Pordenone Docs Fest Awards
The 19th edition of Pordenone Docs Fest concluded yesterday with its awards ceremony. From March 25 to 29, the festival brought the very best of international documentary filmmaking to Pordenone, transforming the city into a hub for dialogue, debate, and discovery.
For five days, the theaters of Cinemazero were infused with a vibrant, collective energy. Over 250 guests from around the world—including directors, authors, critics, exhibitors, and distributors—joined a massive turnout of students to animate every moment of the festival, fostering a continuous dialogue between the audience and the protagonists of “cinema del reale” (cinema of the real). Every evening screening was sold out, as were the talks, workshops, and in-depth sessions that made this edition particularly rich and engaging.
“Documentaries can change the world,” declared festival curator Riccardo Costantini. “That was the claim of this edition, and we received concrete proof of it over the last few days: over 6,000 people experienced the festival, engaging with it with curiosity and passion, helping to make it a vital, necessary space.”
The Award Winners
The Jury Grand Prix was awarded to A Fox under a Pink Moon by Mehrdad Oskouei. The international jury—composed of writer Esther Kinsky, director Igor Bezinović (winner at the 2026 EFAs with Fiume o Morte!), and presided over by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, one of the most influential figures in contemporary documentary—honored the film with the following citation:
“The film offers an authentic and direct look at the risks of embarking on a migratory route, a path marked by constant threats. It was filmed over five years using a simple mobile phone by the protagonist herself, providing an intimate and deeply personal perspective. The fact that the protagonist was still a teenager during filming makes this narrative even more powerful: we hope the film reaches a young audience, who are often distanced from the human and individual dimensions of migration.”
The jury also awarded a Special Mention to Peacemaker by Ivan Ramljak, describing it as “a precious work of collecting and enhancing archival materials, capable of constructing a portrait of a figure who deserves to be remembered,” while noting how the film powerfully reminds us that, today more than ever, impunity remains a crucial knot in contemporary conflicts.
The Green Documentary Award went to Supernature by Ed Sayers, which also won the Audience Award after receiving a warm and enthusiastic reception. The citation highlights how, “in an era marked by crisis and environmental neglect, the film is an invitation to open our eyes to the beauty that still endures. It is a call to action, to feel part of a collective narrative that unites humans, nature, and the elements into a single, shared story.”
The Young Jury, composed of students from across Europe alongside the Cinemazero Young Club, presented the Young Jury Award to 32 Meters by Morteza Atabaki. The jury praised its ability to sensitively portray the desire for freedom, growth, and self-discovery through the protagonists’ journey toward autonomy, authentically capturing their aspirations, fears, and determination to redefine their roles in society.
A powerful and timely signal also came from the DocsXR Audience Award, given to the immersive experience Under the Same Sky. The piece follows a Palestinian journalist documenting the horrors of the Gaza Strip, now reduced to rubble. It is a work capable of involving the viewer firsthand, transforming a vision into an experience and making the reality described feel even more urgent and tangible.
The winning works tell necessary stories—stories of change that challenge our gaze and open new perspectives. This drive toward a deeper, more conscious point of view served as the “fil rouge” (common thread) of the entire 19th edition.