The winners of the East Doc Platform 2026 awards have been announced, spotlighting a compelling lineup of documentary projects that stand out for their bold artistic vision, urgent themes, and strong international potential – backed by a combination of financial support and industry opportunities designed to help bring these films to the global stage. The ceremony took place on March 24 at the French Institute in Prague.
Financial awards include the Czech Television Award (CZK 150,000 licence fee), the HBO Award (EUR 2,000), the Docs Up Fund Award (EUR 2,000 for human-rights-focused projects), as well as the Golden Funnel Awards for Ex Oriente Film and Ex Oriente Series teams, the Ex Oriente Fine Cut Award, and the Cut thru the Noise Award providing distribution strategy consultancy.
In addition, several partner awards open doors to major international platforms such as DocsBarcelona Pro, DOK Leipzig DOK Co-Pro Market, Baltic Sea Docs, East-West Talent Lab, and Sheffield DocFest, offering selected teams valuable exposure, networking, and further development opportunities. The award framework is further complemented by the DAE Talent Encouragement Award and the Pitch the Doc Prize, providing tailored mentoring and expert consultancy.
The Silver Eye Award, presented earlier on March 23, recognized outstanding projects in the rough-cut stage, highlighting bold storytelling and strong cinematic approaches. Read more here.
See the complete list of the awarded projects and the juries’ statements below.
The Golden Funnel – For Features: Children of the Moon Land (dir. Roman Ďuriš, prod. Richard Šimeček, Michal Sikora, co-prod. Albin Bourgeois, SK, CZ, FR, status: development)
“The director demonstrates a rare, high-level ability to elevate documentary observation into a "magical" visual experience, capturing the daily lives of three pairs of Romani siblings not merely as a struggle for survival, but as an act of cosmic imagination.
The camera captures moments of growing up in this specific, polluted space of Jelšava with an intimacy that feels both protective and challenging.
It succeeds in transferring the inner geography of adolescence. It captures the fragile, fleeting moments of the teenage years in its beauty and horror at the time.
The Jury is honored to grant Golden Funnel for Feature Length Documentary to Children of the Moon Land, for the cinematic work and emotional precision.”
The Golden Funnel: For Series: World Divided (dir. Soňa Nôtová, Štefan Straka, prod. Richard Chudý, SK, status: development)
“Dedication to the development of a unique series, with openness and bravery. And challenging conventions of serial storytelling. The Golden Funnel – Docuseries goes to World Divided.“
Ex Oriente Fine Cut Award: I Had a Dream about an Elephant (dir. Štefan Straka, prod. Tereza Tokárová, co-prod. Mátyás Prikler, SK, status: production)
„The jury has decided to award the Fine Cut support to this project for its compelling and satirical yet documentary exploration.
Through a sharp, satirical lens, the film offers a profound insight into a Slovak society where in 90s the state became almost an abstraction and charismatic Mob-type figures raised to fill that void.
We believe this editing support will provide the necessary touch to balance its complex narrative layers and deliver a powerful, provocative cinematic experience. Ex Oriente Fine Cut Award goes to I Had a Dream about an Elephant.“
Cut thru the Noise Award: I was told to save the world (dir. Hana Piščević, Nebojša Resanović, prod. Savina Smederevac, RS, HR, status: production)
“Tender relationship between characters, both humans and animals, their kindness and incredible energy are captivating. We appreciate the humour with which the characters are treated, while facing hardest times.
Cut Thru the Noise Award goes to I was told to save the world by Hana Pišćević and Nebojša Resanović.”
Czech Television Award: Not so far away places (dir. Renato Borrayo Serrano, Yulia Vishnevets, prod. Milana Christitch, Albin Bourgeois, Vlad Ketkovich, FR, status: development)
"This project offers a unique insight into the contemporary Russian repressive system, confronting it from within and helping us better imagine what anyone prosecuted for anything in Russia’s prison system goes through. The Czech Television Award goes to Not So Far Away Places.”
HBO Award: nava mama (dir. Ana Vijdea, prod. Ana Gheorghe, Ana Vijdea, co-prod. Louis Beaudemont, RO, FR, 90 min., status: in development)
“With a striking cinematic approach, this project follows the life of a young trans boy whose family, village, and society repeatedly fail him at every crucial stage of his coming of age. Told with tenderness and sensitivity, it has the potential to become a powerful and deeply human story carried as much by images as by emotion. We award this project to encourage the team to further develop the film and to find a clear, confident direction in shaping this delicate narrative into a bold and resonant cinematic work. HBO award goes to nava mama by Ana Vijdea.“
DocsBarcelona Pro Award: EL DORADO (dir. Rati Oneli, prod. Rati Oneli, co-prod. Valérianne Boué, Marianna Kaat, GE, FR, EE, 90 min., status: in development)
For its evocative power, the project draws us into a dreamlike inner world shaped by memory and time, revealing a profound sensitivity to the subtle transformations political forces imprint on nature and civilization.
