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Seven films connected to the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus were among the winners at the 69th edition of DOK Leipzig, the international festival for documentary and animated film.
Concrete Land, directed by Asmahan Bkerat, and in memory of, by Florinda Ciucio, received the two Silver Doves in the International Documentary Competition.
A Jordanian-Palestinian production, Concrete Land follows three generations of an Afro-Palestinian Bedouin family living on the outskirts of Amman. As luxury developments expand around their home, the family faces the possibility of losing both their land and their way of life. Bkerat received the Silver Dove for Feature-Length Documentary, accompanied by a cash prize.
The short documentary Silver Dove went to the Belgian film in memory of. Ciucio follows Mohammed Imrani, an artist from Gaza now living in Paris. Through drawings of streets, buildings and familiar places, he reconstructs memories of a city where many of those landmarks have been destroyed by war.
The Georgian animation When the Sea Was Calm, directed by Mamuka Tkeshelashvili, received two distinctions: the mephisto 97.6 Award and a Special Mention from the International Animation Competition jury. The stop-motion film returns to Sukhumi, recalling the childhood of a 13-year-old boy as war approaches and families are forced to leave their homes.
Among the partnership awards, Free Zone by Jasmine Alakari won the ver.di Prize for Solidarity, Humanity and Fairness. The German documentary follows an Iranian political activist who has settled in Athens after leaving his country and continues to work in support of refugees.
Greek filmmaker Christos Stefanou received the Young Eyes Film Award for Moving Sisters. Filmed over seven years, the documentary follows three Afghan sisters growing up in a refugee camp in Athens. As they move through adolescence, immigration restrictions continue to prevent them from joining their mother in Germany.
The FIPRESCI Prize, awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics, went to Auber 89 by Giuseppe Schillaci. Drawing on archival footage, the film revisits the childhood memories of a French-Algerian actor who grew up in the suburbs of Paris.
Garden of Hope, directed by Dieter Schumann, received the film.land.sachsen Prize. The documentary follows a community garden in Schwerin, Germany, where migrants from Syria and Afghanistan work alongside local residents.
In the festival’s main competitions, Letters from the Silenced Country by Andrei Kutsila won the Golden Dove for Best International Feature-Length Documentary. The Golden Dove for Best International Short Documentary went to They’re Here, directed by Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller.
The 69th DOK Leipzig took place from 26 October to 1 November 2026. This year’s programme included 217 films and extended reality works from 61 countries, with 33 awards presented across the festival and its industry programme.
Further Information
On-site photography for Souzian Dispatch: Mojtaba Mortazavi (@mojmrtzvi)