Castlemaine Documentary Festival

Castlemaine Documentary Festival Real stories. Real characters. Real conversations.

What are the Love Compilations? "I was inspired by Wendy Clarke - a pioneering video artist from the 1970’s who was one ...
18/06/2026

What are the Love Compilations?

"I was inspired by Wendy Clarke - a pioneering video artist from the 1970’s who was one of the first people to make work in this way. Wendy was thrilled I wanted to do it in Castlemaine and has been incredibly supportive. "

"We've always believed the festival belongs to its community. This inaugural Love Compilations is our way of handing it over - unedited, 3-minute recordings. It’s a brave thing to participate in something like this. We’re so excited to have begun this project; it’s a first in Australia. All will also be archived - along with the other over 2,500 recordings, in the University of Wisconsin archive" - Claire Jager Festival Director.

Love Compilations can be seen accross the festival weekend - we will be screening a few before each screening, and you can catch the whole loop at:

Castlemaine Art Museum & Market Building Art
Saturday/Sunday
12:30-2:00pm

Wimble Wall Wadio Northern Arts Hotel & The Coolroom
a drive-in cinema from dusk till dawn
tune into 88.3 FM.

Community Bank Maldon & District
Mount Alexander Shire Council

We love that you love films that ooze warmth and shine a spotlight on community spirit. Indivudual tickets to The Golden...
16/06/2026

We love that you love films that ooze warmth and shine a spotlight on community spirit.

Indivudual tickets to The Golden Spurtle have now sold out.

We do still have a handful of Saturday Passes and Full Festival Passes that will include entry to The Golden Spurtle.

If you missed out, don't worry, we have built our whole festival around the central theme, Love - The Antidote.

Here are four other films we recommend:

- How Deep Is Your Love ( 2pm Sat, June 27)
- A Bend in The River (5pm, Sat June 27)
- We Are Not Powerless (11am, Sun, June 28)
- Secret Mall Apartment ( 8pm Sun, June 28)

Don't forget, you can start your day with a bowl of the good stuff with us on Saturday morning - made with love by Duang Tengtrirat. All proceeds to be donated to Nan Hospital in Duang's hometown.

Tickets are nearly sold out for The Golden Spurtle. Come at 10 for porridge and congee breakfast by Duang Tengtrirat - s...
16/06/2026

Tickets are nearly sold out for The Golden Spurtle. Come at 10 for porridge and congee breakfast by Duang Tengtrirat - stay for the film about porridge and learn what a spurtle is and why you should always stir your porridge clockwise.

"'impeccable comic timing - A film that will leave you with a lasting glow."
-Wendy Ide, Screen International

Soup weather, and we can't be more thrilled to welcome back our friends Castlemaine Community House, who will be serving...
16/06/2026

Soup weather, and we can't be more thrilled to welcome back our friends Castlemaine Community House, who will be serving hot & local -made with love - soup over our festival weekend to raise essential funds for their pantry and community programs.

If you're heading to the SOLD-OUT Locals screening on Friday, 26th June, come by the Theatre Royal courtyard beforehand for a bowl before the show. We'll be set up from 6pm–8pm.

And even if you don't have tickets, you're still welcome! The courtyard is open to everyone. We'll be there all weekend, keeping you warm between documentary screenings:

Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th June:

🕛 Lunch: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
🌙 Dinner: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
📍Theatre Royal Courtyard

All proceeds go directly to CCH's Food Pantry 🧡

14/06/2026

Coexistence, My Ass!
Victorian Premiere
Sunday 28 June, 5pm

Noam Shuster Eliassi grew up the literal poster child for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process before making a hard pivot to stand-up comedy and political satire. But as the region sinks deeper into devastating violence, she must meet the moment by challenging her audiences with hard truths that are no laughing matter.

