DOC AROUND EUROPE AWARD goes to THE CULPRITS at DocsBarcelona 2026

THE CULPRITS wins the DOC AROUND EUROPE AWARD at DocsBarcelona 2026

The DOC AROUND EUROPE AWARD at DocsBarcelona 2026 has been awarded to THE CULPRITS by Marta Duran Lozano.

The award honours an outstanding debut feature-length documentary presented in the Official Competition or Official Competition – Visions and produced in countries participating in the DOC AROUND EUROPE network. Granted by the Official Jury, the prize includes €1,000 for the creative team and aims to support a new generation of European documentary filmmakers.

In its statement, the jury praised the film for its “deeply empathetic portrayal of experiences too often marked by shame and silence.” The jury further highlighted the film’s “innovation, playfulness, and great emotional intelligence,” noting how it combines autobiographical testimonies, personal stories, and reenactments into “a multilayered cinematic form” that creates “a space for recognition, tenderness, and the possibility of healing.”

The jury of the DOC AROUND EUROPE AWARD consisted of:

Niklas Engstrøm, Artistic Director at CPH
Dudi Rokach, Founder and Director of Antenna Documentary Film Festival, Sydney
Eva Sinicaitė, Programmer at Inconvenient Films – Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Vilnius
Ariadna Ribas, Film Editor
Irena Taskovski, Sales Agent

DOC AROUND EUROPE warmly congratulates Marta Duran Lozano and the entire team behind THE CULPRITS on this recognition.