The Academy's documentary awards are given in recognition of excellence in theatrically released non-fiction motion pictures. It is in that spirit that the following list of venues is offered. Included on the list are individual commercial theaters, theater chains, museums, academic institutions and other sites that have in the recent past shown an interest in exhibiting documentary films. Please send corrections, updates and additions to this list to margaret@cambridgedocumentaryfilms.org. This information is provided strictly as a resource to documentary filmmakers and should not be viewed as an endorsement by the Academy of any of the venues listed within.

To be considered a commercial motion picture theater for the purposes of meeting the “qualifying exhibition” requirements of the special rules for documentary films or the “theatrical roll-out” requirements (Rule IV. 1-4), a venue must:

• Regularly show new releases
• Charge admission
• Have regular non-specialized programming open to the general public
• Exploit and market films through regular listings and advertising
• Generally run films for three to seven consecutive days, with multiple showings daily

NOTE: Not all of the venues listed here meet these requirements, but are individual commercial theaters, theater chains, museums, academic institutions and other sites that have in the recent past shown an interest in exhibiting documentary films. Please check directly with the theaters to determine if they meet our criteria.