Overview
ZagrebDox is Croatia's leading documentary film festival, organized by Factum and held annually at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema in central Zagreb. The 22nd edition ran April 19 to 26, 2026, screening 112 films across 16 programme sections. Twenty films competed in the International Competition and 18 in the Regional Competition for the festival's Big Stamp awards. The artistic director is Nenad Puhovski and the executive director is Hrvoje Puksec.
The 2026 Big Stamp for International Competition went to A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Mehrdad Oskouei and Soraya Akhlaghi (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark), with a Special Mention to Silver by Natalia Koniarz (Poland/Norway/Finland). The Big Stamp for Regional Competition went to The Mountain Won't Move by Petra Seliskar (Slovenia/France/North Macedonia), with a Special Mention to Serene Valley by Sebastijan Borovcak (Croatia). The FIPRESCI Award went to Slet 1988 by Marta Popivoda (Germany/France/Serbia).
Submissions for the 23rd edition (2027) are open until December 15, 2026, via FilmFreeway. The festival accepts feature-length and short documentaries produced after January 1, 2026. All competition films must be Croatian premieres. Films submitted in previous years are not eligible.
Submission Details
Submissions are handled exclusively through FilmFreeway.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform | FilmFreeway only |
| 23rd Edition Dates | April 2027 (exact dates TBA) |
| 22nd Edition Dates | April 19 to 26, 2026 |
| Submission Deadline | December 15, 2026 |
| Eligibility Window | Films released after January 1, 2026 |
| Premiere Requirement | Croatian premiere required for competition |
| Re-submissions | Not eligible if previously submitted |
| Screener Format | Online screening link with English subtitles |
| Screening Copy Deadline | March 19, 2026 (for 22nd edition) |
| Notification | Up to 30 days before festival start |
The processing fee is charged once per film. Films in post-production may submit by the deadline but must be finished no later than January 2027. Only selected films receive an official acceptance letter with program section indication.
Ticket Prices
| Screening Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Matinee (3pm to 5pm) | EUR 5.50 |
| Evening (5pm and after) | EUR 6.60 |
| Teen Dox screenings | EUR 5.30 |
| Best of Fest (single screening) | EUR 5.50 |
| Best of Fest (series pass) | EUR 15.00 |
| All screenings before 3pm (Mon-Fri) | Free |
Tickets are available at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema box office, via the CineStar app, and online at cinestarcinemas.hr. Online transactions are subject to a processing fee. Ticket reservations are not possible. Free tickets for morning screenings must be picked up on the screening day, with a maximum of two per person.
Competition Sections and Awards
Official Awards:
| Award | Category |
|---|---|
| Big Stamp | Best Film in International Competition |
| Big Stamp | Best Film in Regional Competition |
| Little Stamp | Best Film by young author (under 35) |
| Little Stamp | Best Short Film in Competition |
| Aviteh Audience Award | Best International Film (audience vote) |
| HRT Audience Award | Best Regional Film (audience vote) |
Special Awards:
| Award | Category |
|---|---|
| Teen Dox Award | Best film about youth issues (jury of secondary-school students) |
| FIPRESCI Award | Best film in Regional Competition (International Federation of Film Critics) |
| Movies That Matter Award | Human rights documentary |
| Honorary Big Stamp | Lifetime achievement in documentary film |
Official awards consist of a statue, a diploma, and a cash prize subject to available budget. The International Jury (three experts) awards the Big Stamp for International Competition. The Regional Jury (three experts) awards the Big Stamp for Regional Competition. The Young Jury awards the Little Stamp for filmmakers under 35. The Short Dox Jury awards the Little Stamp for best short film (up to 40 minutes).
Programme Sections
The 22nd edition organized 112 films across 16 sections:
- International Competition - 20 films competing for the Big Stamp
- Regional Competition - 18 films from ex-Yugoslav and Balkan countries
- Festival Hits - award-winning documentaries from major festivals
- State of Affairs - socially and politically engaged documentaries
- Happy Dox - uplifting and optimistic documentaries
- Biography Dox - portrait films and biographical documentaries
- Music Globe - music documentaries
- Teen Dox - documentaries about youth issues, judged by secondary-school students
- Short Dox - short documentary competition (up to 40 minutes)
- Retrospective - curated programs of established filmmakers (2026: Christian Frei)
The 2026 edition also made 15 selected titles available on the Loly.tv streaming platform through May 3, extending the festival's reach beyond the physical screenings.
