Doc.World

Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival 2026 Award Winners Announced!

The 2026 edition of the Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival took place earlier this week in wonderful company at Palace Central in Chippendale, home to new releases, international and local art-house cinema. We'd like to thank all of our guests for coming out and enjoying our evenings of independent documentary cinema, hosted by film industry veteran John Samaha.

The official selection included 21 wonderful films hailing from Australia, France, Poland, Spain, Canada, Armenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, and Belgium.

We are pleased to share with you today the 2026 Doc.Sydney award winners, chosen by the jury panel.

Best Feature Documentary Film
Beyond The Break (Australia) by Caleb Joshua Graham

Best Short Documentary Film
Mom Dances (Switzerland) by Mégane Brügger

Best Australian Documentary Film
Darlinghurst Eats Its Young (Australia) by Madeleine Preston

Best Underground Documentary Film
Tokyo Toy Boy (Belgium) by Esli Balatova

Best Experimental Documentary Film
Tainted by the Visual (United Kingdom) by Laura Calzada

Best Super Short Documentary Film
Scarred (Canada) by Zeddy Chevron

Audience Choice Award
Lucky (Australia) by Anna McGahan

Congratulations to all!

We'd like to thank Palace Cinemas and The Bigger Screen for their amazing continued support.
A new Call for Entries for Doc.Sydney 2027 has been launched on FilmFreeway, submit your film now: https://filmfreeway.com/DocSydney.

See you next year!

Official Selection / winners of The Tarkovski Grant
Tainted by the Visual (United Kingdom) by Laura Calzada
Together alone (Armenia) by Artur Sahakyan
Babcia (Australia) by Jeremy Hammer
Tokyo Toy Boy (Belgium) by Esli Balatova
Scarred (Canada) by Zeddy Chevron
The Ogre (United States) by Justin Boswick
Unscarred (Belgium) by Théo Roland
Haagua (Mexico, United States) by Marc Antony Chavez, Octavio Aceves Coutiño
Mom Dances (Switzerland) by Mégane Brügger
To the embers (France) by Morgane Ambre
Darlinghurst Eats Its Young (Australia) by Madeleine Preston
Beyond The Break (Australia) by Caleb Joshua Graham
The Shade of the Walnut Tree (Spain) by Manuel García Gil
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett
Let it Dance (Australia) by Carolyn Corkindale
Are you there? (Poland) by Xawery Deskur
Baq'a The Open Valley (Canada) by Youssef Mutawe
Lucky (Australia) by Anna McGahan
I've Been Told I Saved A Life (Australia) by Jonathon Shannon, Bodhi Watts
Holding On (United Kingdom) by Emma Croft
KIN - Dudi & Jojo (Australia) by Tumeli Tuqota
Four Wide (Australia) by Jeremy Hammer

Doc.London is an annual documentary film festival that features work from around the world by up and coming artists, showcasing innovative independent cinema that invites viewers to learn and ponder. Thursday marked the closing night of the in-person part of the 2026 edition, which took place at BFI Stephen Street. The Streaming Selection, the festival's online program, remains available for streaming until 23 April.

The official selection included 24 documentary films hailing from the U.S, the U.K., Germany, France, Australia, Estonia, China, Portugal, Poland, and Indonesia. Doc.London is happy to share with you today the award winners, as chosen by this year's jury members:

Best Feature Documentary Film:
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett

Best Short Documentary Film:
Faustyna (Poland) by Natalia Dutkiewicz

Best Connecting Cultures Film:
Belle de Nuit (United Kingdom) by Jack Dunn, Aurélia Lépine

Best UK Documentary Film:
A King Comes To Town (United Kingdom) by Joseff Morgan

Best Experimental Documentary Film:
Darlinghurst Eats Its Young (Australia) by Madeleine Preston

Best Underground Documentary Film:
Insania Mundi (United Kingdom) by Brendan Void

Best Super Short Documentary Film:
Manya (Portugal) by Faebitha Rahiman, Camila Amado Restrepo, Mariia Ivashchenko, Jean Jurado

Audience Choice Award:
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett

Congratulations to all participating filmmakers!

