31/08/2026 - Faces of War by Didier Cros and When the Chair Fell into the Void by Julia Kushnarenko have emerged as the big winners of the Main and μicro Competitions, respectively

A moment from the closing ceremony (© Beyond Borders)

The 11th Beyond Borders Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival wrapped on 30 August with its closing ceremony and the presentation of awards, bringing eight days of screenings, creative encounters, international collaborations, and educational and cultural activities on the remote island of Kastellorizo to a close. This year's edition was held under the banner of the central question “What remains once the obvious is removed?”, turning its attention to human experiences that often remain outside dominant narratives, different interpretations of history, and the ability of documentary film to create space for reflection and dialogue. In total, ten awards were distributed across the two competition sections while the festival took place in a particularly challenging context, with significant economic difficulties and drastic cuts to available resources.

The Grand Prix – Golden Wreath of Megisti was awarded to Faces of War by Didier Cros. The jury – presided over by Swiss director and producer Christian Frei, and comprising Peter Arens (head of the History & Science Department at ZDF), director and professor of cinema Thanasis Vassiliou, Pimi Fasoula (head of Communications and Marketing at Alpha TV) and Adel Ksiksi (planning and scheduling manager at Al Jazeera Documentary) – praised the film for highlighting the human consequences of war, and conveying a profoundly humane and ultimately optimistic message about resilience, compassion and shared humanity. The Grand Prix comes with a €2,000 prize.

The Silver Wreath of Megisti went to The Travelers by David Bingong, recognised as a deeply authentic and self-authored account of migrants waiting to cross into Europe, where camera and song become instruments of an absurd odyssey through hope, despair, humour, survival, resistance and dignity. The award comes with a €1,000 prize. The Bronze Wreath of Megisti was given to My Father and Qaddafi by Jihan, which follows a daughter's search for her missing father, and her investigation into dictatorship, political violence and the legacy of national trauma. The prize includes €750.

The EKKOMED – Creative Greece Award for Best Documentary by a Greek Director was bestowed upon Exile(s), Stories of an Island by Giorgos Iliopoulos, praised for its incisive, political and deeply sensitive perspective. The award comes with a €1,000 cash prize. Meanwhile, the FIPRESCI Award went to Yrupẽ by Spanish filmmaker Candela Sotos, whose film combines archival material with art, history, politics, botany, ethnography and family memories. The jury highlighted the director’s audacity in experimenting with cinematic language while maintaining narrative clarity, and transforming the story of her uncle into a broader meditation on curiosity, exploration and a love of cinema.

In the μicro Competition, the Golden Phoenix was awarded to When the Chair Fell into the Void by Julia Kushnarenko. The jury – comprising Michaela Kolster, journalist and programme director at ZDF/PHOENIX, as president, alongside writer-director Thanasis Neofotistos, director Lefteris Fylaktos, director and producer Marcin Kundera, and film programmer Aurélien Marsais – praised the film for transforming personal accounts of loss, flight and the struggle to belong into a deeply tangible, sensory experience by pairing audio testimonies of displacement with intricate dance choreography. The award comes with a €1,000 prize, supported by ZDF. The Silver Phoenix went to Our Homes Do Not Exist by Anna Lamour, which uses an 8 mm camera found in the director's family's abandoned home to create a poetic and political portrait of Athens. The Bronze Phoenix was awarded to How to Listen to the Fountains by Eva Sajanova, praised for transforming public fountains into vibrant cinematic spaces through the playful and humorous use of sound and image, gradually building towards a joyful crescendo.

The festival's professional programme was further expanded this year through the Audiovisual Pitching Lab, coordinated by Claudia Schreiner, which presented 12 projects from around the world online. The Best Pitch Award went to Where Is My Bed by Ana Vučićević. The project secured free sound post-production services upon completion, courtesy of Eye of the North Studios, a prize with a total value of €3,000.

Here are all of the award winners at the 11th Beyond Borders:

Main Competition

Grand Prix – Golden Wreath of Megisti
Faces of War – Didier Cros (France)

Silver Wreath of Megisti
The Travelers – David Bingong (Cameroon/Spain)

Bronze Wreath of Megisti
My Father and Qaddafi – Jihan (Libya/USA)

EKKOMED – Creative Greece Award for Best Documentary by a Greek Director
Exile(s), Stories of an Island – Giorgos Iliopoulos (Greece)

Odysseus Award
Our Homes Do Not Exist – Anna Lamour (France/Greece – short film)

#ThisisEU Award
Truth or Dare – Tonislav Hristov (Finland/Bulgaria/Sweden/Norway)

FIPRESCI Award
Yrupẽ – Candela Sotos (Spain)

μicro Competition

Golden Phoenix
When the Chair Fell into the Void – Julia Kushnarenko (Belgium – short film)

Silver Phoenix
Our Homes Do Not Exist – Anna Lamour

Bronze Phoenix
How to Listen to the Fountains – Eva Sajanova (Slovakia – short film)

Pitching Lab

Best Pitch Award
Where Is My Bed – Ana Vučićević (Serbia)