All awards DOCVILLE 2005-2026

All awards DOCVILLE 2006-2026

Overview of the complete palmares from the very first competition at DOCVILLE (in 2006, the 2005 edition was without any competition) to the present.

2026

Belgian Competition

Mariinka

Pieter-Jan De Pue

Spanning over a decade of dedication, the film stands as a testament to long-term artistic commitment. De Pue’s use of analog cinematography—at times shooting in active trenches with a 16mm camera—results in images that are both raw and hauntingly poetic. The texture of the medium deepens the sense of time, memory, and fragility that runs throughout the film.

Through meticulous editing, past and present are interwoven: scenes of devastation collide with almost dreamlike and hopefull fragments from earlier years, creating a disorienting yet profoundly affecting temporal landscape. This interplay not only reflects the rupture caused by war, but also the persistence of youth, friendship, and memory against it.

At its core, Mariinka is a coming-of-age story shaped under extreme circumstances. It reveals multiple layers of what it means to grow up in a war zone—where violence becomes routine, where war risks turning into a job, even a purpose in life when all else is taken away, and where the boundaries between survival and identity blur. The film captures the complexity of these lived realities without simplification.

Beyond its immediate context, the film resonates as a broader metaphor for contemporary society: a world marked by loneliness, division, and systemic injustice. Yet within this, it foregrounds connection—how bonds are formed beyond blood ties, how shared experience forges a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, and how, despite everything, human empathy persists. All mothers, the film reminds us, carry the same pain. (Loved that quote in the beginning)

Importantly, this is not a closed story. The war continues, and so do the lives within it. Mariinka remains open-ended, reflecting a reality that is still unfolding—sadly not only in Ukraine, but as a warning of a fragility that extends far beyond its borders.

For its powerful synthesis of form and content, its emotional and political depth, and its unwavering commitment over time, the jury honors Mariinka as a work of urgency and cinematic precision.

Jury: Joyce Palmers (BE), Charissa Dechène (NL), Charel Muller (LU)

International Competition

A Fox under a Pink Moon

Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhalaghi

It’s rare to see a film where lyrical storytelling, a powerful character and a deeply urgent topic meet.

We were struck by a story of unstoppable creative power in the face of the most destructive circumstances, where pain is transformed into creative force by a young female artist.

The film is at once a coming-of-age tale, a refugee story, and the (self)portrait of a young female artist of extraordinary talent.

We award A Fox Under A Pink Moon with the International Jury Award.

Jury: John Dower (UK), Anne-Lore Vanderhallen (BE), Camille Ghekiere (BE)

TOPICS Award

Surviving the Death Committee

Nima Sarvestani

De prijs van de jury in deze categorie gaat naar de Zweedse film van Nima Sarvestani: Surviving the Death Committee. We volgen slachtoffers van massale executies en folteringen in Iran die jaren na de feiten hun beul/folteraar met een list naar Zweden lokken. Regisseur Nima Sarvestani, wiens eigen broer werd vermoord door de 'Death Committees', zoekt hierin gerechtigheid. Zij, de slachtoffers, willen hun trauma’s verwerken door de dader gerechtelijk te laten vervolgen.

De film schittert door zijn montage en structuur die naar de beklijvende essentie gaan. De spanning in de rechtszaal waar de dader het regime in Iran blijft verdedigen ten overstaande van de pakkende getuigenissen van de slachtoffers gaat door merg en been. De onverwachte uitkomst en anticlimax op het einde van de film toont de complexiteit van juridische kaders in een geopolitieke realiteit. De makers zijn er in geslaagd de slachtoffers een stem te geven en de onmenselijkheid van de daders aan de kaak te stellen. Meer dan ooit relevant vandaag in het licht van de gebeurtenissen in het Midden-Oosten.

Jury: Frits Buijs (NL), Reinhilde Weyns (BE), Jimmy Hendrickx (BE)

ScienceVille competition

A Life Illuminated

Tasha Van Zandt

This film presents the story of an inspiring but probably little-known researcher that was driven by a lifelong conviction that she could make a difference in how people see the world. Its stunning visuals combine with a story that that is at once deeply personal but equally driven by scientific curiosity. Her readiness to be “willing to fail” leads her finally to ultimate success, which we hope will inspire young people who want to pursue a scientific career.

The film gives much needed attention to the challenges that female scientists face and the hardships that they encounter throughout their careers. The award for best science documentary goes to A Life Illuminated.

Jury: Neal Heartman (US, CH), Katleen Gabriels (BE), Maria Stuut (NL, BE)

Audience Award

A Fox under a Pink Moon

Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhalaghi

2025

Belgian competition

Slave Island

Jeremy Kewuan, Jimmy Hendrickx

Jurytext: By shedding light on the heartbreaking truth—children sold, beaten, and denied education—the filmmakers reveal a harrowing practice that many would believe belongs only to the distant past. Yet the film goes beyond shock value, unearthing the cultural and spiritual justifications—personified by Mr. Lucky and a Maramba shaman—that continue to perpetuate these atrocities under the guise of divine will. The films sweeping drone shots of Sumba’s stunning landscapes contrast sharply with the grim subject matter, while Raquel Ferreira’s and Hendrickx’s thoughtful editing seamlessly balances intimacy and splendor, heightening the film’s emotional core. Ultimately, it is the compelling narrative, centered on local activist Jeremy Kewuan’s courageous mission to rescue three enslaved children, that makes the film not just an urgent call for social justice but also a perfect example of Belgian documentary filmmaking—and therefore deserving of the top honors at Docville. For its uncompromising exploration of hereditary slavery in West Sumba, Indonesia, where vestiges of Maramba, Kabihu, and Ata social classes still shape everyday realities, the award for best Belgian Documentary goes to “Slave Island” by Jimmy Hendrickx and Jeremy Kewuan.

All awards DOCVILLE 2006-2026

2026

Belgian Competition

Mariinka

International Competition

A Fox under a Pink Moon

TOPICS Award

Surviving the Death Committee

ScienceVille competition

A Life Illuminated

Audience Award

A Fox under a Pink Moon

2025

Belgian competition

Slave Island

International competition

Songs of Slow Burning Earth

TOPICS Award

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

ScienceVille Prijs

Life and other Problems

Nationale Loterij Audience Award

My Stolen Planet

2024

Belgian competition

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

International competition

The Tuba Thieves

TOPICS Award

A Storm Foretold

ScienceVille Prijs

Eternal You

Nationale Loterij Audience Award

Life Is Beautiful

2023

Belgian competition

Dag Ma

International competition

The invention of the Other

TOPICS Award

Rojek

Publieksprijs

Wolf

Nationale Loterij Award for best Science Doc

Make People Better

2022

Belgian competition

Juste un Mouvement

International competition

Trenches

Weten&Geweten

Jason

Publieksprijs

Duty of Care

2021

Belgian competition

Holgut

International competition

Some Kind of Heaven

Weten&Geweten

President

Publieksprijs

The Jump

2020

Belgian competition

Victoria

International competition

The Painter and the Thief

Weten&Geweten

Collective

Publieksprijs

The Cave

2019

Belgian competition

Sakawa

International competition

Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story

Weten&Geweten

One Child Nation

Publieksprijs