DocuDays Winners 2026

The 23rd Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival has announced its winners. However, Docudays UA does not end there: the winning films can be watched during the screening day, 12th June. Some recordings of the festival discussions will also be available as podcasts on Youtube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

This year, Docudays UA joins forces with ARTE, the leading European public broadcaster. ARTE has provided financial support for four awards and, together with the festival, established a prize for emerging producers.Fabrice Pauchalt, Head of Society and Culture at ARTE France, shared:

‘Documentary is an art, but it is also a tool against lies and disinformation. Through films, it creates relationships between people who don’t share the same realities. But first, the art of documentary is an art of resistance, an act of resistance. We learned it through the work you did with us, through Generation Ukraine and other films we invested in.

That’s why in ARTE we wanted to partner with Docudays UA and support the prize for the best Ukrainian film, the prize for the best editing, and establish prizes for best emerging producer for a feature and the best emerging producer for a short.

We are very proud and thankful to be with you. We thank you for what you give us, your films, your visions, your fights. ARTE is a European platform, and for us, Ukraine is obviously part of the same Europe. We know that a lot of filmmakers, women and men, are in the army now. Thank you for your service, thank you for your films. You are all fighting for us.’


We thank the jury for their work and congratulate the award winners!

MAIN PRIZE OF DOCU/WORLD COMPETITION 2026

Green Light, 2025, 101′
Austria
dir. Pavel Cuzuioc

We were deeply impressed by the harmony of form and subject in the winning film of the DOCU/WORLD competition. Its measured pace and compassionate attentiveness to its protagonists reflect the filmmaker’s profound commitment to portraying with dignity those whose lives have, for various reasons, become marked by relentless suffering and reduced, in their own words, to mere existence.

The film follows a psychiatrist who specialises in assisting people who choose euthanasia as a final solution to their pain. He sets out to analyse their medical history and listens to their life story, and when convinced of their full determination, he guides them through the legal procedures and final steps of assisted dying. In doing so, the film opens a thoughtful and nuanced conversation about the right to self-determination over one’s life, body, and mind as well as about society’s persistent lack of understanding of mental illness and its often underestimated impact on quality of life.

Moral, religious, legal, and psychological perspectives are presented with remarkable balance, while the diversity of the cases offers viewers a comprehensive and deeply human insight into the complex issue of euthanasia. For its sensitivity, clarity, and cinematic excellence, the Main Prize in the DOCU/WORLD Competition goes to Green Light, directed by Pavel Cuzuioc.

SPECIAL MENTION OF DOCU/WORLD COMPETITION 2026

Mailin, 2025, 87′
Argentina, France, Romania
dir. Marie Silvia Esteve

An impactful and painful story articulating a severely aching topic and problem in contemporary society – violence against women – is presented as a unique vision in a striking example of modern, creative documentary. Different and seemingly eclectic source materials – archives, court hearings, direct interviews, and almost video art visualisations – are intertwined into a fascinating and at the same time horrifying stream of unforgettable images that immerse the audience into the story of a woman. Her life – and the lives of many others – is scarred with abuse she experienced as a child from a Catholic priest, and with injustice as the court sets the abuser free. We were deeply touched by the director’s creative vision, which intensifies the strength of the story itself, and shocked by the devastating ending, which leaves a huge impact, anger, and will to fight, discuss, and help. The special mention in the DOCU/WORLD Competition goes to Mailin, directed by Marie Silvia Esteve.

MAIN PRIZE OF DOCU/UKRAINE COMPETITION 2026, SUPPORTED BY ARTE

Don’t Ask Me If I Killed, 2026, 104′
Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine
dir. Helena Maksyom

As a jury, we were unanimous in our belief that this year’s Docudays UA Main Prize should be awarded to a film and a filmmaker who disarmed us with such radical narrative honesty. Her warts-and-all account of being a serving female soldier in the Ukrainian army never shies away from presenting the difficult and often surprisingly mundane realities of being within a battalion. It is nuanced, compelling, and highly accomplished documentary storytelling that should be urgently seen by a wider international audience. The award goes to Helena Maksyom for Don’t Ask Me If I Killed. 

SPECIAL MENTION OF DOCU/UKRAINE COMPETITION 2026

Where Everything Disappears, 2026, 88′
Ukraine, France
dir. Oleksandr Tkachenko

As a jury, we felt it was impossible to ignore the powerful effect, particularly within the final third of the film, of Oleksandr Tkachenko’s account of the harrowing impact of war upon his friend, cinematographer and serving soldier Dmytro Dokunov. This film crafts its own haunting portrait of a man who has been profoundly broken, both physically and emotionally, by his experiences on the frontlines of this Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. It is a film that transcends the limitations of its form to communicate a profound truth about the human cost of war.

MAIN PRIZE OF DOCU/SHORT COMPETITION 2026

Pedro Tomás Explains the World, 2025, 5’29”
Spain
dir. Kornelijus Stučkus

In this beautifully conceived moment of pure cinema, a world is presented to us afresh, as if for the first time. In a Gran Canaria that has been profoundly reshaped by a volcanic eruption, we are introduced to an elderly man with a beautifully poetic relationship to the surrounding landscape. By simply naming elements close to him, the endearing figure of Pedro Tomas makes us see so much deeper into his small but infinitely fascinating world. This year’s DOCU/SHORT Main Award goes to Kornelijus Stučkus, Pedro Tomás Explains the World.


SPECIAL MENTION OF DOCU/SHORT COMPETITION 2026

Sequela, 2026, 15′
Ukraine
dir. Alla Mitiukova 

This film erupts onto the screen with a savage sequence of emergencies that is unlike anything else that was present in this Shorts selection. From this ferocious opening, director Alla Mitiukova finds a careful intimacy with her main protagonist, an amputee soldier, through following his painstaking process of physical and mental recovery as he returns to his family and civilian life. Sequela is a Ukrainian short that will hopefully be discovered by a wider audience.

BEST EMERGING UKRAINIAN PRODUCER SUPPORTED BY ARTE

The Illusion of a Quiet Night, 2026, 70′
Ukraine
producer Dariia Zakharova
dir. Olha Chernykh

As a jury, we were once again unanimous in our belief that there was one film in which the producer’s role was vital and marked this emerging producer as a talent to nurture and reward. The logistics alone of bringing together filmed material from so many contributors from across Ukraine, with such compressed timelines, is testament to the incredible job that this producer has carried out. We are very pleased to give the ARTE Best Emerging Ukrainian Producer award to a thoroughly deserving individual, Dariia Zakharova for The Illusion of a Quiet Night.

BEST EMERGING UKRAINIAN PRODUCER (SHORT DOCUMENTARY), SUPPORTED BY ARTE

Sequela, 2026, 15′
Ukraine 
producers Oleksii Yeroshenko, Kateryna Yahodka, Alla Mitiukova
dir. Alla Mitiukova

For the first time ever, the European cultural platform ARTE created an award to support the difficult job of producing a short in non-fiction. The jury decided to show support and appreciation to a team that worked in a collective way, driven by an enthusiastic, bold, and very structured approach on all fronts essential to the production: financing, making, delivery, and distributing. The result is a short that has a world premiere in Docudays UA, and that is set on a path to more exposure, impact, and public conversations on a very important topic for Ukraine today: the return of veterans into the civil life.

For the commitment to their artistic vision, the collectiveness of the collaboration, the openness in sharing the hurdles along the way, the ambition for the distribution, and the possible next steps as producers: we hope that this award will help the journey of the team of producers of Sequela (Oleksii Yeroshenko, Kateryna Yahodka, and Alla Mitiukova, production company – Spoluka Films).

Jury: Alexandre Marionneau, Fabrice Pauchalt 
MAIN PRIZE OF RIGHTS NOW! COMPETITION 2026

The Promise, 2025, 115′
The Netherlands
dir. Daan Veldhuizen


There were so many strong and important films this year. Some had remarkable storytelling and direction; others opened up new topics. All were deeply moving. We landed on Papua because it combined so many qualities. It has wonderfully original, fresh storytelling. It also opened our eyes to a new issue. Deeply humane and yet also profoundly political, it’s rare for a film to incorporate so many levels, and with such wit and grace. The film kept us constantly surprised and on our toes: it was by turns informative, funny, dark, and always original.

SPECIAL MENTION OF RIGHTS NOW! COMPETITION 2026

If Pigeons Turned to Gold, 2026, 110′
Czech Republic, Slovakia
dir. Pepa Lubojacki 

Human rights films are often associated with a very sombre tone. We loved how Pigeons used animation to transform the genre into something hallucinogenic, funny, and all the more powerful and tragic for it. It’s a sign that this genre can also be full of exciting and quirky stylistic innovation.

