The 11th edition of #MDOC – Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival concluded on 3 August with the announcement of this year’s winners. Held from 28 July to 3 August in the northern Portuguese border town, the festival welcomed over 4,500 spectators and more than 15 filmmakers and producers.
The Jean-Loup Passek Award for Best International Feature went to Cutting Through Rocks by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni. The U.S.-produced documentary follows Sara Shahverdi, the first woman elected to a rural Iranian village council, as she defies patriarchal norms through education and activism. Afterwar by Birgitte Stærmose (Denmark) received an Honorable Mention for its long-term portrayal of Kosovar youth in the aftermath of war.
Antoine Chapon’s Al Basateen, exploring themes of memory and reconstruction, won Best International Short or Medium-Length Film. The Best Portuguese Documentary prize was awarded to Kora by Cláudia Varejão, which offers an intimate portrayal of refugee women in Portugal.
The FIPRESCI Prize, awarded for the first time at MDOC by the International Federation of Film Critics, went to My Memory Is Full of Ghosts by Anas Zawahri. The same film also received the Don Quixote Award from the International Federation of Film Societies. The Best Short Film award was granted to Beneath Which Rivers Flow by Ali Yahya.
