As part of the renowned DokuFest festival, the winners of the first edition of the Short Film Forum were announced yesterday. This new initiative is dedicated to fostering emerging short film talent from the Balkan region. The award ceremony, organized by the Kosovo Cinematography Center, took place during a special reception on August 6 and marked the official conclusion of this innovative gathering.

Eight projects from Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania were selected to participate in the forum, which offered professional mentorship, collaboration opportunities, and exposure to key figures in the international film industry.

Below is the full list of award winners:

• EURO CONNECTION Award: I Still Haven’t Cried, directed by Flaka Kokolli (Kosovo).

• AGORA MARKET Award: Discobox, directed by Romina Ruda (Albania).

• YOU ONLY PITCH TWICE Award: Who Is Singing?, directed by Ana Morina (Kosovo).

• FESTIVAL STRATEGY Award (presented by Square Eyes): Soil, by Kiril Karakash and Svetislav Podleshanov (North Macedonia).

• TALENT DOC Award (presented by the Kosovo Cinematography Center): Soundtrack of a People: Boom, directed by Fjolla Muharremi (Kosovo).

• BEST PITCH Award (by DokuFest): sveti antun pustinjak, directed by Antonio Dimovski (North Macedonia).

• BEST PROJECT – Creative Force Award (Embassy of Sweden): Who Is Singing?, directed by Ana Morina (Kosovo).

Organizers emphasized that these awards reflect the remarkable talent, creativity, and diversity of the region’s emerging filmmakers. The forum was supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo and the film centers of Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia. Montenegro is also set to join the initiative for the 2026 edition.