The film "Zelensky" by directors Yves Jeuland and Lisa Vapné won the grand prize at the DOCK International Documentary Film Festival on History in Burgas. The jury of the ninth edition announced the winners this evening at the NHK Culture House, immediately after the final screening of the competition program — the film "Mr. Nobody Against Putin."
Jury chairwoman Boya Harizanova described this year's selection as "unique" and admitted it was difficult to choose the grand prize winner among the films. "We chose the film unanimously in order to be as objective as possible. It's a film with a direct narrative, with a deep analysis of the personal fate and transformation of one of the key figures in contemporary history," she said while presenting the award.
Lisa Vapné thanked the audience and organizers in a video message from Paris. She said the story of Volodymyr Zelensky begins as the tale of a Soviet boy who manages to fulfill his dreams. But the war Russia launched against Ukraine in February 2022 turns it into a tragedy. "We would have preferred Volodymyr Zelensky's story to be a comedy. We wish it were an old story, something belonging to the past. But this is a film about war and about what is happening in Ukraine today, and it is a tragedy," Vapné said.
In addition to the cash prize, the two directors also received a special festival plaque bearing the DOCK logo, created by artist Andrey Yanev, director of the Burgas "Petko Zadgorski" Art Gallery.
This year, for the first time, organizers also presented an Audience Award. It went to Deyan Bararev's film "The Cruel Path," which, four decades on, tells the story of the Bulgarian expedition to Everest in 1984. The award was presented by cinematographer and jury member Kaloyan Bozhilov, who said the audience's choice carries great responsibility.
The Historical Guild Award was announced by historian and jury member Dr. Daniel Cain. It went to "Hitler's Greatest Fear" by Italian director Simona Risi. The film tells how Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party confiscated, desecrated and destroyed modern art branded as "degenerate" — in 1937 in Munich, the Nazis organized an exhibition aimed at mocking and condemning the works of masters such as Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, Klee and Munch.
The Burgas Municipality Award went to the film "The Mystery of the Star Squadron," which tells little-known stories of secret flying squadrons, missing aircraft and pilots whose exploits were classified for years due to state security or military interests. The award was presented by Deputy Mayor for Culture and Religious Affairs Diana Savateva, who said the DOCK festival is a Burgas brand that the municipality values highly. Polish director Jan Borowiec accepted the award in person.
For the first time this year, the festival also included a competition program for short historical documentary films. The jury selected "Brutalism" by Miloš Jaković and Hossein Fani as the winner, a film tracing how the architectural style of brutalism emerged after World War II and its ties to opposing ideologies.
At the end of the ceremony, organizers thanked the Burgas Municipality, the National Film Center, the jury, the festival team and the audience. According to them, next year the halls will be even fuller, and the tenth anniversary edition in 2027 will bring "many more surprises."