DokuFest drew the curtain last night on its 24th edition, crowning Action Item, by Slovak filmmaker Paula Ďurinová, as Best International Feature Documentary. The closing ceremony took place at the historic Kino Lumi cinema, in front of jurors, guests, sponsors, and partners, marking the end of nine intense days dedicated to film, music, and cultural debate.

During this edition, the city of Prizren became a true audiovisual showcase: 213 films, 9 performances, 8 panel discussions, 4 masterclasses, and 6 workshops took place in both traditional cinemas and improvised venues, including at the ITP premises.

Among the most notable awards, the Audience Award —sponsored for 21 years by ProCredit Bank— went to Palace of Youth by Maddie Gwin. In the National Competition, SOS by Anita Morina won Best National Film, while Ndera by Endrit Qarolli received the Distribution Award granted by Radiator IP Sales, which promotes the international reach of Kosovar productions.

The youth jury of the DocYouth Alliance program, made up of participants from Kosovo and Serbia, selected Coexistence My Ass by Amber Fares as Best Youth Film.

The Balkan Dox section once again captured the public’s attention, debuting this year the Best Balkan Short Dox category, which went to Merging Bodies by Albanian filmmaker Adrian Paci. The main feature award was given to A Strange Colour of Dream by Yasemin Akinci, while Soil and Wings by Stefan Malešević earned a Special Mention.

In the Green Dox competition, which focuses on environmental issues, Shifting Baselines by Julien Elie took the top prize, and May the Soil Be Everywhere by Yehui Zhao received a Special Mention. In the field of human rights, the Swiss Embassy presented the award to My Dear Theo by Alisa Kovalenko, for its moving first-person portrait from the war front.

The International Shorts category honored Blue Heart by Samuel Suffren, while Masterpiece Mommy by Dorothy Sing Zhang was nominated for the Best European Short Film Award. The Best International Short Documentary went to We Were the Scenery by Christopher Radcliff.

In addition to its competitive program, DokuFest launched the First Balkan Short Film Forum, a new platform to support emerging talent from the region, backed by the Swedish Embassy, the Ministry of Culture of Kosovo, and film centers from several Balkan countries. Eight projects were presented, with prizes totaling €5,500 in cash and support from the festival’s international partners.