MAIN PRIZE OF ANDRIY MATROSOV AWARD 2026

Every year, the festival’s team rewards one film among the competition’s participants. The Andriy Matrosov Award has been founded by Docudays UA organisers in memory of Andriy Matrosov, the Festival’s producer, who died in a car accident on 16 February 2010.

Peace for Nina, 2026, 80′
Ukraine, Switzerland
dir. Jeanne Dovhych

This is a film of action and conviction, demonstrating profound empathy and remarkable endurance. It marks the passage of resistance and resilience since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2014.

For honouring the memory of the first heroes of the war for our independence and freedom, and for its sensitive and nuanced portrayal of the long struggle for justice, the Andriy Matrosov Award is presented to Peace for Nina.


MAIN PRIZE OF STUDENTS’ JURY PRIZE 2026

Do You Love Me, 2025, 75′
France, Germany, Lebanon, Qatar
dir. Lana Daher

For its extraordinary synthesis of form and content, illuminating the intersection of the collective and the personal, the imagined and the real, in the construction of national identity, memory, and trauma.

SPECIAL MENTION OF STUDENTS’ JURY PRIZE 2026

FLANA, 2025, 87′
Iraq, France, Qatar
dir. Zahraa Ghandour

For its powerful and layered portrayal of the tragedy of women, and for challenging deeply rooted, intergenerational marginalisation.

AUDIENCE AWARD 2026

Where Everything Disappears, 2026, 88′
Ukraine, France
dir. Oleksandr Tkachenko

VIKTOR ONYSKO MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN A UKRAINIAN DOCUMENTARY FILM, SUPPORTED BY ARTE

Don’t Ask Me If I Killed, 2026, 104′
Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine
dir. Helena Maksyom

For the sincerity of its authorship, masterful dramaturgy, and sensitive editing through which the reality of war pulses. For the ability to discover a clear inner form amid the chaos and darkness of the front line. Award in Memory of Viktor Onysko for Best Editing of a Ukrainian Film is presented to Svitlana Zaloga and Helena Maksyom for Don’t Ask Me If I Killed, a film that balances on the edge between a personal diary and a collective portrait of the resilience of Ukraine’s Defenders.

SPECIAL MENTION BY HROMADSKE RADIO 

Omega, 2025, 82′, Ukraine 
dir. Yuliia Orlenko

For its masterful documentary reflection on war through human experience, combining powerful dramaturgy, attentive direction, and a high standard of filmmaking, while focusing on people, their relationships, daily rituals, and the ability to preserve their sense of self during wartime.

DOCU/PRO: The winning projects of the RAW DOC 2025 

The Suspilne Movlennia/Public Broadcasting Ukraine Award goes to the RAW DOC showcase project Fly, Fish, Fly (directors Tetiana Hanzha and Zoia Volk, producers Zoia Volk and Oksana Ivantsiv). The award includes financial support of UAH 65,000*.
*the funding — inclusive of taxes — is aimed at the final stage of documentary production. To receive it, participants must sign a one-year agreement granting Suspilne non-exclusive broadcasting rights across its TV and digital platforms in Ukraine).

For its delicate and compassionate depiction of trauma passed down through generations, and for its search for a path to healing through the voices of witnesses and survivors.

The Rough Cut Service Award is presented to It Will Happen (director Anna Mihunova, producer Andrii Korniienko).

The award consists of a complimentary consultation with Rough Cut Service’s team of leading European editing experts and documentary editing consultants.

The KINO42 Award is presented to Listening to the World (director Yelizaveta Smith, producers Eugene Rachkovsky, Olha Bregman). 


The award provides an opportunity for the creative team to review the film’s rough cut in the KINO42 cinema.


The Documentary Association of Europe Award is presented to It Will Happen (director Anna Mihunova, producer Andrii Korniienko).

As part of the award, the project team will receive a professional consultation on the film’s international positioning and outreach strategy.

The 23rd Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and the State Film Agency of Ukraine. The views, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the governments of these countries. The authors alone are responsible for the content of this publication.

MOMENTS FROM DOCUDAYS

Today is the last day of the documentary festival Docudays in Ukraine and I’m back again in this little safe haven in the outskirts of the world, aka Denmark.

Here are a few of many remarkable moments:

I. During my visit last year, I had a meeting with a film director, who had lived in France for quite many years but decided to move back after the full-scale invasion. Her documentary project was about her personal, existential dilemma: She felt the obligation to join the army but did not know if she dared. This year we met at a festival cocktail party. ‘Do you remember me from last year’? ‘Yes’. ‘I joined the army’. What can you say? I smiled, gave her a hug and we talked.

II.The same evening, I met a young man, who had already been in the army for a couple of years. I listened to his experiences.The next day I held a so-called Master Class and among the clips I showed was a scene from Olha Zhurba’s masterpiece SONGS OF SLOW BURNING EARTH. The scene with a crying truck driver who rescues kids from areas under Russian attack. At the end of my talk, it was time for questions and comments. The guy from last night got up: ‘That driver is a member of my unit’.

III. My talk was held in Cinema 42, located in a cellar. In the middle of the talk my Air Alert App, that the organizers urge you to download, goes off. Worried, I asked if we needed to go to the shelter. The whole audience smiled slightly indulgently at me: ‘Mikael, we ARE in the shelter’. Then we continued.

It’s a very different experience to be at Docudays. First and foremost, because of the vital importance and intensity of the meetings with the film people. Secondly because every time I was alone with no one to distract me, I remembered that it is actually a possibility to have a bomb on your head at any moment. I was there for 4 days; the Ukrainians have lived with it for 4 years. Now longer than WWI lasted. And that is if you don’t include the invasion of Crimea.Thirdly because it is so incredibly well organized. Also, it seems to be a criterion for joining the staff, that you are warmhearted and caring for your guests. Finally, the omnipresent Ukrainian black humor: When the Air Alert App calls off the alarm, the final sentence is ‘May the Force be with you’. Film connoisseurs will recognize the line by Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. And who do you think speaks the line in the app? Ewan McGregor, of course.

To those I met from the team of the Docu/Pro section at Docudays, Darya Bassel, Viktoria Khomenko, Marharyta Pedchenko, Roman Bondarchuk, Dar’ya Averchenko, Sasha Kravchenko, Mariia Ponomarova: Hope to see you all under different circumstances next year!





Docu Rough Cut Boutique 2026

Created and organized by Sarajevo Film Festival – CineLink Industry Days and Balkan Documentary Center, Docu Rough Cut Boutique is a platform dedicated to documentary projects in the advanced phase of the editing process. Selected are five projects from the region of South-East Europe and the Caucasus that will participate in three working modules: Sofia (May 2026), Online module (July 2026) and Sarajevo (August 2026).

“We were surprised by how many documentary films are being produced in our region, despite several countries closing off financing opportunities for independent, free-spirited creative documentaries. We received a large number of applications, but remained faithful to our boutique concept, believing that focusing on a small number of chosen works in progress would provide high-quality, in-depth mentorship and hands-on work that could elevate the final results. In our 17th edition, we have chosen five very promising works, mainly by new talents entering the European documentary scene, with their exciting and fresh gaze on the dramatic changes in today’s world.  We are witnessing the resilience of documentary cinema again. Several projects bravely challenge the reconceptualization of human connections as a vital value of everyday living.” – Rada Šešić, Sarajevo Film Festival.

“In the turbulent times we live in, independent voices in documentary film from the region are more needed than ever. Despite the rapidly changing film industry and technological challenges, Docu Rough Cut Boutique continues to stand behind brave and talented directors and editors to bring their projects to successful realization. This year, we are presenting five wonderful documentary film projects to the international film scene that showcase local talent in the most convincing way. I hope for fruitful work and strong industry interest by the end of our workshop.” – Martichka Bozhilova, Balkan Documentary Center.

BALKAN MAESTRO

Directors: Altinaï Petrovitch Njegosh, François Fleury

Producers: Altinaï Petrovitch Njegosh, Dominique Chaudier

Editor: Luka Đikanović

Production companies: AJ AJ AJ Films

Co-production company: Bienvenue Productions

Countries: Montenegro, France

French maestro Marc Korovitch takes over Montenegro National Orchestra and reconnect with his roots. On the eve of the country’s entry into the European Union, he dreams of conducting Don Giovanni.

