WINNERS OF DOKUFEST XXI ANNOUNCED

14 August, 2022

The winners of the 21st, ‘How to Survive…?’ edition of DokuFest were announced Saturday evening in an award ceremony held at Lumbardhi Open Air Cinema in Prizren, in the presence of numerous dignitaries, guests, jurors, sponsors and partners of the festival.

108 films, representing 58 countries, ran for awards in 8 competing categories and were judged by a pool of jurors who all by one traveled to Prizren. A selection of 12 films ran for Audience Award also.

The 9-day festival saw the return to the physical format with the screenings of 272 films in more than 10 cinemas, workshops, panels, debates, masterclasses, exhibitions and a series of live music acts of the returning music program, DokuNights, curated by Leart Rama with the performances of predominantly experimental and electronic music of internationally renowned artists such as Hercules & Love Affair, Sega Bodega, Zebra Katz, Off The Meds, DMX Krew, D.DAN, Roza Terenzi, Phase Fatale, Detroit in Effect, Jensen Interceptor, Adam Pits, Schwefelgelb, Sophie Du Palais,  Detroit in Effect, Jensen Interceptor, Ceeohaz Acid Crew, and many more, among our local artists, Edona Vatoci, This Is Not, Leart Rama, Matale, Pandaudio, Tadi, Leo Lumezi, Genc Elezaj. 

You can find the full list of awards and the jury statements below:

BALKAN DOX 

Winning film: FACTORY TO THE WORKERS

STATEMENT: The jury unanimously chose a documentary that reveals the complex and universal dynamics of a microcosm where human solidarity is challenged by brutal societal forces, using a sensitive approach and a precise observational camerawork. The Balkan Dox Award goes to Factory to the Workers by Srđan Kovačević. 

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE DOX 

Winning film: DRY GROUND BURNING 

SPECIAL MENTION

Film:  THE ECLIPSE 

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS DOX 

Winning film: HAULOUT 

STATEMENT: Haulout by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaeva creates a breathtaking yet threatening atmosphere. The Film captivates through the restrained observation of the camera and stunning sound design. The directors slowly and gently guide us to the point where they open a door to the world creating a beautiful cinematic moment. By entering a personal experience of a person, we are confronted with a phenomenon which has a global impact. The well-tuned mix of the various elements convinced the jury unanimously. 

SPECIAL MENTION 

Winning film: I AM TRYING TO REMEMBER  

STATEMENT: I am trying to remember presents a poetic archival exploration to uncover the ghostly presence of Gholam whose face is invisible; blurred, scratched out, burnt and crossed off as if he was never part of the history. Through the poetic unfolding of the film the face of Gholam starts to take shape where we understand that a collective history which he was part of was violently interrupted. In a very remarkable way, Ahangarani’s film combines the calm photographic shots with the moving images of stormy crowds; the moments from the private family gatherings with the repression of collective dreams. 

HUMAN RIGHTS DOX 

Winning film: MYANMAR DIARIES

STATEMENT: The jury was impressed by the quality and spirit of all the works in the Human Rights Dox section. The winning film is Myanmar Diaries, realized by The Myanmar Film Collective -  a bold and heartbreaking collage film made by several anonymous voices that share one deeply hurt but unbreakable soul. A film as a cry of pain, a battle cry, a cry for help and a cry to be heard and seen. The oppression witnessed here is extreme and inhumane, the resistance comes in many shapes and colors. Cinematic forms, formats and montage are masterfully combined in an urgent attempt to overcome this hopefully very brief moment in Myanmar's history, but many of the people in this film, simultaneously afraid and unimaginably brave, will stay with us forever. 

SPECIAL MENTION 1

Winning film: CHILDREN OF THE MIST 

STATEMENT: The threats of child marriage, bride kidnapping, poverty and alcoholism are always there for Di, the 13-year old protagonist of Children of the Mist. But still the director manages to also capture joyful and lighter moments in her life. Family life and puberty in all its complexity between tradition and modernity are at the core of this intimate portrait, set amidst the natural, lush beauty of the rice fields in North Vietnam. This impressive feature length debut certainly deserves a special jury mention. 

SPECIAL MENTION 2 

Film: THE NEW GREATNESS CASE

STATEMENT: This incredibly brave and strong film tells the story of young Russians that are arrested and accused of conspiring to overthrow the government on the basis of fabricated evidence. The director brilliantly analyzes and depicts the crackdown on the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly in Russia. She also shows the different explicit and implicit forms of violence in a country where systematic human rights violations are the norm and echoes of Stalinist repressions are felt in everyday life. The jury felt strongly that -especially during the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine- this film deserves a special jury mention. 

GREEN DOX

Winning film: FORAGERS

STATEMENT: Director Jumana Manna creates an intimate connection between the plight of her subjects and the audience, heightened by meditative landscapes and textures, and moving use of interviews. This is a needed story of how the bond between people and nature cannot easily be broken. 

TRUTH 

Winning film: THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST

STATEMENT: Throughout the week, we've been confronted with films on important topics and challenging realities, each deserving a spotlight. Those films informed us, touched us, shook us, and reminded us of what we do and should stand for.   One film made us reflect deeply upon the notion of freedom of speech and more so on the eminence and standing of speaking the truth to power. We became part of an investigation seeking truth and justice, while keeping us attached and empathetic with the characters and rooting for them in their dignified struggle to seek an undeniable truth.  

The award for the best film of the Truth Dox competition goes to a hard work, an unnerving experience and to the inspiring determination of those who relentlessly speak truth to power;  "The Killing of a Journalist" by Matt Sarnecki. 

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS 

Winning film: WILL MY PARENTS COME TO SEE ME 

SPECIAL MENTION 

Winning film: LOVE AND REVENGE 

EFA NOMINATION 

Winning  film: MEMOIR OF A VEERING STORM

NATIONAL 

Winning film: KA ME KALU

STATEMENT: An intimate family portrait highlighting the emotional states connected to loss and mourning with gentleness and care. The film explores a present trauma intertwining it with past and history without losing grasp on the narrative, and it is supported by a great acting performance and chemistry among the protagonists, marking a solid directorial debut. The Best Film of National Competition goes to Ka Me Kalu by Flonja Kodheli.