The European documentary festival network has selected 16 short and feature-length films
The films competing for this year’s Doc Alliance Award have been announced. Each of the seven European documentary festivals that make up the Doc Alliance network—of which Doclisboa is a member—along with this year’s guest festival, GAIFF (Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival), has nominated one short film and one feature-length film from its 2025 program.
The Doc Alliance Award will be presented on May 19 in Cannes during the Doc Day Lunch at the Marché du Film (invitation only).
The winners will be selected by a jury composed of Wouter Jansen (CEO and founder of Square Eyes), Maria Palacios Cruz (director of the Open City Documentary Festival), and film critic, filmmaker, and producer Mark Peranson. The award carries a cash prize of 5,000 euros for Best Feature-Length Documentary and 3,000 euros for Best Short Documentary, offering financial support for the filmmakers’ future work.
Following the award presentation, representatives of the Doc Alliance network will present the Doc Alliance Research Handbook. As part of a long-term research project, the network has collected information on all member festivals, focusing on key areas such as new technologies, inclusive programming, sustainability, emerging talent, and educational practices.
The Doc Alliance network is dedicated to supporting emerging talent in European documentary filmmaking and comprises seven member festivals—Doclisboa, CPH:DOX, DOK Leipzig, FIDMarseille, Ji.hlava IDFF, Millennium Docs Against Gravity, and Visions du Réel—along with an annual guest festival, this year being GAIFF. For the Best Feature Film category, only debut or second feature films by directors are eligible. Each festival also commits to screening at least three of the nominated films at its next edition.
Full list of Best Feature nominees:
- A Song Without Home (სიმღერა სახლის გარეშე), Georgia/USA, director: Rati Tsiteladze, nominated by CPH:DOX
- Afterlives, Germany/Belgium/France, director: Kevin B. Lee, nominated by Doclisboa
- Fantasy (Fantaisie), France, director: Isabel Pagliai, nominated by FIDMarseille
- Holler For Service, Germany/USA, directors: Ole Elfenkaemper, Kathrin Seward, nominated by DOK Leipzig
- Imago, France/Belgium, director: Déni Oumar Pitsaev, nominated by Golden Apricot IFF
- Minimum Love (Minimum lásky), Czech Republic, director: Maja Penčič, nominated by Ji.hlava IDFF
- The Case Against Space, UK/France, director: Graeme Arnfield, nominated by Visions du Réel
- Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest, Germany/Netherlands, director: Viv Li, nominated by Millennium Docs Against Gravity
Full list of Best Short nominees:
- Amma, Do Giraffes Cry?, Czech Republic, director: Kartikeya Saxena, nominated by Millennium Docs Against Gravity
- Apocalypse Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and the Day After Tomorrow (Apokalypsa včera, dnes, zítra a pozítří), Ukraine/Czech Republic, director: Anastasiia Bonadyha, nominated by Ji.hlava IDFF
- Cold Call, Germany, director: Stefanie Schroeder, nominated by DOK Leipzig
- Conversations and Dreams, Czech Republic/Armenia, director: Melanya Hamasyan, nominated by Golden Apricot IFF
- Errabonda, Denmark/Italy, director: Emma Harris, nominated by CPH:DOX
- Some of You Fucked Eva, France, director: Lilith Grasmug, nominated by FIDMarseille
- The Divided City of Mitrovica (Podeljeni grad Kosovska Mitrovica), Serbia/Kosovo, director: Marko Grba Singh, nominated by Doclisboa
- The Interpreter, UK, director: Mohamad Hafeda, nominated by Visions du Réel
More information about the Doc Alliance Award: docalliance.org
More information about the guest festival 2026: Golden Apricot IFF