KIND OF ADULTS

Directors: Rita Balogh, Peter Akar

Producer: Rita Balogh

Editor: Zsófia Érdi

Production company: Other Films Kft.

Countries: Hungary

Co-created with GenZ teens over 6 years from high school graduation, this raw doc blends self-shot and observational footage as they search for an adult self, facing identity crisis, depression, love.

NO OFFENCE

Director: Lucija Marčec

Producers: Ida Barač, Ema Mikolaci

Co-producer: Michal Sikora

Editor: Petra Šobak

Production company: Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb

Co-production company: Lonely Production

Countries: Croatia, Czech Republic

Does the discrimination ever change or does it only change its victims?

RANA

Directors: Maria Cheresheva, Georgi Totev

Producers: Maria Cheresheva, Georgi Totev

Editors: Georgi Totev, Ivo Mitrev

Production company: LENS2LENS

Country: Bulgaria

Two women, a Palestinian in Gaza and a Bulgarian Jew, defy history through a 12-year friendship that becomes an urgent mission of survival and quiet resistance during the 2023 war.

WOMEN OF AKBELEN FOREST

Director: Selen Çatalyürekli

Producer: Zeyneb Gültekin

Editors: Yeşim Tatlıhan Tuncel, Selen Çatalyürekli

Production company: Nar Film

Co-production companies: Surela Film, Smoke & Mirrors Foundation

Country: Türkiye, Netherlands

In southwest Turkey, village women lead a defiant stand against coal mining threatening their forest, homes and future, transforming themselves as they fight for land and life.

DocsBarcelona 2026 Film Awards

The festival closes with 12,300 attendees, 28 sessions with sold-out tickets and 70% occupancy in the halls

  • Special Mention for Das Deutsche Volk, by Marcin Wierzchowski, a portrait of structural racism in contemporary Europe.
  • The Travelers , by David Bingong, wins the award for Best Catalan Film at the 29th edition of the festival
  • The festival has screened 57 productions at the CCCB, the Renoir, Aribau, Phenomena, Zumzeig and Espai Texas cinemas, the Filmoteca de Catalunya and Casa Montjuïc.
  • DocsBarcelona will celebrate its 30th anniversary from April 29 to May 9, 2027

Barcelona, ​​May 16, 2026.– DocsBarcelona presented the awards for its 29th edition this Saturday in a ceremony at the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Center (CCCB), after bringing together more than 12,300 spectators in the halls and parallel activities, 12% more than last year, according to the provisional balance. The award ceremony puts an end to an extraordinary edition, which in 10 days has brought in the Catalan capital, a hundred documentary filmmakers and 57 films in eight venues. DocsBarcelona has announced the dates for the next edition, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary from April 29 to May 9, 2027 .

“This year we wanted DocsBarcelona to be, even more, a festival rooted in the city. We believe that this is the only possible future: generating spaces for dialogue with Barcelona where we are and becoming an event made by the city and for the city”, highlights Maria Colomer, co-artistic director and head of programming. Colomer also highlights the situation of the documentary industry: “The sector is experiencing a major distribution crisis. Extraordinary documentaries are made that often do not find exhibition windows. We want to be this great window that helps films connect with the public.” In this sense, she highlights the success of this year’s attendance, with 28 sessions with sold-out tickets and 70% occupancy in the theaters , in addition to great support for the films and their creative teams.

The festival’s Official Jury has awarded the Best Film Award to Amazomania, a documentary that revisits the 1996 expedition to the Amazon to film the isolated Korubo tribe and questions the colonial legacy and the human consequences of the so-called “discovery”. The film is directed by Swede Nathan Grossman, internationally recognized for his career focused on social and environmental issues. He began his career as a photographer for Rolling Stone and moved into film with the viral short The Toaster Challenge, about human energy consumption. In his first feature film, I Am Greta , he followed Greta Thunberg from the first day of her school strike to worldwide fame and was awarded the Critic’s Choice and Emmy.

The same jury also awarded a Special Mention to Das Deutsche Volk., a work that reconstructs the racist attack in Hanau, Germany, through the testimony of survivors and relatives of the victims, exposing structural racism in contemporary Europe. The documentary is directed by Marcin Wierzchowski, a filmmaker based between Frankfurt and Warsaw and author of the multi-award-winning Hanau – Eine Nacht und ihre Folgen .

The Docs&Cat Jury has awarded the Best Catalan Film Award – XAL The Travelers, a film that accompanies a group of migrants on the border between Morocco and Spain as they wait for the moment to cross into Europe, turning the camera into a tool of survival and shared hope. It is directed by David Bingong, who shot the film during his own migratory journey.

The Docs&Cat Jury’s Special Mention went to Bêstia, a portrait of three hunters from inland Catalonia that reflects on rural masculinity and the contradictions between tradition and contemporary perspective. The documentary is the debut work of Helena Garza, an author linked to non-fiction and anthropological research.

Corren las liebres was the production most highly rated by the viewers of this edition of DocsBarcelona, ​​who awarded it the Audience Award – Moritz. It follows the story of Noa, a trans gypsy woman who, after being released from prison, fights to regain custody of her children while facing social and residential exclusion in Barcelona. The 3Cat Jury has also recognized this production with the 3Cat Award. Director Lorena Ros is a documentary filmmaker and journalist who has won several World Press Photo awards.

The Amnesty International Catalonia Award and the Docs Jury Award – Antaviana have recognized Atlas of the Disappeared, a documentary investigation into the missing people transferred to the Valley of the Fallen and the forensic tools that today allow us to reconstruct their memory. The film is directed by Manuel Correa, a former member of Forensic Architecture specializing in memory and post-conflict reconstruction, who has presented his work in venues such as the Venice Architecture Biennale or the Rotterdam Festival.

The Short Film Jury has awarded the Best Short Film Award to Retales, a piece constructed as a collage of family memory, found images and reflections on cinema and social class. The short is directed by Juanjo Giménez, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and nominated for an Oscar for short film Timecode .

Dreams for a Better Past , by Albert Kuhn, an exploration of the weight of family silences and the inheritance of memory across three generations, has won the Short Film Audience Award – 16Nou , while viewers of the Docs del Mes circuit have awarded the Docs del Mes Award to Mr. Nobody Against Putin., a documentary that exposes the indoctrination and militarization of Russian schools through the clandestine recordings of a teacher who decides to document the system from the inside. The film is directed by David Borenstein and Pasha Talankin.

The Docs Award for Best Editing – AMMAC went to Mailin , a reconstruction by Argentine director María Silvia Esteve of the story of abuse suffered during childhood and the subsequent healing process, through memories, archives and animations.

The Docs Nou Talent – ​​Filmin Award is for Do You Love Me , by Lana Daher, a film essay built entirely with audiovisual archives that covers seven decades of collective memory of Lebanon and the city of Beirut.

The Docs&Teens audience has recognized Runa Simi with the Docs&Teens Award , a documentary that claims the preservation of the Quechua language and cultural transmission through the dubbing of The Lion King. in this indigenous language. The film is directed by Augusto Zegarra, a filmmaker and visual anthropologist focused on the cultural and linguistic identities of Latin America.

The Doc Around Europe Award went to Les culpables , the debut film by Marta Duran Lozano, a brave and generous film with the viewer, which opens the doors to a taboo subject such as abortion in adolescents.

The Reteena Young Jury has awarded the Reteena Young Jury Prize to A Fox Under a Pink Moon, which follows the five-year journey of Soraya, a young Afghan artist who documents with her mobile phone her attempt to flee Iran to reunite with her mother in Austria. The documentary, the inaugural film of DocsBarcelona 2026, is co-directed by Mehrdad Oskouei, one of Iran’s most renowned documentarians, with more than 180 international awards.

Tomorrow, Sunday, the festival will screen at the CCCB Theatre the winning films of the Audience Award, Corren las liebres (6:00 p.m.), and the Best Film Award, The Travelers (8:00 p.m.).

More than 2,400 attendees at DocsBarcelona Pro

DocsBarcelona Pro, its professional space, has continued to grow and has consolidated itself as a key meeting point for the documentary sector, which has brought together more than 700 accredited professionals and has awarded fifteen prizes worth 66,000 euros. A total of 62 projects in development from more than 35 countries and more than 2,400 attendees have participated in an edition that has also brought together major guest platforms such as ARTE, which has presented its pan-European expansion plan for the coming years, with the creation of the new channel ARTE España. “DocsBarcelona Pro has brought together a selection of courageous authorial perspectives, which take narrative and aesthetic risks, and which have found here the complicity of international professionals to project them everywhere, becoming the best radar for documentary talent in southern Europe”, he recalls Èric Motjer , co-artistic director and head of DocsBarcelona Pro.

