The Points North Institute, the non-profit behind Maine's Camden International Film Festival, has announced its 2026 Artist Programs and Points North Forum, both designed to support documentary filmmakers facing media consolidation and a shrinking acquisitions market. The initiatives will back 40 project teams from 27 countries through pitching events, residencies, fellowships and curated industry meetings, with a particular focus on filmmakers from under-represented backgrounds—three-quarters of supported projects are led by filmmakers of colour and 60% by women or non-binary directors.

Programmes include the 17th annual Points North Pitch, the Diane Weyermann Fellowship offering $100,000 unrestricted grants to three director-producer teams, the LEF/CIFF Fellowship for New England filmmakers, and the Indigenous-focused 4th World Media Lab. Filmmakers will also access over 400 curated meetings with more than 100 industry professionals from organisations including Sundance Institute, Hulu and The New York Times. Both programmes run alongside the Camden International Film Festival from 17-20 September in Camden and Rockland, Maine, with the Points North Forum addressing topics including recent public media funding cuts under the Trump administration.