"Noam has unique qualities that I have seen in very few people. She has the ability to move seamlessly between groups that appear to be mutually exclusive. She is able to hold multiple perspectives on reality, refuses us-or-them narratives and doesn't lose sight of what's most important. She speaks truth to power in three different languages. And she is really funny. ."
— Producer, Amber Fares (My T**z Production)

Winner of The Sundance Institute Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression

You may have heard from our Festival Director, Claire, recently interviewed on The West Vic Brolga Victoria’s Heartland ...
14/06/2026

You may have heard from our Festival Director, Claire, recently interviewed on The West Vic Brolga Victoria’s Heartland | formerly Daylesford Macedon Ranges or Suzanne Donisthorpe Donisthorpe's show Retronauts on MainFM recently, talking about how she edits the program the way a filmmaker edits a film - "with rhythm, contrast and intention," like a mixtape made with love and care.

CDoc festival is an invitation to step away from our personal devices and into the shared experience of the cinema, together with friends, neighbours and other curious folk.

We are looking forward to sharing these stories with you so that we can get curious together, be challenged together, learn together, laugh together and turn towards the light.

So many wonderful venues in this town to host our pre-screening conversations, including, of course, Theatre Royal Castlemaine, our festival venue that happens to make some of the best pizzas around, or next door at LOVE SHACK BREWING CO beers, burgers - good times, or down the road table records, cosy and warm with a special festival weekend cocktail.

Tickets on sale through our website https://cdocff.com.au/

If there is something you want to see, don't snooze on it.

In just over two weeks, Friday 26 to Sunday 28 June, CDoc 2026 brings together a selection of outstanding Australian an...
10/06/2026

In just over two weeks, Friday 26 to Sunday 28 June, CDoc 2026 brings together a selection of outstanding Australian and international documentaries that move between the personal and the political, the intimate and the collective, revealing just how closely they are connected.

This year, we’re proud to premiere three films at the festival, two Australian Premieres and one Victorian Premiere. A bittersweet coming-of-age told through music, a portrait of belonging and survival beneath stoic exteriors, and a comedian holding hard truths up to the light. Three very different films, each circling the heart of this year’s theme, Love -The Antidote.

10/06/2026

We look forward to welcoming Muzafar Ali & Nagina Zahra to CDoc for a conversation about their film, We Are Not Powerless.

Ten years ago Muzafar Ali and his wife Nagina Zahra escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan. They found themselves living in Indonesia as refugees when Australia ‘stopped the boats’. Determined to do something, they started a small two-room school, which soon became the hub of a community and the most successful refugee-led initiative in the world.

We Are Not Powerless tells the story of what can happen when a community refuses to give in and work together for hope, love, and education.

Catch this important film presented by with Q&A to follow as part of CDoc, Sunday 11:00am
ali12

Not only do festival pass holders get full access to all 11 films*, but they are also entitled to special local treats f...
10/06/2026

Not only do festival pass holders get full access to all 11 films*, but they are also entitled to special local treats from our excellent venues in Castlemaine.

They can claim each offer once a day, every day throughout the festival.

— pizza + house wine for $30. These pizzas are iconic.

Shack — 10% off a meal and a free pot or glass of wine. One of our local breweries offers modern-classic pub fare and very lovable beer.

*LOCALS premiere is sold out, so all festival pass holders are automatically booked into our Encore Screening on July 4th.

Book your passes asap to guarantee entry accross the festival, film events are selling fast, we expect a number of them to book out soon.

10/06/2026

Introducing Castlemaine's very own drive-in, the Wimble Wall Wadio. Coming at you June 26-28th, playing a continuous loop of the Love Compilations (50min) from dusk till dawn.
Huge shout-out to for making this unique screening possible!

The Love Compilations is the newest addition to CDoc's program. It's a collective video artwork capturing a wide spectrum of voices and emotional truths - an evolving portrait of our community, and the beginning of an ongoing body of work.

Inspired by Wendy Clarke's landmark Love Tapes project, CDoc invited members of the Castlemaine community into a simple recording booth to share their own three-minute reflection - unscripted, unedited, entirely their own.

The Love Tapes will also be screening and Castlemaine Market Building

Extra thanks to our sponsors and for supporting this work and helping us bring it to you!

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Castlemaine, VIC
3450

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