DocsBarcelona 2026 Awards

Best Film Award : Amazonia (Nathan Grossman)

Special mention : Das Deutsche Volk (Marcin Wierzchowski)

Award for Best Catalan Film – XAL : The Travelers (David Bingong)

Special Mention : Bèstia (Helena Garza)

Audience Award – Moritz : The Hares Run (Lorena Ros)

Jury Prize – Antaviana : Atlas of Disappearance (Manuel Correa)

Award for Best Short Film : Retales (Juanjo Giménez)

Audience Award for Short Films – 16New : Dreams for a Better Past (Albert Kuhn)

Docs of the Month Award : Mr. Nobody Against Putin (David Borenstein and Pasha Talankin)

Best Editing Award – AMMAC : Mailin (María Silvia Esteve)

New Talent Award – Filmin : Do You Love Me (Lana Daher)

Docs&Teens Award : Runa Simi (Augusto Zegarra)

Prize 3Cat : Corren las liebres (Lorena Ros)

Doc Around Europe Award : Les Culpables (Marta Duran Lozano)

Amnesty International Catalonia Award : Atlas of Disappearance (Manuel Correa)

Young Jury Prize – Reteena : A Fox Under a Pink Moon (Mehrdad Oskouei)

www,docsbarcelona.com

DocsBarcelona Pro Awards 2026

“Crossed” wins the 3Cat Award for Best Project, the highest-prize award from DocsBarcelona Pro (15,000 euros), and “My Sister Gaza” wins the prizes awarded by ARTE (10,000 euros) and Al Jazeera (10,000 euros) 

DocsBarcelona Pro, the non-fiction industry platform of DocsBarcelona, announced this Wednesday evening the winning development projects of this year’s edition during an awards ceremony held at Casa Montjuïc in Barcelona. 

With these 15 awards, worth a total of €66,000, recognizes talent, creativity and international projection within the industry. The co-artistic director of DocsBarcelona and head of DocsBarcelona Pro,  Èric Motjer , highlighted that “This year’s list of winners brings together a selection of courageous authorial perspectives, which take narrative and aesthetic risks, and which have found the complicity of international professionals here to project them everywhere. This is one of the main objectives of DocsBarcelona Pro, and the quality of the selected projects together with the commitment of our collaborators have allowed us to achieve this. “.

DocsBarcelona Pro Awards:

DocsBarcelona Award for Best Project 
No Friend but the Mountains

DocsBarcelona Best New Tech Pitch Project Award
Miss Annie

3Cat Co-production Award for Best Forum Project
Crossed

European Talent Development Award ARTE
My Sister Gaza 

Al Jazeera Documentary Co-production Award for Best Forum Project
My Sister Gaza

Stories that Travel Award
State of Immortality

Music Library Award 
About a Boy and the Building / Four Winters in Edificio Cuba

Antaviana Best Pitch Award
Ever and the Sharks

Women Make Movies Award 
Crossed , Into the mist (exaequo)

FipaDoc Award 
Words we never say

East Doc Platform Award 
Diary of Experiences

MIA DOC Award
Crossed

Forum San Sebastian Lau Haizetara Award
State of Immortality

DOCXS Consultancy Award
Parallel Space

Cuban International Film and Television School Award (EICTV)
Ruda

DocsBarcelona Pro brings to an end four full days of professional activities, a circuit that has connected 62 independent projects from 30 countries and brought together more than 700 accredited professionals. from all over the world, consolidating itself as one of the main radars for European and global documentary talent, with almost three decades of history. DocsBarcelona Pro 2027 will be held from  May 3 to 7 , as part of the 30th anniversary of DocsBarcelona.

www.docsbarcelona.com

Mikael Opstrup: Tillykke med Oscar og med Dansk Dokumentar

Samtidigt med at dokumentarfilmfestivalen CPH:DOX for 23. gang var over os, kom Oscar’en for bedste dokumentarfilm så i hus. Efter imponerende 8 tidligere nomineringer.

Hvad ikke lykkedes for bl.a. ’Flugt’ (2022), ’The Act of Killing’ (2013) og ’Burma VJ’ (2010) lykkedes for ’Mr Nobody against Putin’.

Siden den første danske nominering i 2010 er det kun USA, der har opnået flere nomineringer.

Det er imponerende. Og dermed interessant at se på, hvad årsagen kan være til, at dansk dokumentarfilm i årtier har stået så stærkt internationalt.

For hvis vi lige et øjeblik ser bort fra, at Oscar uddelingen handler mindst lige så meget om (film)politik som om filmkunst – og at hoved- og medinstruktøren til ’Mr Nobody against Putin’ er henholdsvis amerikaner og russer – så ændrer det ikke ved, at Danmark i årtier har stået virkelig flot på den internationale dokumentarfilm-scene.

Det er f.eks. ikke tilfældigt, at to af de selskaber, der har arbejdet stærkt og vedholdende internationalt i årtier, har valgt at brande sig ved at kalde deres produktionsselskaber henholdsvis Danish Documentary og Made in Copenhagen; sidstnævnte produktionsselskabet bag ’Mr Nobody against Putin’.

Danmark er et kvalitetsbrand.

Her kommer nogle bud på, hvad der blandt andet kan være årsagen til vores årtier-lange stærke position.

Og afslutningsvis en ikke uvæsentlig krølle: Hvad er en dokumentarfilm egentlig? Et interessant spørgsmål med flere svar.

STARTEN PÅ DET HELE

Vi må starte med at gå en del år tilbage i tiden, nærmere bestemt 1939, hvor Statens Filmcentral bliver grundlagt. Som et kerne-socialdemokratisk initiativ til fremme af folkeoplysning og undervisning. Folket skulle oplyses – og nok også i ny og næ belæres.

Efter nogle år begyndte SFC udover distribution også at støtte produktion af film, og grunden var lagt til en helt unik institution.

Os af lidt ældre dato glemmer aldrig larmen fra en 16mm fremviser midt i klasselokalet, lidt yngre generationer er blevet maltrakteret af VHS-videobåndenes hårrejsende ringe kvalitet, og de yngste generationer har haft fornøjelsen af først de langt bedre DVD’er og fra omkring årtusindskiftet den digitale streaming.

Siden midten af 1980’erne har vi tilmed ikke behøvet at gå i skole for at få adgang til filmene. Vi kunne låne først VHS’erne og siden DVD’erne på vores lokale bibliotek, og nu kan vi streame dem via samme.

Noget der minder om 4 generationer er vokset op med at se dokumentarfilm. Det kan ikke undervurderes, og når jeg nævner det for udenlandske kolleger, er de ved at falde ned af stolen. For os er det naturlig dagligdag, for dem er det paradis på jord.

Inden jeg laver et stort tidsspring, er det værd at notere sig den udvikling, der skete med de film SFC støttede – og hen ad vejen også importerede. Det var ikke længere ’kun’ oplysende, men også kunstneriske film. Kreativ dokumentarfilm som det også ofte kaldes af mangel på bedre – der er vist ikke mange, der profilerer sig på at ville lave en u-kreativ film.

Men filmkunsten fik større og større plads. Dokumentarfilm var ikke kun emne og indhold, den stod i egen æstetiske og dramaturgiske ret. Ja nemlig, lige som spillefilmene.

SAMMENLÆGNINGEN

I 1998 skete der noget afgørende. Fiktionsfilmens institution Det Danske Filminstitut (DFI) og dokumentarfilmens ditto Statens Filmcentral (SFC) blev slået sammen. De positive og negative sider er stadig til debat blandt folk, der arbejder med dokumentarfilm.

Det er stort set aldrig en fordel for dokumentarfilmen at komme under tag med storebror. Og det var da også et tilbageslag for udviklingen af genren, at den mistede sin engagerede ambassadør. Jeg hører dog til dem, der også ser nogle positive sider for dokumentarfilmen i forlængelse af sammenlægningen; derom om lidt.

Men jeg kan ikke lade være med at nævne et par pudsigheder, som strengt taget ikke har noget med sagen at gøre, men dog er ganske illustrative for ’styrkeforholdet’.

Den nye institution fik navnet Det Danske Filminstitut. Det smager mere af’ lægning’ end af ’sammen’. DFI’erne brugte PC’er, SFC’erne de lidt frækkere Mac’er. Det nye DFI dekreterede PC. DFI’erne havde fri 5. juni og SFC’erne 1. maj. Gæt selv det nye DFI’s fridag.

