes.

Beginning 2023, Film Fund Competitors will have the opportunity to partner with European co-producers as the Pitch Competition will take place in Jihlava, Czech Republic during the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, late October 2023.

The festival is open to all categories within the documentary and animation film genres. The film should not be more than 3 years old, though in certain circumstances, a retrospective may be screened and/or a "hidden gem" never seen before by public.

Festival shall screen films digitally and, therefore, you must submit film as a media file in order to be transferred to a Digital Cinema Projection file for screening purposes if you do not already have a DCP file for exhibition. Filmmaker is RESPONSIBLE for the Digital Cinema Projection file. Festival shall do all it can to negotiate discounted rates for filmmaker if they do not have their own DCP file. Filmmaker may be required to provide a rendered disc of their film as a blu-ray back-up.

If you are sending a "work-in-progress" please note how long you are from completion and approximately when you are sending completed version.
Filmmakers are encouraged to attend festival if their film is invited. They shall receive an "all festival" pass, including films and events. Moreover, housing shall be provided either in resident homes or hotel discounts near theaters.

Any payment by check must be made out to:

American Documentary And Animation Film Festival

Please make certain that when submitting you note your tracking number on all relevant materials, i.e., shipping envelope and disc(s). Also, each disc must have the contact information of the submitter. The festival is not responsible for returning submitted materials. We do not dispose of submitted material, it will remain in our festival archives unless instructed otherwise.