


Mark Cousins at DocsBarcelona 2026

The Barcelona International Documentary Film Festival – DocsBarcelona 2026 will award scottish-irish filmmaker Mark Cousins the Docs of Honor Award and dedicate a retrospective to his work during the next edition, which will take place from May 7 to 17. During his visit to Barcelona, Cousins will also present the spanish premiere of the first episode of his new series, The Story of Documentary Film, after its world and European premieres at the Sundance and Berlin festivals respectively. Cousins will also offer a masterclass and will headline the opening conference of the DocsBarcelona Pro professional market. This tribute is possible thanks to the valued collaboration with the Filmoteca de Catalunya.
With the new series The Story of Documentary Film, Cousins expands the universe of The Story of Film: An Odyssey, a monumental 15-hour project with which he has redefined the dissemination of film history, reaffirming his status as one of the great audiovisual storytellers of world cinema. In addition to being among the most prominent contemporary film theorists for his academic and essayistic approaches to the seventh art, Cousins also possesses a remarkable artistic, personal, and auteur-driven side, focused on emotions and perspective, materialized in films such as I am Belfast (2015) and Stockholm, My Love (2016).
DocsBarcelona wanted to recognize Cousins for his unquestionable contribution to cinema, culture and audiovisual education, as well as for a career that champions art and cinema as a tool for cultural transformation and critical thinking, open to the world and its complexities, and for his continued work in the dissemination, preservation and renewal of cinematic language, exploring and expanding its limits.
Photo: Mark Cousins.