Det nye DFI fik to sideordnede produktionsafdelinger, én for spillefilm og én for dokumentar-film. Jeg blev ansat i en ny-opslået stilling som producer i produktionsafdelingen for dokumentarfilm. En af stillingerne for øretævernes holdeplads. Og der var trængsel på de pladser i de første år efter sammenlægningen.

F.eks. var jeg efter et par dage i stolen til møde i foreningen Danske Filminstruktører. Frit efter hukommelsen var det første spørgsmål, jeg fik ’hvad fanden sådan en starut sku’ gøre godt for’.

Der var flere årsager til spørgsmålet.

For det første skulle jeg bl.a. vurdere, om det var realistisk, at den film, som filmkonsulenten gerne ville støtte, kunne laves med det planlagte budget og organisering. Den form for fagligt modspil var ansøgerne ikke vant til.

Det andet var, at hvis produktionen havde internationalt potentiale, blev producerne bedt om at afsøge mulighederne, inden DFI fastlagde sit støttebeløb. Det var producerne ikke vant til.

Og for det tredje kunne producer og instruktør ikke længere være samme person. Det var de mange instruktører, der kun agerede producere af nød, ikke vant til.

I dag er der mig bekendt ingen kritik af ordningen med producere på DFI.

Nok fordi den har været en medvirkende årsag til det nuværende stade: Instruktørerne kan koncentrere sig om at instruere. Producerne er generelt blevet professionaliseret. Og turen ud på det internationale marked giver inspiration, finansiering og gode kontakter. En række stærke dokumentarproducenter er vokset frem hånd i hånd med disse tiltag; herunder flere af dem der står bag Oscarnomineringerne.

Endelig skal nævnes, at det nye DFI introducerede Udviklingsstøtten, altså støtte på et tidspunkt, hvor instruktøren endnu ikke har fundet filmens form. Et tidspunkt, hvor det er utrolig svært at få anden støtte, fordi det er så svært at beskrive det endelige produkt.

DE 3 ANDRE HJØRNER I FIRKANTEN

DFI var dog kun det ene hjørne i en afgørende firkant. Tre andre hjørner var Filmskolen, de faglige organisationer og Public Service TV.

Dokumentarlinjen på Den danske Filmskole blev oprettet i 1992 og har fra starten lagt vægt på at skolens elever skulle udvikle en stærk personlig stemme. En auteuruddannelse. Personlige kunstværker – ingen Oplysning til Borgerne om Samfundet her.

Dokumentarlinjen har haft en afgørende betydning for, at vi har en syndflod af talentfulde instruktører.

Også indførelsen af Produceruddannelsen i 1983 – senere kaldet Kreativ Producer – og Manuskriptuddannelsen i 1988 var vigtige. De to uddannelser ligger på Filmskolens fiktions-linje, men samarbejde med eleverne på dokumentarfilmuddannelsen fandt og finder naturligvis sted.

Producerne bliver ikke kun uddannet i at lægge budgetter og organisere optagelser, men som kreative medaktører. Og instruktørerne fik specialiserede sparringspartnere til at skrive manuskripter – hvad man ikke nødvendigvis er god til, selv om man er en god instruktør.

Samarbejdet fortsætter heldigvis ud over skoleopholdet. Mange fagprofessioner, ikke mindst fotografer og klippere, arbejder med begge genrer, af stor betydning for begge.

Blandt de faglige organisationer har det ikke mindst haft betydning, at dokumentar- og spillefilmsgenrens producenter gik sammen i Producentforeningen i 1998. Dokumentar-producenterne havde svært ved at trænge igennem alene og Producentforeningens konstruktion med selvstændig organisering af genrerne og repræsentanter i den fælles bestyrelse, gjorde – undtagelsesvis – sammenlægningen af de to genrer til en styrkelse for dokumentarfolket.

Forholdet mellem den uafhængige dokumentarfilmbranche og public service TV har ikke altid været et entydigt kærlighedsforhold. De mere kunstnerisk drevne dokumentarfilm fra de uafhængige instruktører og producenter har ofte haft svært ved at nå de store seertal. Branchen har jævnligt kritiseret TV for ikke at promovere filmene nok og for at programsætte dem, når de fleste seere var gået i seng. TV-redaktørerne mente omvendt, at branchen ikke gjorde nok for at nå et bredere publikum.

Men igen, sammenligner vi os med de mange andre lande, der ikke har haft et stærkt public service TV, falder sammenligningen afgjort ud til Danmarks fordel. Hatten af for DR og TV2.

INDIVIDERNE

Interessant nok har store øjeblikke indenfor spillefilmen også haft betydning for dokumentar-filmen. Dels har det henledt udlandets opmærksomhed på dansk film i almindelighed, dels åbnet danske politikeres øjne for branding af Danmark i udlandet.

Og her er det vigtigt at se på nogle individers betydning og ikke kun på de 4 institutionelle hjørner.

I 1987 vinder ’Babettes Gæstebud’ en Oscar, i 1988 og 1989 vinder ’Pelle Erobreren’ henholdsvis Guldpalmerne i Cannes og en Oscar, i 1996 vinder ’Breaking the Waves’ en Grand Prix i Cannes og i 2000 vinder ’Dancer in the Dark ’ Guldpalmen samme sted.

Læg dertil Dogmefilmenes Kyskhedsløfte fra 1995, der ikke bare satte Danmark yderligere på verdenskortet, men var en internationalt anerkendt revolution i optagelsesmetode og æstetik indenfor spillefilm: Håndholdt kamera, ingen brug af kunstigt lys, ingen dekorationer, ingen kostumer m.m. Kameraet skulle følge skuespillerne, og ikke som normalt omvendt.

I øvrigt et kyskhedsløfte, der blev forhåndstestet i ’Riget’ fra 1994. En TV-serie der sendte rystelser ud gennem TV-skærmene, og som blev fulgt af lovsange fra skuespillerne, der blev frisat fra placeringsstreger på gulvet og indøvede kamerature.

Med denne kroniks fokus er det jo umuligt ikke at påpege det oplagte:

Produktionsbetingelserne for ’Riget’ og Dogmefilmene minder påfaldende meget om dokumentarfilmens. Man kan næsten se forteksterne for sig: ’Based on a true film’.

Forud for disse succesrige fiktions-år havde dansk spillefilm i årtier levet en hensygnende tilværelse og antallet af produktioner var nået ned på et niveau, der dårligt kunne holde liv i branchen. Som repræsentanter for de faglige professioner udtrykte det: Der går så lang tid mellem de enkelte produktioner, at vi i mellemtiden glemmer, hvordan man laver film.

De vilkår havde filmbranchen naturligvis beklaget sig over i årevis og forgæves råbt på øgede bevillinger. Men de internationale succeser og deraf følgende brandingmuligheder skabte et momentum som ledelsen af det nye DFI udnyttede: I stedet for kun at råbe på flere penge fremlagde de en konkret 4-årsplan, der ville have gjort enhver sovjetisk plan-økonom ære: Hvis I bevilger os den ansøgte budgetforhøjelse, er her planen for, hvordan vi kommer til at bruge bevillingen.

Det gav resultat og en øget bevilling, der på grund af sammenlægningen af genrerne smittede af på dokumentarfilmen.

Så er vi vist ved at have været rundt om det meste. Men ikke helt:

OG SÅ ER DER OGSÅ …

Den nyligt afviklede dokumentarfilmfestival CPH:DOX grundlægges i 1993 og er vokset til en af de største og mest betydningsfulde festivaler i verden.

Til hverdag er det ikke nemt at fylde biografsalene, når der er dokumentarfilm på programmet. Men så er der opmuntring at hente hos CPH:DOX, der sidste år fik over 150.000 betalende i biografen, og det vil ikke undre, hvis tilskuertallet endnu engang stiger ved dette års festival.

Der er kamp om pladsen i kalenderen blandt de utroligt mange festivaler verden over; CPH: DOX er lykkedes med at etablere en selvstændig profil, der ikke mindst har handlet om at udfordre den traditionelle dokumentarfilms grænser, både hvad angår film og fremvisning.