Official Selection / winners of The Tarkovski Grant
Manya (Portugal) by Faebitha Rahiman, Camila Amado Restrepo, Mariia Ivashchenko, Jean Jurado
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett
Kev (United Kingdom) by Mike Bennion
A King Comes To Town (United Kingdom) by Joseff Morgan
Push The Machine (Australia, France, United Kingdom) by Max Ward
Darlinghurst Eats Its Young (Australia) by Madeleine Preston
Insania Mundi (United Kingdom) by Brendan Void
Spiegelberg - Ein deutsches Dorf (Germany) by Adrian Sagolla
Dearest Ghost (Estonia) by Margaret Mäses
Faustyna (Poland) by Natalia Dutkiewicz
Belle de Nuit (United Kingdom) by Jack Dunn, Aurélia Lépine
To the embers (France) by Morgane Ambre
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett
Seconds Away (United States) by Benjamin Kegan
Nothing to See Here: Watts (United States) by Michael Soenen
Let it Dance (Australia) by Carolyn Corkindale
Where is Love? (United Kingdom) by Trojan Women Project
Ottilie Moore’s Protégé Charlotte Salomon (United States) by Dana Plays
Matahari — The Sun of Tiganderket (Indonesia) by Bagoes Kresnawan
KIN - Dudi & Jojo (Australia) by Tumeli Tuqota
The Measured Approach (United Kingdom) by Giulia Heaton
Simulating Space (United States) by Dave Croyle
Touching fish (China) by Yongjin Li
A Birmingham Symphony (United Kingdom) by Jemma Saunders
Ujvala Jupalli: Asterisk Athlete (United States) by Josephine Harrison

https://www.doclondon.org

FREE TICKETS: DOC.LONDON DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
We will be screening in-person at BFI Stephen Street (24-26 March), as well as streaming a small online programme (24 March - 23 April). The official selection consists of 30 wonderful short and feature documentaries. Find out more and reserve your free tickets: https://www.doclondon.org
About Doc.London Documentary Film Festival:
Doc.London is part of Doc.World, a global network of documentary film festivals, with festivals in London, Berlin, Athens, Ghent, Boston and Sydney. As a celebration of the cinematic and visual arts, these documentary festivals will bring diverse international films to our community and showcase the best regional and international filmmakers.

Doc.Boston Wraps Up 5th Edition, Announces Award Winners

“The 2025 edition of Doc.Boston once again pushes the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling,” says festival curator Kris De Meester. “From the ravaged oil fields of Syria to a widow’s defiant stand on Lebanon’s southern border, from the intimate pain and resilience of a genderqueer performer in Las Vegas to the haunting legacy of a forgotten American master painter—this year’s films reveal lives shaped by conflict, identity, trauma, and tenacity. Whether through the quiet reflections of cloistered nuns or the raw emotion of an Armenian artist setting fire to his own work, these documentaries challenge, move, and inspire. Doc.Boston 2025 is a bold testament to the power of personal truth in a fractured world.”

The official selection included 26 documentary films from all over the world. (the Streaming Selection, remains available for streaming until July 27, more info on https://www.doc.boston/streaming).

Doc.Boston is happy to share with you today the award winners of 2025, as chosen by this year's jury members:

Best Feature Documentary Film
The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie (United States) by Evan Goodchild

Best Short Documentary Film
Who Loves the Sun (Canada) by Arshia Shakiba

Best US Documentary Film
F-cking Sober (United States) by Em Vaughn

Best Experimental Documentary Film
Dearest Ghost (Estonia) by Margaret Mäses

Best Extremely Short Documentary Film
Buzz (United States) by Nina Ruggero

Best New England Documentary Film
Woman Rising (United States) by Matilde Simas

Best Connecting Cultures Film
Shifting Roots (Lebanon) by Angie Mrad

Congratulations to al filmmakers! And a big thank you to all guests for coming out to enjoy four evenings of short film cinema, we hope to see you all back next year.