The Lisbon International Documentary Film Festival announced the winners of its 24th edition, with People and Power, by Ico Costa, and Chronicle of Tiredness, by Natalia Marín, also among the standout titles. The closing ceremony took place on Saturday at Culturgest, followed by a screening of Thanks for Coming, by Alain Cavalier, the film selected to close the festival.
For the Moon, by French filmmaker Éric Baudelaire, won the City of Lisbon Award for Best Film in the International Competition. The jury praised the film for celebrating the sounds and images of cinema while embracing both the presence and absence of the visual world.
The Doclisboa International Competition Jury Award went to Noli me tangere, by Ghassan Salhab, for the precision with which the director portrays the different layers of Lebanese history. Meanwhile, João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata received the award for Best Director in the section for 13 Pins, recognised for its imaginative richness and cinematic inventiveness.
In the Portuguese Competition, the top award was unanimously presented to Everyone’s Voice – Jornal do Fundão, by Manuel Mozos. The jury highlighted the film’s defence of democracy, freedom of expression and resistance to fascism, as well as its call for social cohesion.
The Portuguese Authors Society Portuguese Competition Jury Award went to Hypogea, by Raul Domingues, while People and Power, by Ico Costa, received an Honourable Mention and the ETIC Award for Best Portuguese Competition Film. The jury praised its exploration of the faces, gestures and dreams of a population repeatedly stripped of its own power.
In the Green Years Competition, dedicated to emerging filmmaking voices, The Trench, by Manuel Ferreira, won Best Film, earning recognition for its narrative freedom and formal experimentation. Vanishing Point, by Rita Torres, received the award for Best Portuguese Green Years Film, while Square of the Unseen, by Theodore Selekos, received an Honourable Mention.
Among the cross-sectional awards, Promised Spaces, by Ivan Marković, received the New Talent Award for its cinematography and exploration of social and economic inequalities. The Healthy Workplaces Film Award went to Sometimes Sadness, Sometimes Rebellion, by María Aparicio, while Chronicle of Tiredness, by Natalia Marín, won Best Short Film. The film will be pre-nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The audience awards went to Os Continuadores da Revolução, by Pedro Neves, which received the RVA Legal Partners Rights and Freedoms Audience Award, and Casa do Artista – Não é Permitido Envelhecer, by Solveig Nordlund, which won the TVCine Channels Audience Award.
Following the official closing, Doclisboa will continue with screenings of award-winning films at Cinema Ideal on 26, 27 and 28 October. In addition, People and Power will receive a special screening at Culturgest on 30 October. The retrospective dedicated to Filipino filmmaker Lino Brocka will continue for a few more days at Cinemateca Portuguesa. The festival’s next edition will take place from 14 to 24 October 2027.
Doclisboa 2026 Award Winners
International Competition
Best Film: For the Moon, by Éric Baudelaire.
Jury Award: Noli me tangere, by Ghassan Salhab.
Best Director: João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata for 13 Pins.
Portuguese Competition
Best Film: Everyone’s Voice – Jornal do Fundão, by Manuel Mozos.
Portuguese Authors Society Jury Award: Hypogea, by Raul Domingues.
Honourable Mention: People and Power, by Ico Costa.
ETIC Award for Best Portuguese Competition Film: People and Power, by Ico Costa.
Green Years Competition
Best Film: The Trench, by Manuel Ferreira.
Best Portuguese Film: Vanishing Point, by Rita Torres.
Honourable Mention: Square of the Unseen, by Theodore Selekos.
Cross-sectional Awards
New Talent Award: Promised Spaces, by Ivan Marković.
Healthy Workplaces Film Award: Sometimes Sadness, Sometimes Rebellion, by María Aparicio.
Best Short Film: Chronicle of Tiredness, by Natalia Marín.
Audience Awards
RVA Legal Partners Rights and Freedoms Audience Award: Os Continuadores da Revolução, by Pedro Neves.
TVCine Channels Audience Award: Casa do Artista – Não é Permitido Envelhecer, by Solveig Nordlund.