Nævnes skal i høj grad også grundlæggelsen af den dansk funderede internationale dokumentarfilm-organisation, European Documentary Network i 1996. EDN medvirkede gennem årtier til dannelsen af nogle helt afgørende dokumentarfilm-institutioner i europæiske lande med svage filminstitutioner. Bl.a. i flere sydeuropæiske lande hvor de nationale filmfonde nærmest var et kontor på 5. sal i Kulturministeriet. Men først og fremmest i de øst- og centraleuropæiske tidligere kommunistiske lande, som efter murens fald oplevede et sammenbrud i en 100% statsfinansieret og -organiseret film-infrastruktur. Her var EDN en afgørende faktor i opbygningen af organisationer og aktiviteter, der vendte sig ud mod det øvrige Europa. De fleste eksisterer den dag i dag.

Tusindvis af dokumentarister i Europa har rigtig meget at takke danske EDN for. Det er ikke tilfældigt, at EDNs første direktør har modtaget to nationale fortjenstmedaljer af præsidenterne i Letland og Litauen.

Nå ja, og så er der jo European Film College i de smukke klitter ved Ebeltoft. En international højskole, der åbnede i 1993 og hvert år har et højtestimeret filmkursus for mere end 100 inter-nationale filmstuderende.

Og DFI’s støtteordning New Danish Screen fra 2004, der i modsætning til de etablerede støtteordninger ikke fokuserer på produktet men på at udvikle talentet.

Og den selvstændige stemme dokumentarfilmen mistede med nedlæggelsen af Statens Filmcentral er der siden i nogen grad rådet bod på med oprettelsen af en stilling som Dokumentarfilmchef på DFI.

Har jeg glemt noget og nogen? Helt sikkert og dertil er kun at sige: Undskyld!

GENREN

Tillad mig til sidst kort at vende mig mod dokumentarfilmen som genre. Ovenfor har jeg omtalt den i ental og intet kunne være mere forkert. Der findes en række undergenrer samt hybridfilm, der blander fiktion og dokumentar; siden årtusindskiftet har sågar animeret dokumentarfilm vundet stærkt frem. ’Ah hvad kaldte du det? udbrød jeg, da en producer første gang spurgte mig, om det var noget DFI kunne støtte.

Med fare for forsimpling kan man vist beskrive yderpunkterne indenfor dokumentarfilmgenren således: i den ene ende den journalistiske – hvis primære formål er neutralt at dokumentere og påvise – og i den anden ende den karakterdrevne – hvis primære formål er den subjektive fortælling og fortolkning.

Så vidt jeg kan se ligger ’Mr. Nobody against Putin’ fint placeret et sted imellem disse to positioner.

Det er den karakterdrevne dokumentarfilm, der i sit færdige resultat ligger tættest på spille-filmen: vi følger nogle personer, der udsættes for mere eller mindre dramatiske omvæltninger.

Interessant nok er det samtidig denne undergenre, der i skabelsesprocessen ligger længst fra spillefilmen. Spillefilmen har manuskript, kulisser, skuespillere osv. Altså planlagte elementer under instruktørens kontrol.

Den karakterdrevne dokumentarfilm følger levende mennesker, der som du og jeg gør nøjagtig, hvad der passer os, Fortællingens byggesten er helt udenfor filmskaberens kontrol. Her er en af instruktørens fremmeste evner at spotte en potentiel udvikling. ’Jeg ved ikke hvad, der vil ske, men jeg er ret sikker på, at noget interessant vil ske’.

Den danske dokumentarfilm ’Apolonia, Apolonia’, der vandt hovedprisen ved den førende dokumentarfilmfestival IDFA i Amsterdam i 2022, følger sin hovedperson i 13 – ja, tretten – år. Jeg skal hilse at sige, at hun gennemlever nogle dramatiske omvæltninger, som har været umulige for instruktøren at forudse i 2009.

Havde det været en spillefilm, ganske interessant. Som dokumentarfilm, voldsomt nærværende.

Tak for ordet, tillykke og længe leve dokumentarfilmen.

John Skoog: Värn

Det var Denis Levant, som fik mig til at gå til pressevisning i Gloria forleden. Denne særlige skuespiller huskede jeg fra kortfilm og fra flere film af Leos Carax, f.eks. ”Les Amants du Pont Neuf”, hvor han spillede med Isabelle Adjani. En fysisk skuespiller med et ansigt, du sent glemmer.

Et perfekt valg til rollen som den svenske landarbejder Karl-Göran Persson, en outsider i en landsby, hvor han er den ” fool on the hill”, som Beatles har sunget om. Med hjertet på rette sted vil han bygge et værn, et hus hvor landsbyens folk kan søge hen, når krigen kommer. For det gør den måske, hvorfor den svenske regering har husstandsomdelt brochurer om, hvordan man skal forholde sig. Tiden er halvfjerdserne og det er russerne, som kommer… Sverige husstandsomdelte igen i 2018, så er filmen aktuel, måske? Jeg har lige været i Litauen og der er frygten for, hvad Putin kan finde på uanset hvad krigen med ukrainerne ender med, i den grad til stede.

Filmen er sort/hvid og smuk i både landskabsbilleder og hvor den fanger ”den ihærdige lille satan”, som han bliver kaldt af beboere, når han samler metal sammen og får togskinner bugseret hen til den forladte ruin, som han får gjort sikker mod de angreb, som kommer. Levant har ikke mange replikker, men klarer dem han skal på svensk og han er i konstant abrupte bevægelser udenfor huset og indenfor, hvor han laver små huller til familierne, han kender til i landsbyen. Men han er også til typisk svensk dans og  i folkeparken og fejrer nytår på klassisk vis.

Der er en afvæbnende humor i filmen og du kommer til at synes om Karl. Børnene gør det og det er et meget fint valg af instruktøren at lade børnestemmer udenfor billedet tale om Karl og læse dommedagslitteratur.

Se filmen for dens smukke billedside, dens kærlige historie og en pragtpræstation af en skuespiller af internationalt format. Denis Levant er navnet. Formidable som man siger på fransk!

Sverige, 2025, 85 mins.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Andreas Dalsgaard: Velkommen til Pengeland

Originaltitel: The Oligarch & the Art Dealer, 3 dele af omkring en time, første del på DR fra 4. maj.

Jeg elsker kunst, besøger museer og udstillinger når jeg kan – i Paris, New York, Barcelona, København, Louisiana – fortrinsvis den klassiske, så det gjorde ondt i min billedkunstneriske sjæl at se se kunst fra den allerhøjeste hylde blive behandlet, som den bliver i “Velkommen til Pengeland”. Som varer og i dette tilfælde som varer vi andre dødelige ikke har adgang til.

MEN min filmiske sjæl havde det godt i de tre timer i biografen, hvor jeg så tv-serien, produceret og instrueret af danske Andreas Dalsgaard i samarbejde med franske Christoph Jörg. Serien er Film på tv-sprog, hvis det kan formuleres sådan, jeg så ihvertfald et strålende bevis på brugen af alskens filmiske virkemidler i et tv-format, så jeg sad naglet til biografsædet, underholdt af hvad jeg så og hørte fra forbryderne på lærredet, hvis det er, hvad de er, for det var et kompliceret Pengeland jeg havnede i. Spændende at følge med i, med fuld knald på lydeffekter og musik og grafik med tal på de svimlende beløb mine elskede kunstneres værker bliver solgt for.

Hvem er er de – jeg klipper en tekst fra Line Bilenbergs – som altid – fine pressetekst:

“Bouvier, en schweizisk forretningsmand møder Rybolovlev – en russisk oligark, der skabte sin enorme formue efter Sovjetunionens fald. Sammen opbygger de på ti år en af verdens største private kunstsamlinger med værker af blandt andre Da Vinci, Picasso, Magritte, Klimt, Van Gogh, Chagall og Rothko. En samling der bliver opbevaret i Bouviers net af frihavne rundt omkring i verdenen, skjult for offentlighedens øjne.

Men en regulær krig bryder ud mellem de to mænd, da Bouvier anklages for at have snydt Rybolovlev for over en milliard dollars. Det hele kulminerer i en korruptionsskandale i Monaco og en stor mediedækket retssag i New York, der bringer Sotheby’s – en af kunstverdenens mest hæderkronede institutioner – i fare.”

