DOCU/WORLD is the international competition of feature- and medium-length documentaries which are longer than 30 minutes. It presents creative documentaries that reveal human rights, ethic and social issues with unique artistic vision.
The DOCU/WORLD jury includes Kateryna Botanova is a cultural researcher, curator, and writer
; Enikő Gyureskó is a Hungarian cultural manager and one of the leading figures in the field of documentary film in Europe; Tomáš Poštulka is a Czech programmer and documentary film curator.
MAIN PRIZE
Green Light / Pavel Cuzuioc/ Austria/ 2025/ 101'
We were deeply impressed by the harmony of form and subject in the winning film of the DOCU/WORLD competition. Its measured pace and compassionate attentiveness to its protagonists reflect the filmmaker’s profound commitment to portraying with dignity those whose lives have, for various reasons, become marked by relentless suffering and reduced, in their own words, to mere existence.
The film follows a psychiatrist who specializes in assisting people who choose euthanasia as a final solution to their pain. He sets out to analyse their medical history and listens to their life story, and when convinced of their full determination, he guides them through the legal procedures and final steps of assisted dying. In doing so, the film opens a thoughtful and nuanced conversation about the right to self-determination over one’s life, body, and mind as well as about society’s persistent lack of understanding of mental illness and its often underestimated impact on quality of life.
Moral, religious, legal, and psychological perspectives are presented with remarkable balance, while the diversity of the cases offers viewers a comprehensive and deeply human insight into the complex issue of euthanasia. For its sensitivity, clarity, and cinematic excellence, the Main Prize in the DOCU/WORLD Competition goes to Green Light, directed by Pavel Cuzuioc.
SPECIAL MENTION
Mailin/ Marie Silvia Esteve/ Argentina, France, Romania/ 2025/ 87'
An impactful and painful story articulating a severely aching topic and problem in contemporary society – violence against women – is presented as a unique vision in a striking example of modern, creative documentary. Different and seemingly eclectic source materials – archives, court hearings, direct interviews, and almost video art visualisations – are intertwined into a fascinating and at the same time horrifying stream of unforgettable images that immerse the audience into the story of a woman.
Her life – and the lives of many others – is scarred with abuse she experienced as a child from a Catholic priest, and with injustice as the court sets the abuser free. We were deeply touched by the director’s creative vision, which intensifies the strength of the story itself, and shocked by the devastating ending, which leaves a huge impact, anger, and will to fight, discuss, and help.
The special mention in the DOCU/WORLD Competition goes to Mailin, directed by Marie Silvia Esteve.
The DOCU/WORLD international feature-length competition included:
- Letters From Wolf Street, dir. Arjun Talwar (Germany, Poland);
- Agatha's Almanac, dir. Amalie Atkins (Canada);
- The Broken R, dir. Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren (Ecuador, Italy);
- The Blessed Ones, dir. Andrii Lysetskiy, (Ukraine, Germany, Latvia);
- We Have To Survive, dir. Tomas Krupa (Austria, France, Slovakia);
- Green Light, dir. Pavel Cuzuioc (Austria);
- Flana, dir. Zahraa Ghandour (Iraq, France, Qatar);
- Mailin, dir. Marie Silvia Esteve (Argentina, France, Romania);
- Whistleblower, dir. Marc Bauder (Germany);
- Do You Love Me, dir. Lana Daher (France, Germany, Lebanon, Qatar);
