The 22nd edition of ZagrebDox has come to a close with an awards ceremony that took place on Saturday 25 April, held at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema, which also serves as the primary location for the festival. Croatia’s largest documentary gathering showcased 112 documentaries in various formats across 16 sections. Twenty of them were competing for the Big Stamp in the international competition, while 18 were in the running for the same prize in the regional equivalent.

According to the jury, consisting of filmmakers Christian Frei and David Borenstein alongside producer Oliver Sertić, A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Mehrdad Oskouei and Soraya Akhlaghi was deserving of the Big Stamp in the international category. They deemed it “a powerful and poetic film created through a fascinating collaboration. All of the formal elements have a clear purpose in presenting a timely global topic through the raw and intimate perspective of an unforgettable character. Soraya's honest portrayal of her struggle will be remembered for a long time to come,” summed up the jury. Natalia Koniarz’s Silver was awarded a Special Mention.

In the regional competition, the jury, consisting of filmmakers Clara Trischler and Dalija Dozet, awarded Petra Seliškar’s The Mountain Won’t Move the Big Stamp. “The film's captivating visual language and soundscape take us into a meditative state, while at the same time deeply questioning the tension of life caught between freedom and the purpose of one's existence,” went their statement. Sebastijan Borovčak’s short film Serene Valley was awarded a Special Mention.

The Small Stamp for the Best Documentary by a Filmmaker Under 35 also went to Koniarz for Silver, and the same jury, consisting of Jamillah van der Hulst, Jozo Schmuch and Oleksii Yeroshenko, also decided the fate of the short films in competition. The Small Stamp went to Martin Herr for Omama, while Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani’s The Men’s Land got a Special Mention.

Cutting Through Rocks by Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki won the Movies that Matter Award, the FIPRESCI Award went to Marta Popivoda’s short film Slet 1988, while the jury of secondary-school students singled out the short Memories of a Window by Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar as the best work in the Teen Dox category. They also rewarded Niklas Gyberg Ivarsson’s Things That Keep Me up at Night via a Special Mention.

Slobodanka Radun’s One Man Avalanche and Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 Meters to Andriivka were presented with the Audience Awards in the regional and international category, respectively. Finally, the Honorary Big Stamp for Lifetime Achievement was given to Swiss filmmaker and jury member Christian Frei, whose five films were shown in the retrospective programme section.

Here is the full list of award winners:

International Competition

Big Stamp
A Fox Under a Pink Moon – Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhlaghi (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark)
Special Mention
Silver – Natalia Koniarz (Poland/Norway/Finland)

Regional Competition

Big Stamp
The Mountain Won’t Move – Petra Seliškar (Slovenia/France/North Macedonia)
Special Mention
Serene Valley – Sebastijan Borovčar (Croatia, short film)

Shorts Competition

Small Stamp
Omama – Martin Herr (Hungary/Belgium/Portugal, short film)
Special Mention
The Men’s Land – Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani (Georgia/Hungary, short film)

Young Jury Award

Small Stamp
Silver – Natalia Koniarz

Movies That Matter Award
Cutting Through Rocks – Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki (Iran/Netherlands/USA/Germany/Qatar/Chile/Canada)

FIPRESCI Award
Slet 1988 – Marta Popivoda (Germany/France/Serbia, short film)

Teen Dox

Teen Dox Award
Memories of a Window – Mehraneh Salimian, Amin Pakparvar (Iran/USA/Germany, short film)
Special Mention
Things That Keep Me up at Night – Niklas Gyberg Ivarsson (Sweden/Denmark, short film)

Audience Awards

AVITEH Audience Award – International Competition
2000 Meters to Andriivka – Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine)

Croatian Radio-Television Audience Award – Regional Competition
One Man Avalanche – Slobodanka Radun (Montenegro)

Honorary Big Stamp
Christian Frei