Bouvier bliver interviewet, han er hovedpersonen, russeren Rybo, som han bliver kaldt, vil ikke udtale sig, men flere af deres folk, venner og advokater er i billedet, og bruges til at karakterisere de to kumpaner og/eller til at bringe handlingen videre. Bouvier er en fin karakter. En verdensmand, der kan begå sig på de bonede gulve OG som ved hvordan et billede skal erhverves fra private samlinger. Men også en lidt sølle mand som han sidder der og bliver interviewet. Når det så er gjort for milliarder af kroner, sælger han videre til Rybo til en meget højere pris. Han er en tyv, siger én af Rybos advokater. Russeren tror at Bouvier er en agent og ikke en art dealer. Han tror på Trust, siger han, som nu heller ikke er særlig fin i kanten, viser det sig, da Bouvier lokkes til Monaco og bliver arresteret af politiet, som er i ledtog med Rybo, som har forbindelser til Prinsen af Monaco. Voila! Hvis historien var blevet skrevet som en fiktionsfilm, ville man tro det var løgn, men tv-seriens suveræne form baserer sig på et stykke fremragende investigative journalism.

TV -serien kan streames i sin fulde længde fra den 4. maj. Det tror jeg mange vil gøre. En dokumentarisk spændingsFILM. Bravo!

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️

Vilnius Mon Amour

I am in love with that city. After years away I was three days in the Lithuanian capital. It was indeed a Déjà vu, I have been there so many times but it has been a while ago. I was there because of Giedrė Beinoriūtė, filmmaker and teacher at the film school, and like me franchophile, so we said bonjour and merci and bonne nuit – also for that reason I chose the headline of this homage.

There IS a special atmosphere in Vilnius. Spiritual. You feel it when you walk in the old city on the cobblestones. Wherever you turn your head there is a church that catches your eyes. And wherever you walk you can be sure that there is a courtyard. Next to my hotel in the narrow street there are a couple of courtyards, that I entered – small houses where people live, where laundry is being dried in the sun and with the help of the wind that had its strong and cool moments the days I was there. And the Literatu Street with the Saint Germain Restaurant and the art works on the wall. I was having a vermouth outside with Audrius Stonys, who picked me up in the airport, a film director who deserves his international recognition. Happy to have known him since the early 1990’es, where he came to the island of Bornholm for the Balticum Film & TV Festival together with Arunas Matelis. They were the young talents from Lithuania and came to the island with their teacher, legendary Henrikas Sablevicius.

I met Arunas in Vilnius in the “independent republic” of Užupis, at the square with the angel. We had a beer in the famous bar and passed the courtyard, where Arunas shot his masterpiece “Ten Minutes Before the Flight of Icarus” in 1990. It looks alike! Arunas used to tell me that he was the unofficial minister of foreign affairs at the Republic, well he has co-produced several southern European documentaries and the Giro d’Italia film “Wonderful Losers” (with Chris Anker Sørensen on the poster). They all show his humanistic approach to filmmaking.

Back to Audrius who has described the filmmaking tradition in Lithuania in this way: ““What is called the poetic school of Lithuanian documentary “…created an independent world, free from Soviet ideology, lie and propaganda. It was a declaration of inner freedom. The black and white world of poetic documentary films was full of colours. Sadness was full of joy. And joy was touched by deep existential sadness. These films reminded us about what is Cinema—to film and to enjoy the beauty of the leaves, moving in the wind.”

“Bridges of Time” that Audrius made with Latvian Kristine Briede documents this Baltic poetic Cinema and younger filmmakers than Audrius and Arunas represent fully the continuation like (SEE PHOTO) my host Giedrė Beinoriūtė and Aiste Zegulyte. Giedre’s last film “On Sacred and Profane” is traveling as is Aiste’s “Holy Destructors”. Poetic humanistic interpretations of reality.

I was sitting on a bench in the morning in Vilnius the other day. Quiet life, people on their way to work, kids hand in hand with mum or dad, or grandmother or grandfather, no drama, pure poetic everyday life…

Will it stay like that?

I was invited by Giedre to talk to students from the DocNomadsPlus programme, to comment on their pitching including small trailers/teasers/clips. The theme given to them was Love/AMOUR and I was shocked that several of the students, coming from all over the world, felt that something was happening among the people in Vilnius and beyond… mentally… they were prepared… a war is just around the corner. Belarus and Russia are neighbours.

Yes, not everything is in order in Lithuania, to say the least. Yesterday it was like this:

“Around 30,000 people gathered in Cathedral Square in Vilnius on Saturday in defence of free speech. Demonstrators turned their anger on both the ruling Social Democrats and President Gitanas Nausėda over proposed changes to the law governing Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT.”

Talking to the filmmakers I met in wonderful Vilnius, they had nothing positive to say about the government and the president… Pro-Russia…

Photo: Vilnius! Wonderful Vilnius! Arranged by Giedre B. To the right. Panelists of a pitching session of DocNomadsPlus : Audrius Stonys, Linas Mikuta, Aiste Zegulyte, and me.

k

 

Mikael Opstrup: Why has Danish Documentary film been so internationally successful for decades? Here are some of the possible answers.

The documentaty Mr. Nobody against Putin
‘Mr. Nobody against Putin’, the first Danish produced film to win the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2026.

At the same time as the documentary film festival CPH:DOX in March 2026  was upon us for the 23rd time, the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature went to Denmark — after an impressive eight previous nominations. What did not succeed for, among others, Flee (2022), The Act of Killing (2013), and Burma VJ (2010) was achieved by Mr. Nobody Against Putin. Since the first Danish nomination in 2010, only the United States has received more nominations. That is impressive. And therefore it is interesting to consider what might explain the fact that Danish documentary filmmaking has remained so strong internationally for decades. For if we momentarily set aside the fact that the Oscars are at least as much about (film) politics as about film art — and that the principal and co-director of Mr. Nobody Against Putin are American and Russian respectively — it does not change the fact that Denmark has stood remarkably strong on the international documentary scene for decades. It is, for example, no coincidence that two of the companies that have worked consistently and effectively on the international stage for decades have chosen to brand themselves by naming their production companies Danish Documentary and Made in Copenhagen; the latter being the production company behind Mr. Nobody Against Putin. Denmark is a quality brand. Here are some suggestions as to what may, among other things, explain the decades-long strong position. And finally, a not insignificant twist: what actually is a documentary film? An interesting question with several answers.

The National Film Board

We must begin by going quite a long way back in time — specifically to 1939, when The National Film Board was founded. It was a core Social Democratic initiative to promote public education and information. The public was to be enlightened — and, now and then, probably also lectured. After a few years, the NFB began not only distributing films but also supporting their production, and the foundations were laid for a truly unique institution. Those of us of a slightly older generation will never forget the noise of a 16mm projector in the middle of the classroom; slightly younger generations were subjected to the hair-raisingly poor quality of VHS videotapes; and the youngest generations have had the pleasure of first the far superior DVDs and, from around the turn of the millennium, digital streaming. Since the mid-1980s, we have not even needed to go to school to access the films. We could borrow first VHS tapes and later DVDs from our local library, and now we can stream them via the same institutions. Something like four generations have grown up watching documentary films. That cannot be underestimated, and when I mention it to foreign colleagues, they are practically falling off their chairs. For us, it is everyday life; for them, paradise on earth. Before making a major leap forward in time, it is worth noting the development that took place in the films supported — and gradually also imported — by the NFB. They were no longer merely educational but also artistic. Creative documentary filmmaking, as it is often called for lack of a better term — there are probably not many people who promote themselves as wanting to make an uncreative film. But film as an art form was given more and more space. Documentary film was not only about subject and content; it stood on its own aesthetic and dramaturgical footing. Yes indeed, just like feature films.

The documentaty The Act of Killing
‘The Act of Killing’, Oscar-nominated in 2013

The merge

In 1998, something decisive happened. The institution for fiction films, the Danish Film Institute (DFI), and its documentary counterpart, the National Film Board (NFB), were merged. The positive and negative aspects are still debated among people working in documentary film.
It is almost never an advantage for documentary filmmaking to come under the same roof as its big brother. And it was indeed a setback for the development of the genre that it lost its dedicated ambassador. I am, however, among those who also see some positive aspects for documentary film as a result of the merger — more on that shortly.
But I cannot resist mentioning a couple of curiosities that, strictly speaking, have nothing to do with the matter but are nonetheless quite illustrative of the ‘balance of power’.

The new institution was named the Danish Film Institute. That sounds more like absorption than merger. The DFI people used PCs; the NFB people used the slightly cheekier Macs. The new DFI dictated PCs. The DFI people had a day off on Denmark’s national day, and the NFB people on 1 May. You can guess which day the new DFI chose.

The new DFI established two parallel production departments, one for feature films and one for documentaries. I was hired for a newly created position as a producer in the documentary production department — one of the classic positions in the firing line. And those positions were pretty crowded in the first years after the merger.
For example, after only a couple of days in the job, I attended a meeting of the Danish Film Directors’ Association. As far as I recall, the first question I was asked was, “What the hell is a type like you supposed to be good for?”

