Saatchi & Saatchi has unveiled a provocative new campaign for the 2026 Oscar-qualifying Doc Edge Festival, challenging how algorithms filter and shape the stories we see.
Titled ‘F#&K the Algorithm’, the campaign champions this year’s line-up of international documentaries that cut through algorithmic feeds with raw, topical and unfiltered stories.
At its heart is The Algo-rithm F#&ker, a tool developed by Saatchi & Saatchi NZ and Publicis Production ANZ that invites people to swap screen time for screen time. By sharing their weekly screen time, audiences unlock festival discounts based on the hours they’ve lost to scrolling, turning algorithm time into documentary time.
Dan Shanan, co-founder and executive director at Doc Edge Festival, said: “Doc Edge has spent the last 21 years telling bold, inspiring and impactful stories, and amplifying voices that matter. This year’s campaign with Saatchi & Saatchi really builds on that legacy by challenging the algorithms that increasingly decide which stories we see.
“With sold-out sessions and our strongest opening weekend yet, it’s clear audiences are responding and actively seeking out the stories that cut through their algorithms.”
Lee Sunter, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, said: “’F#&K the Algorithm’” doesn’t just call out the problem, it gives people a way to fight back.
The Algo-rithm F#&ker transforms passive consumption into active participation, making the campaign something people do, not just see.
“This campaign wouldn’t exist without Alex and Dan at Doc Edge, whose belief in a festival that agitates and challenges perceptions made it possible. And our friends at Publicis Production, who crafted every detail, right down to every perfectly placed swear word.”
The campaign spans digital, social, radio, outdoor and cinema, pairing pixelated scenes from festival documentaries with the coded ‘algospeak’ people have adopted to avoid online censorship.
Running from 24 June to 10 August, the 2026 Doc Edge Festival features 75 films, 40 visiting filmmakers and a programme exploring some of the world’s most pressing issues; from the realities of the Gaza conflict and the truth about sex work to the impact of AI on young lives.
World Press Photo will also return as part of the festival, offering an immersive exhibition in partnership with Doc Edge.
Together, the programme invites audiences to step beyond the algorithm and experience stories designed to inform, challenge and change perspectives.
Credits
Client: Doc Edge
Co-Founder and Director: Alex Lee
Co-Founder and Director: Dan Shanan
In-House Designer: Jarrod Dobell
Impact and Operations Lead: Christian Jensen
Web & Digital Marketing Lead: John Lau
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi NZ
Acting Chief Executive Officer: Toby Aldred
Chief Creative Officer: Steve Cochran
Group Executive Creative Director: Lee Sunter
Head of Growth and Operations: Sarah Ansley Jones
Senior Business Director: Camille Coltman
Senior Creatives: Connyr Atiga and Cain Duff
Creative: Milla Mihaljevich
Design Director: Shiv Narandas
Digital Design: Matt Wood
Designer: Talia Schofield
Business Managers: Jeannie Grace and Sabrina Juan
Strategy Director: Terri O’Connell
Strategy Executive: Kiera Bossons Sartain
Production: Saatchi Studios
Executive Producer: Jane Mill
Producer: Jess Drysdale
Junior Producer: Grace Roddick
Editor: Tracy Powell
Sound: Franklin Road
Publicis Production ANZ
Neil Duncan, Managing Director
Kiki Lauder, Creative Technology Director
Nicole Marshall, Executive Producer
Nara Lea, Producer
Keong Seet, Developer
PR: Herd MSL
General Manager Breakout Room: Kat Day
Account Director: Sinelle Fernandez
Account Manager: Rosemarie Grima
