Cinéma du Réel has created special bonds with the following film festivals:

- Berlin Documentary Forum, Germany

- CPH:DOX, International Documentary Film Festival, Denmark

- DocBuenosAires, Argentine

- Doclisboa, Lisbon Documentary Film Festival, Portugal

- DocPoint, Helsinki International Documentary Film Festival, Finland

- DocsDF Mexico International Documentary Film Festival, Mexico

- Documenta Madrid, Spain

- Dok Leipzig, Leipzig International Documentary and Animated Film Festival, Germany

- Edoc, Encuentros del Otro Cine, International Documentary Film Festival, Equator

- Festival Ânûû-rû âboro-l’ombre de l’homme, New Caledonia, France

- Festival dei Popoli, Florence International Documentary Film Festival, Italy

- Festival International de Films de Friburg, Switzerland

- Festival International Jean Rouch, Paris, France

- Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, USA

- Indieslisboa, International Independant Cinema Festival , Portugal

- Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Germany

- Mostra Internazionale des Nuovo Cinema di Pesaro, Italy

- One World, International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic

- Punto de Vista, Navarre International Documentary Film Festival, Spain

- Rencontre Internationale du Documentaire de Montréal, Canada

- San Francisco International Film Festival, USA

- Sunnyside of the docs, La Rochelle, France

- Viennale, Vienna International Film Festival Festival, Austria