There were several reasons for this question.

First, I was to assess whether it was realistic that a film, the film commissioner wished to support, could actually be made within the planned budget and organisational framework. Applicants were not used to that kind of professional challenge.
Second, if a production had international potential, producers were asked to explore those possibilities before the DFI determined its level of support. Producers were not used to that either.
And third, producer and director could no longer be the same person. Many directors who had only acted as producers out of necessity were not used to that.

Today, as far as I am aware, there is no criticism of the producer system at the DFI.
Probably because it has contributed to the current situation: directors can concentrate on directing; producers have generally become more professionalised; and engagement with the international market brings inspiration, financing, and valuable contacts. A number of strong documentary producers have emerged hand in hand with these initiatives — including several behind the Oscar nominations.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the new DFI introduced Development Funding — support at a stage when the director has not yet found the film’s form. At a moment when it is extremely difficult to obtain other funding because it is so hard to describe the final product.

The other three institutional corners

However, the DFI was only one corner of a decisive square. Three other corners were the Film School, the professional organisations, and Public Service television.

The documentary directing department at the National Film School of Denmark was established in 1992 and from the very beginning placed emphasis on students developing a strong personal voice.
An auteur education — no Public Information for Citizens about Society here.
The documentary education has played a decisive role in ensuring that Denmark now have a veritable flood of talented directors.

The introduction of a proper producer education in 1983 — later called Creative Producer — and the upgrading of the Screenwriting education in 1988 were also important. These two departments are located within the Film School’s fiction department, but collaboration with students from the documentary department naturally took — and continues to take — place.
Producers are not only trained to prepare budgets and organise shoots, but as creative collaborators. And directors gained more and increasingly specialised sparring partners for writing scripts — something one is not necessarily good at, even if one is a good director.
Fortunately, this collaboration continues beyond the period of study. Many professional roles — not least cinematographers and editors — work across both genres, to the great benefit of each.

Among the professional organisations, it has been particularly significant that producers from the documentary and fiction genres joined forces in the Producers’ Association in 1998. Documentary producers had struggled to make themselves heard on their own, and the Association’s structure — with independent organisation of the genres and representation in a shared board — made the merger of the two genres, unusually, a strengthening for documentary professionals.

The relationship between the independent documentary sector and public service television has not always been an uncomplicated love affair. The more artistically driven documentaries from independent directors and producers have often struggled to reach large viewing figures. The sector has regularly criticised television for failing to promote the films sufficiently and for scheduling them when most viewers had already gone to bed.
TV commissioning editors, conversely, argued that the sector did not do enough to reach a broader audience.
But again, if we compare ourselves with the many countries that have not had strong public service television, the comparison clearly falls in Denmark’s favour. Hats off to DRTV and TV2.

The documentaty Burma VJ
’Burma VJ’, Oscar-nominated in 2010

Important developments within fiction film

Interestingly, major moments within feature filmmaking have also had an impact on documentary film. They have drawn international attention to Danish film in general and opened the eyes of Danish politicians to the value of branding Denmark abroad. And here it is important to consider the significance of individuals — not only the four institutional corners. In 1987, Babette’s Feast won an Oscar. In 1988 and 1989, Pelle the Conqueror won the Palme d’Or in Cannes and an Oscar respectively. In 1996, Breaking the Waves won the Grand Prix in Cannes. And in 2000, Dancer in the Dark won the Palme d’Or at the same festival. Add to this the Dogme films’ Vow of Chastity from 1995, which not only placed Denmark even more firmly on the world map but constituted an internationally recognised revolution in filmmaking method and aesthetics: handheld camera, no artificial lighting, no sets, no costumes, and so forth. The camera was to follow the actors — not, as usual, the other way round. Incidentally, a vow of chastity that was effectively tested in advance in The Kingdom (Riget) from 1994 — a television series that sent tremors through television screens and was followed by songs of praise from actors liberated from taped floor marks and carefully rehearsed camera movements. With the focus of this article, it is impossible not to point out the obvious: The production conditions for The Kingdom and the Dogme films bear a striking resemblance to those of documentary filmmaking. One can almost see the opening credits: Based on a true film. Prior to these successful fiction years, Danish feature film had for decades lived a languishing existence, and the number of productions had fallen to a level barely sufficient to sustain the industry. As representatives of the professional trades put it: so much time passes between productions that in the meantime we forget how to make films. Naturally, the film industry had complained about these conditions for years and had repeatedly called — in vain — for increased funding. But the international successes and the resulting branding opportunities created momentum that the leadership of the new DFI was able to exploit. Instead of merely calling for more money, they presented a concrete four-year plan that would have done any Soviet planner proud: If you grant us the requested budget increase, here is the plan for how we will spend it. It worked. Funding was increased — and, because of the merger of the genres, documentary film benefited as well. So, this more or less covered the ground. But not quite.

… and then there are:

The recently concluded documentary film festival CPH:DOX (March 2026) was founded in 1993 and has grown into one of the largest and most significant festivals in the world. In everyday circumstances, it is not easy to fill cinema halls when documentaries are on the programme. But encouragement can be found at CPH:DOX, which last year attracted more than 150,000 paying cinema-goers — and it would not be surprising if attendance rises once again at this year’s festival. Competition for calendar space among the vast number of festivals worldwide is fierce; CPH:DOX has succeeded in establishing a distinct profile, particularly by challenging the traditional boundaries of documentary film, both in terms of the films themselves and the screening. Equally important was the founding in 1996 of the Danish-based international documentary organisation European Documentary Network (EDN). For decades, EDN contributed to the creation of crucial documentary institutions in European countries with weak film infrastructures — including several Southern European countries where national film funds were little more than an office on the fifth floor of the Ministry of Culture. But above all in the former communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe, which after the fall of the Wall experienced the collapse of a fully state-funded and state-organised film infrastructure. Here, EDN was a decisive factor in building organisations and activities that connected these countries to the rest of Europe. Most of them still exist today. Thousands of documentary filmmakers across Europe have a great deal to thank Danish EDN for. It is no coincidence that EDN’s first director received two national orders of merit from the presidents of Latvia and Lithuania. And then there is the European Film College in the beautiful dunes near Ebeltoft, Jutland — an international folk high school that opened in 1993 and every year offers a highly respected film course to more than one hundred international film students. And the DFI’s support scheme New Danish Screen, established in 2004, which — unlike the existing funding schemes — focuses not on the finished product but on developing talent. And the independent voice that documentary film lost with the closure of the National Film Board has since been partly restored through the creation of a position as Head of Documentary at the DFI. Have I forgotten something — or someone? Almost certainly. And to that there is only one thing to say: my apologies.

The documentaty Flee
‘Flee’, 3 X Oscar-nominated in 2022

Documentary as a genre

Allow me, finally, to turn briefly to documentary film as a genre. Above, I have referred to it in the singular — and nothing could be more misleading. There are numerous subgenres, as well as hybrid films that blend fiction and documentary; since the turn of the millennium, animated documentary has even gained significant ground.
“What did you call it?” I exclaimed when a producer first asked whether such a project might be eligible for DFI support.

At the risk of oversimplification, one might describe the positions within the documentary genre as follows:
At one end, the journalistic documentary — whose primary purpose is to document and demonstrate in a neutral manner.
At the other end, the character-driven documentary — whose primary purpose is subjective storytelling and interpretation.
As far as I can see, Mr. Nobody Against Putin is neatly positioned somewhere between these two poles.

It is the character-driven documentary that, in its finished form, most closely resembles the feature film: we follow individuals who are exposed to more or less dramatic upheavals.
Interestingly, however, this is also the subgenre that, in the process of creation, lies furthest from the feature film. A feature film has a script, sets, actors, and so on — planned elements under the director’s control.
The character-driven documentary follows living people who — just like you and me — do exactly as they please. The building blocks of the story lie entirely outside the filmmaker’s control. Here, one of the director’s greatest abilities is to spot a potential development:
“I do not know what will happen, but I am fairly certain that something interesting will happen.”

The Danish documentary Apolonia, Apolonia, which won the main award at the leading documentary festival IDFA in Amsterdam in 2022, follows its protagonist for 13 — yes, thirteen — years.
I can assure you that she experiences dramatic upheavals that would have been impossible for the director to foresee in 2009.
Had it been a fiction film — interesting. As a documentary — intensely present.

Thank you for your attention, congratulations, and long live documentary film.

Mikael Opstrup, April 2026