This Award includes a direct selection for the participation at the Speed Meetings for DocsBarcelona Pro 2026. DocsBarcelona Pro will take place from 9th to 14th of May and the Speed Meetings from 11, 12 and 13th of May.
The winner of DocsBarcelona Pro Award is EL DORADO.”
The Docs Up Fund Award: Crossing Oxus (dir. Svitlana Lishchynska, prod. Olga Gibelinda, co-prod. Fredrik Lange, Ilyas Yourish, UA, SE, BE, status: development)
"This project offers a powerful and unflinching portrayal of war in the full extent of its violence and resonates deeply with ongoing conflicts around the world.
Through a profoundly intimate and personal lens, the work explores how war and violence permeate the family unit, as all society with the return of the combatants to civilian life. It reflects on the enduring impact of trauma, evoking what is now understood as post-traumatic stress and its transmission across generations.
The use of rare archive material from a country that continues to symbolize systemic violence — especially against women — strengthens the project’s historical and political depth. At the same time, its focus on a single family story, allows it to reach a universal dimension.
For its emotional strength, and its urgent relevance, Docs up Fund is honored to give the award to the project Crossing Oxus.“
DOK Leipzig DOK Co-Pro Market Award: Two Of Us (dir. Juratė Samulionytė, prod. Dagne Vildziunaite, Danielė Kunčinaitė, LT, status: development)
„This film project stands out for its profound portrayal of love, resilience, and dignity. It follows a queer couple who, after decades together in secret, are finally given the chance to obtain legal recognition of their partnership in court. The film captures a deeply personal story set against a shifting social and political landscape in Lithuania. It is not only about human right, but also about memory, time, tenderness, and what it means to remain together through life’s most fragile moments.
We are honoured to present the Co-Production Market Award at East Doc Platform to Two of Us by Jūratė Samulionytė.“
Photo: Štěpán Lohr
DAE Talent Encouragement Award: House in a Bottle (dir. Anna Morawiec, prod. Agata Jujeczka, PL, status: development)
“Without effort I can name at least five friends who never knew how they would find their parents, who early on learned to tiptoe around them, made up stories of why they would not be able to attend their school play or parent-teacher meeting, and spent a lot of energy keeping concealed what happens in their house. All of them have their own coping mechanisms — some forgave, others didn't, some lock the past away, justify, or became codependent. Regardless of the different journey, this kind of pain travels in many families until the silence is broken. This project does this from a courageous, beautiful, personal and collective place.
The DAE Talent Encouragement Award goes to House in a Bottle.“
Pitch the Doc Prize: I was told to save the world (dir. Hana Piščević, Nebojša Resanović, prod. Savina Smederevac, RS, HR, status: production)
"In these challenging times, when our values are often put to the test, it’s easy to overlook not only animals but also the relationships and responsibilities that connect us all. We believe this story offers a powerful moment to reflect - on the lives of our most loyal and selfless companions, and on the people who dedicate themselves to their care, often at great personal cost. For its empathy and its honest look at these bonds, we are proud to award the Pitch the Doc Prize to I Was Told to Save the World.“
Baltic Sea Docs Award: House in a Bottle (dir. Anna Morawiec, prod. Agata Jujeczka, PL, status: development)
“A thoughtfully and creatively developed project on a topic that resonates all too widely, exploring how early experiences shape the ways we move through the world as adults. In creating space for connection and shared reflection, it offers something genuinely needed in our societies.”
East-West Talent Lab Award: Dance with Me (dir. Leila Basma, prod. Natalia Pavlove, co-prod. Christian Eid, Marisa Meier, Baptiste Bertin, CZ, FR, DE, LB, status: development)
“The director invites us to join her personal journey to different continents and times. We will take a deep dive in a broken family, and in a wider sense we see a miniature of the Lebanese society. The career of her uncle, as the first male solo belly dancer in Los Angeles was kept as a „family secret“. He left the family in 1970s and followed his dream, and was discovered decades later by his niece. An important film about identity, belonging and acceptance. The award goes to Leila Basma for Dance with Me.”
Sheffield DocFest Networking Award: Stitch by Stitch (dir. Alina Baitokova, prod. Marianna Kaat, Adilet Karzhoev, EE, KG)
“A project that offers a quiet yet powerful look into a deeply personal story set against the backdrop of harsh socio-economic reality. The film poignantly tackles the systemic issues facing divorced women—forced into difficult labor and often separated from their children. The director's clear point of view, expressed through a delicate, observational approach, invites the audience into this intimate space. More than a critique of labor exploitation, the project is ultimately a profound exploration of familial resilience, demonstrating how love and a family's bond can be rebuilt amidst hardship.”
Read more about the awards here
The East Doc Platform is made possible thanks to the financial support of Creative Europe MEDIA, Czech Audiovisual Fund, Ministry of Culture Czech Republic, the capital city of Prague, APA - Audiovisual Producers' Association, Czech-German Future Fund, HBO, Creative Europe Desk Czech Republic and the Austrian Cultural Forum.
The general media partner is the Czech television.
The event is held in cooperation with the One World Film Festival and the French Institute in Prague.