ZagrebDox Pro (Industry Section)
ZagrebDox Pro is the festival's industry section, returning in the format established in 2025. The Slow Pitch event serves as its centerpiece, providing a platform for documentary filmmakers to present projects to potential co-producers, broadcasters, and funders. The industry program is smaller than major market events like CPH:FORUM or the EFM, but it is the primary documentary industry gathering in southeastern Europe.
Festival History
ZagrebDox was founded in 2005 by Nenad Puhovski and is organized by Factum, a Croatian production company. The festival was created to provide audiences and professionals insight into recent documentary production, stimulate national documentary filmmaking, and boost international and regional co-production cooperation.
Over 22 editions, ZagrebDox has grown into the leading documentary festival in southeastern Europe. The festival has maintained its focus exclusively on documentary cinema, distinguishing it from general film festivals in the region. The Regional Competition has become a key platform for documentary filmmakers from the Balkans, creating cross-border connections in a region where film industries are small and underfunded.
The 2026 Honorary Big Stamp for lifetime achievement was awarded to Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei, whose five films were shown in a retrospective program. The festival has historically honored filmmakers whose work has been central to documentary cinema for decades.
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Croatian documentary filmmakers, ZagrebDox is the most important domestic platform. The Regional Competition creates connections across the Balkan documentary community that are difficult to build elsewhere, as the region's film industries operate with limited budgets and minimal international visibility.
International filmmakers should note that the festival requires a Croatian premiere for all competition films. The submission fee is modest compared to major A-list festivals, and the FilmFreeway process is straightforward. However, the festival does not provide individual feedback on rejected films.
The festival's audience is engaged and substantial for a documentary-only event. The Kaptol Boutique Cinema is a single-venue festival site, which creates an intimate atmosphere where filmmakers have direct access to audiences and industry attendees. The free morning screenings (Monday to Friday before 3pm) expand audience access beyond paying attendees.
For filmmakers working in human rights documentary, the Movies That Matter Award provides additional visibility. The FIPRESCI Award, given by the International Federation of Film Critics, is a meaningful critical recognition for regional filmmakers.
The festival does not operate a film market. Filmmakers seeking distribution or sales opportunities should not expect deal-making at ZagrebDox. The industry value lies in co-production connections through ZagrebDox Pro and the Slow Pitch event, particularly for filmmakers working in southeastern Europe.
Past Winners
The 2026 Big Stamp winners are listed above in the Overview section. Here are the preceding editions:
2025 (21st Edition) Winners:
- Big Stamp - International Competition: Mr. Nobody Against Putin by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin (Denmark/Czechia/Germany) - a first-person documentary about Russia's wartime student indoctrination program, told through a primary school teacher who filmed inside his own school. The film also won the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award.
- Big Stamp - Regional Competition: My Dad's Lessons by Dalija Dozet
- Little Stamp (Best Short Film): Who Loves the Sun by Arshia Shakiba
- Special Mention (International): Mistress Dispeller by Elizabeth Lo
2024 (20th Edition) Winners:
- Big Stamp - International Competition: Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania (France/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia/Germany/Cyprus) - a metafictional documentary about a Tunisian mother whose two eldest daughters joined ISIS. The film world premiered at Cannes 2023, won the L'Oeil d'Or for best documentary at Cannes, won the Cesar Award for Best Documentary Film, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Oscars. Released in the US by Kino Lorber.
- Big Stamp - Regional Competition: KIX by David Mikulan and Balint Revesz (Hungary/France/Croatia) - a 12-year documentary following a boy growing up in an absent society. The film won three awards total at ZagrebDox, including the Little Stamp for best film by a young author under 35 and the FIPRESCI Award.
