Organisé par AFI/Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival is a six-day international festival held each June just outside Washington, DC. Created through a unique alliance between the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel, SILVERDOCS seeks to expand the audience for and broaden the impact of documentary film. It celebrates the diversity of the form and its power to engage audiences with compelling stories of real life, inviting them to explore the significant issues of our time. THE FESTIVAL Now in its fourth year, SILVERDOCS screens almost 100 films at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, the most advanced film and video exhibition space of its kind in the United States--in a state-of-the-art and architecturally significant screening environment. The Festival extends to Discovery World Headquarters and into the local community with gala premiere events, evening and special programs, free outdoor screenings and concerts, and the SILVERDOCS Cinema Lounge, the social hub of the Festival, with entertainment, meeting space and wireless Internet. AWARDS SILVERDOCS presents several awards during the Festival. Award-winning films receive additional screenings on the closing day of the Festival.