30-08-2026

Tristan Forever Wins 2026 MakeDox Creative Documentary Festival

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    Closing ceremony of Makedox Creative Documentary Film Festival 2026 Closing ceremony of Makedox Creative Documentary Film Festival 2026 credit: MakeDox photo team

    SKOPJE: The Swiss film Tristan Forever directed by Tobias Nölle and Laurent Bonardo received the Onion Award for Best Film in the Main Competition at the 17th MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival (20 – 27 August 2026).

    Latvian minority coproduction From Red Lights to Limelights directed by Bipuljit Basu received the Moral Approach Award, which recognises a film for the way it approaches its subject and the people it portrays.

    The festival was held in five locations in Skopje under the slogan “Only Dreams Are Reality”. A total of 71 documentaries were screened in five programmes.

    According to festival executive director Darko Nabakov, seven of the festival’s eight evenings were sold out, making this one of the festival’s most successful editions.

    The MakeCoProDox Forum, held 25 – 27 August 2026 in Skopje, presented eight selected documentary projects in development and awarded five industry prizes.

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

    Festival Winners:

    Onion Award for Best Film in the Main Competition:
    Tristan Forever (Switzerland)
    Directed by Tobias Nölle, Laurent Bonardo

    Young Onion Award for Best Film by First or Second Time Director:
    To the West, In Zapata (Cuba, Spain)
    Directed by David Bim

    Special Mention:
    Imago (France, Belgium)
    Directed by Déni Oumar Pitsaev

    Sliced Onion Award for Best Short Film:
    Murmurations (Spain)
    Directed by Xavier Maradès

    Special Mention:
    An Open Field (South Africa, Germany, France)
    Directed by Teboho Edkins

    Onion Seed Award for Best Student Film:
    Hello New Body, How Are You Today? (Germany)
    Directed by Laura Cansi

    Moral Approach Award for Best Moral Approach in Film:
    Red Lights to Limelights (India, Finland, Latvia)
    Directed by Bipuljit Basu
    Produced by TouchNarrative, Bindubot Communication
    Coproduced by JW Documentaries, VFS FILMS
    Supported by Sundance Institute, Creative Europe - MEDIA, the National Film Centre of Latvia, IDFA Bertha Fund, Hotdocs Fund, the Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK, Film Independent, YLE

    Special Mention:
    Kikuyu Land (Kenya)
    Directed by Bea Wangondu, Andrew Brown 

    MakeCoProDox Forum:

    DocAround Europe Festival Network Award:
    Krunk (Turkey, Armenia)
    Directed by Aurora Tuğçe Aydın

    EURODOC Award:
    My Grandfather, the Communist (Serbia, North Macedonia)
    Directed by Ada Rajković
    Produced by Another World Productions

    Documentary Association of Europe Award:
    Areole (Slovenia, Croatia)
    Directed by Barbara Kapelj
    Produced by December

    DocsBarcelona Award:
    What the Land Forgot (Greece, USA)
    Directed by Lucas Palaiocrassas 

    DOK.forum München Award:
    Dylan Mckay (Romania)
    Directed by Ana Lungu
    Produced by 4Proof Film