Documentary Outreach

The films we've made.

200 films. 20+ countries. Every film made in direct collaboration with the people who trusted us with their story. See the full collection →

Curious what happens after the credits roll? See where our alumni are now →

Festival Recognition  ·  15 Years+

Films that travel.

40+ Award wins At festivals across 4 continents, 2012–2025
35+ Finalist & honorable mention results Runner-up, finalist, honorable mention, and nominee
80+ Official selections Across 55+ distinct festivals worldwide
55+ Festivals worldwide Across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania
19 Wins
MY HERO International Film Festival Actuality Abroad has won at MY HERO every year from 2015 to 2025 — 19 confirmed wins across films including The Teachers of Tomorrow, Empowerment In Action, Taking Root, The House of Tipi, Hope, Boo Boo, Ixoq, Un Futuro Vivo, Perception Blind Massage, Girls Like Us, revoLuZion, Ciclo de Cambio, People Like Us, Gotong-Royong, The Barefoot Lawyers of Uganda, I Am Fundi, This Is My Place, Sigo Adelante, and Second Cycles. An additional 19+ films recognized as finalists, honorable mentions, or official selections.
2015–2025
6 Wins
Flowers of Marrakech — multi-festival winner New York Film Awards: Best Documentary Short · Arte Non Stop Film Festival: Best Screenplay Short Film · American Filmatic Arts Awards: Best Short Documentary/Social Subject · Avalonia Festival II: Best Short Documentary · Changing Face International Film Festival: Monthly Winner · Female Film Festival: Winner (Documentary, June 2019) · Plus 2nd Place, Newark Short Film Contest; selections at Portland Film Festival, Docs Without Borders, Los Angeles Film Award, and others
2018–2019
4 Wins
Ciclo de Cambio — multi-festival winner FilmSlam Winner (September 2016) · Ibiza Cinefest Monthly Winner, Documentary (2017) · DIY Film Fest Winner · Festival CineAnimal Bogotá: Special Jury Mention (2017) · Plus 12 official selections including Justice Film Festival NYC, Chicago International Social Change Film Festival, The Americas Film Festival of New York, Cinemambiente, and others
2016–2018
2 Wins
Global Impact Film Festival Women Are Gold — Best Documentary Film (2019) · The Butterfly Effect — Best Editor (2020)
2019–2020
2 Wins
Barcelona International Film Festival · MY HERO 2015 Sigo Adelante — El Ray Award Winner, Barcelona International Film Festival (2015) and MY HERO International Film Festival Winner (2015)
2015
Awards of Excellence
Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts Multiple Awards of Excellence, Micro-Documentary Category — Worm Meals (2024) · Mama CHIA: A Story of Love in Vietnam, Our Theatre Our Home, and The Happiness Shop (2025)
2024–2025
4 Wins
Central American International Film Festival · North Carolina Family FF · Black Box FF · Slum Film Festival Ixoq — CAIFF Winner (2019) · Box Girl — Best Documentary Film, North Carolina Family Film Festival (2014) · Solace in Amal — Audience Award for Best Documentary, Black Box Film Festival (2016) · Slum Dreams — Slum Voice Award, Slum Film Festival Nairobi
2014–2019
Finalists + Distribution
SIMA — Social Impact Media Awards Healing the Heart Through Art — Finalist, Impact Video category (2026) · Permanent Culture and Second Cycles — Finalists (2015) · The Happiness Shop — selected for international distribution via Cinema Across Borders, screened in Phnom Penh, and featured on SIMA Academy (2024–25)
2015–2026
20+ Selections
Social impact film festivals Official Selections across: Social Change Film Festival (ChangeFest, Chicago) · Show Me Justice Film Festival · Chicago International Social Change Film Festival · Awareness Festival (Hollywood) · Global Peace Film Festival · spanning more than 20 films, 2015–2025
2015–2025
International
International documentary and ethnographic festivals Selections at Ethnografilm · Zanzibar International Film Festival · Zlatna International Ethnographic Film Festival (ZIEFF, Romania) · Melbourne Documentary Film Festival · Georgia Documentary Film Festival · Dunedin International Film Festival (New Zealand) · Angkor Wat International Film Festival · and others across five continents
2013–2022
Environmental
Environmental and science film festivals FICAA – Festival Internacional de Cine Animal y Ambiental (The Giving Tree — Nominee (2025)) · Cinemambiente (Italy) · Cinema Verde Environmental Film & Arts Festival · Festival CineAnimal Bogotá · Kuala Lumpur International Eco Film Festival · Filmed by Bike Portland
2015–2025

Additional selections and awards at the Justice Film Festival (NYC), Gasparilla International Film Festival, Vero Beach Wine + Film Festival, Key West Film Festival, Rochester International Film Festival, New York State International Film Festival, Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival, Bigfork Independent Film Festival, Flathead Lake International Cinemafest, Miami Independent Film Festival, Lift-Off Global Network, St. Francis College Women’s Film Festival, Black Warrior Film Festival, Oregon Cinema Arts Film Festival, Human District Festival, SONscreen Film Festival, Docs Without Borders Film Festival, International Tourism Film Festival Tourfilm Riga, Top Shorts, Depth of Field International Film Festival, Southern Shorts Awards, Borrego Springs Film Festival, FilmAid Film Festival, Souq Film Festival, Capital City Black Film Festival, Hayti Heritage Film Festival, Cinetoro (Colombia), One World Film Festival, and others.

About the films

Short documentaries made entirely on location.

Every film in this collection was researched, filmed, and edited by a crew of participants over four weeks on location. No scripts. No pre-arranged stories. Each crew went out, found a story worth telling, built real relationships with the people living it, and made something from scratch.

The films are about the people who live and work in the places we visit — farmers, activists, teachers, artisans, community leaders. People whose work rarely gets documented. Each film was developed, produced and distributed in direct collaboration with the people whose stories they tell. Their input shaped every stage of the process.

All of these films screened publicly in the communities where they were made before they appeared anywhere else.

200+ Short documentaries produced on location in collaboration with communities across the world
20+ Countries where Actuality Abroad crews have filmed since 2010
500+ Crew members who have produced documentary work in the field
100% Of films screened publicly in the communities where they were made

Your film could be next.