- Movies That Matter Award: Dahomey by Mati Diop (France/Senegal/Benin) - later won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2024
- Teen Dox Award: Sister of Mine by Mariusz Rusinski (Poland)
- Honorary Big Stamp: Werner Herzog, whose film The White Diamond was the opening film of the first ZagrebDox in 2005
2023 (19th Edition) Winners:
- Big Stamp - International Competition: Manifesto by Angie Vinchito (Russia) - composed entirely of social media videos of Russian teenagers, premiered at IDFA
- Big Stamp - Regional Competition: Matter Out of Place by Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Austria)
- Movies That Matter Award: Manifesto by Angie Vinchito
- Honorary Big Stamp: Gianfranco Rosi, for In viaggio (Travels with Gianfranco Rosi)
Notable Alumni
Several films that won or screened at ZagrebDox went on to major international recognition:
- Four Daughters (2024 Big Stamp winner) - Kaouther Ben Hania's documentary premiered at Cannes 2023 in the main competition, won the L'Oeil d'Or, won the Cesar for Best Documentary, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. The film was released in the US by Kino Lorber in October 2023. Ben Hania's previous fiction film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature in 2021, making her one of the few filmmakers nominated in both Oscar documentary and international feature categories.
- Dahomey by Mati Diop - won the Movies That Matter Award at ZagrebDox 2024, then won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2024, becoming the first film directed by a Black woman to win Berlin's top prize.
- Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki (2018 Big Stamp winner) - was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Oscars. Derki's film documented his infiltration of a jihadist family in Syria.
- Sabaya by Hogir Hirori (2022 Big Stamp winner) - won the Guldbagge Award for Best Documentary in Sweden and screened at major festivals including IDFA.
- Virunga by Orlando von Einsiedel (2015 Big Stamp winner) - was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 87th Oscars.
Submission Tips
ZagrebDox is a documentary-only festival. Do not submit fiction films. The festival programs feature-length and short documentaries across 16 sections, with competition categories for international films, regional films from the Balkans, short films, and young authors under 35.
The Croatian premiere requirement is strict for all competition films. If your film has already screened in Croatia, it is not eligible for the International or Regional Competition. Non-competitive sections require only a Croatian premiere, but competition films need this status confirmed.
Films submitted in previous years are not eligible. If you submitted to ZagrebDox last year and were not selected, you cannot resubmit the same film. This policy prevents the festival from re-evaluating the same pool of films annually.
The processing fee is charged once per film through FilmFreeway. The fee is modest compared to major A-list festivals. Films in post-production may submit by the deadline but must be finished no later than January of the festival year.
For the Regional Competition, films from ex-Yugoslav and Balkan countries receive dedicated jury attention. Filmmakers from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo should consider the Regional Competition as their primary target, as the jury focuses specifically on regional documentary production.
The Movies That Matter Award provides additional visibility for human rights documentaries. If your film addresses human rights themes, this parallel award creates a second recognition pathway beyond the main Big Stamp competition.
Industry Reputation
ZagrebDox is the leading documentary festival in southeastern Europe. Over 22 editions, it has built a reputation as the primary platform for documentary cinema in the Balkans. The 21st edition (2025) drew 15,000 viewers across eight festival days at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema, with many screenings sold out.
The festival does not operate a film market. Distribution deals and sales agent attachments are not a primary activity. The industry value lies in ZagrebDox Pro and its Slow Pitch event, which connects documentary filmmakers with co-producers, broadcasters, and funders. The Slow Pitch is smaller than CPH:FORUM or the EFM but is the primary documentary industry gathering in southeastern Europe.
The FIPRESCI Award, given by the International Federation of Film Critics, adds critical recognition that can support subsequent festival runs. The Honorary Big Stamp has been awarded to filmmakers including Werner Herzog (2024) and Gianfranco Rosi (2023), bringing international industry figures to Zagreb.
The festival's reputation for programming quality has attracted films that later won major international awards. Four Daughters (Oscar-nominated), Dahomey (Golden Bear winner), and Of Fathers and Sons (Oscar-nominated) all won or received recognition at ZagrebDox before their broader international success. This track record makes ZagrebDox a meaningful festival circuit stop for documentary filmmakers, even without a market component.
The festival does not provide individual feedback on rejected films. The selection process is at the discretion of the programming team led by artistic director Nenad Puhovski.
Watch
:::youtube{videoId="1f_rb66_IXc"}
:::
Official English trailer for Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania, winner of the 2024 Big Stamp for International Competition at ZagrebDox. The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
:::youtube{videoId="9150MCMSrgc"}
:::
Official trailer for Mr. Nobody Against Putin by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, winner of the 2025 Big Stamp for International Competition at ZagrebDox. The film also won the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award.
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. For documentary filmmaking guidance, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For the Zagreb Animation Festival, see Animafest Zagreb. Submit through the ZagrebDox FilmFreeway page.
