One of the best stories in the culture field that Prizren and Kosovo can be proud of is the DokuFest documentary film festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

The European Union in Kosovo is a long-standing partner of DokuFest, contributing to strengthening its mission of bringing the best filmmakers to Kosovo, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience, fostering networking, and promoting cultural diversity, artistic expression and boosting the local economy.

This August, EU support continued throughout DokuFest’s 25th edition, focusing on the Human Rights Dox Competition.

Lumbardhi Cinema, Prizen’s oldest cinema was once again one of the festival’s main meeting points. The historic cinema, whose restoration has been supported by the European Union, welcomed audiences from Kosovo and all around the world throughout the festival.

From 7 to 15 August, 104 films competed across eight programmes of DokuFestFor DokuFest Artistic Director Veton Nurkollari, Human Rights Dox has long been one of the festival’s core programmes.

“We work hard to find films that speak about human rights from around the world because these rights are universal. We understood its importance early on, and having the European Union on board to support a category we are very proud of is extremely important,” Nurkollari said.

Olivier Boudart, Cooperation Section Team Leader at the EU in Kosovo, said this year’s support for the competition continues a relationship with DokuFest that goes back many years and that has created a space for powerful stories, open dialogue and different perspectives.

“This year, we are particularly proud to support the Human Rights Dox competition, which brings forward stories centred on human dignity, freedom, equality, democracy and human rights, values that are at the heart of the European Union,” Boudart said.

The Clearing, directed by Sabine Groenewegen, was the winner of the Human Rights Dox competition. The Clearing showcases a suppressed chapter of Dutch colonial history and the systematic sexual exploitation and enslavement of women in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Set against the expansion of rubber plantations in Sumatra in the early 20th century, the film looks at the conditions in which workers lived and at the exploitation of women in Sumatra by the colonial system. Through archival footage, Groenewegen brings these experiences back into view.

The film looks at how these stories were silenced or erased over time, tracing questions of memory, recognition, legacy and contestation into today.

Under the anniversary message “Show up, or it doesn’t count!”, DokuFest’s 25th edition extended beyond film screenings, with DokuTalks, DokuNights, special programmes and DokuKids, where younger audiences watched films and took part in creative workshops. Several films also had their world, international or European premieres in Prizren.

For visitors, DokuFest was an opportunity to discover films they might not come across elsewhere and experience them in a city that becomes part of the festival itself.
Charles was a first-time festival visitor coming from France.
“It’s a very accessible, friendly, kind of chill festival where you can see really excellent films and things that I think would not be screened elsewhere,” he said.
Samantha, visiting from Los Angeles, said returning to DokuFest always brings something new.

“There’s always something I take from every movie.”
The EU’s longstanding support for DokuFest is part of its wider support for culture and the creative sectors in Kosovo. As Kosovo’s strongest partner and largest provider of financial assistance , with more than €3.7 billion invested since 1999, the European Union continues to support democratic development, human rights and culture in Kosovo.