Visions du Réel received more than 3,700 submissions for its 57th edition, a 23% increase compared to 2023, which is remarkable given the shrinking funding budgets in the documentary sector. The festival presents 164 films, including 83 world premieres and 36 debut feature films, with 44% of the films directed by women. The international competition features 13 titles, with work by Piotr Pawlus (“Death in the Making”) and Ross McClean (“Magilligan”), while Jacqueline Zünd and Jérôme Le Maire are also represented. New is the Borderlight section, which brings together fiction films with a strong documentary affinity. Laura Poitras opens the festival on April 17 with "Cover-Up".