Since 2016, Chicago Media Project’s Doc10 Film Festival has presented a cinematic celebration of non-fiction films from around the world. In 2026, the festival’s 11th annual edition ran from April 24 through May 3 with special events such as the new Speak Truth programming.
Various film selections were hosted at the Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., and the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. Notable special guests included author Salman Rushdie and comedian Maria Bamford.
One standout from the list of films is Cookie Queens, which arrives in theaters Aug. 7 via Roadside Attractions. The early screening took place on May 2 as part of the festival, and Chicago’s Englewood Troop 26286 attended as a field trip.
Programming included several LGBTQ+ centered endeavors from filmmakers. Among those, an upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 film, Give Me the Ball! told the tale of lesbian tennis champion Billie Jean King in her own words. King joined directors Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff on April 30 at the Davis for a post-screening Q&A moderated by successful businesswoman and philanthropist Christie Hefner.
Not only did King give a shout-out to the LGBTQ+ community Center on Halsted, where there is a recreational hall named after her, but she batted autographed tennis balls out into the crowd.
Filmed by a crew over 21 years, Sabbath Queen was screened on April 24 as part of the Speak Truth series and documented the journey of a queer, ex-Orthodox rabbi named Amichai Lau-Lavie. His journey covers his life as a father and a drag queen who breaks away from tradition to create inclusion for others. This documentary, which covers over two decades of this modern spiritual leader’s personal life and the challenges that he faced over time.
The following evening, The Librarians was also a Speak Truth selection screened at the Davis Theater. The film highlights the trials and tribulations of librarians across the United States fighting against book bans. The doc focused on a list restricting over 850 books, many of them with LGBTQ+- and race-related stories.
Director Kim Snyder and librarian Martha Hickson returned to Chicago to promote the film and were previously covered last year by Windy City Times.
On the red carpet before the screening, Hickson gave an update saying, “We have continued to attend these screenings around the world. We were in Berlin together and we visited the Empty Library, which is a memorial to the Nazi book burning that is depicted in the film. ”
Snyder mentioned several special moments from past screenings and said, “At the 20th Rome Film Festival, people said they stood against Mussolini for the reasons in the film. One teenager was crying in New York City and said her friend had killed herself after not having access to books. The Texas Library Association gave us the Outstanding Service to Libraries Award. There were about 3,000 librarians there. Every time a librarian comes up to say thank you for giving them a voice is so meaningful.”
Kim talked about making social change on school boards after audiences watched the film, stating, “In Granbury, Texas, where we filmed the origin story, we made an impact by civic engagement at local levels. Doc10 is the end of our theatrical release and we have been in over 200 movie theaters across the country. We have sold out screenings in the heartland.”
Actor Henry Winkler attended in support of the film as an author and explained his appearance: “I was invited to come and I write children’s books. Librarians are on the front lines of taking care of our children. They live to put the right book in the right child’s hands. I have a problem with book banning, so that is why I am here.”
In regard to the banning attack on the LGBTQ+ community, Winkler said, “My instinct is that human beings come out the way they are. I don’t understand why people attack a community that happens to be a little different and is simply minding their own business.”
Other Speak Truth films were showcased during the 2026 edition of Doc10, including The Grab about global food disparity on April 26; Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You about the prolific television creator on April 27; and The Last Republican, covering former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, on April 28.
Spanning three decades of Amy Goodman’s news show Democracy Now!, Steal This Story, Please! screened at the Davis Theater on April 29 with Windy City Times owner and co-founder Tracy Baim as one of the guests for the post-show talkback.
Doc10 drew to a close on May 3 with a Siskel Film Center screening of The Baddest Speechwriter of All, where 95-year-old lawyer Clarence B. Jones told his story of writing Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Look for the films from the festival lineup to be released throughout the year and stay tuned todoc10.orgfor future events.