The Swiss film THE NARRATIVE by Bernard Weber and Martin Schilt has won the top prize at the 41st DOK.fest München in the VIKTORIA DOK.international Main Competition. This evening from 7.30 pm, this and other prizes will be awarded at the HFF Munich. These are the winning films:
VIKTORIA DOK.international Main Competition: THE NARRATIVE / Bernard Weber, Martin Schilt
The previously announced awards from the 41st DOK.fest München can be found below. Here you will find further information on the awards to be presented this evening:
DOK.international Main Competition
THE NARRATIVE Bernard Weber, Martin Schilt Switzerland 2026
Photo THE NARRATIVE (c) The Bigger Picture
Former UBS trader Kweku Adoboli is sentenced for a $2.3 billion loss. But who is truly to blame in this case? The film reconstructs the trial using original court transcripts and challenges the prevailing narrative. A multifaceted portrait of capitalism, systemic failure, and the power of narratives.
From the jury’s statement: "Our winning film is a masterclass in navigating the staggering complexity of truth. With a protagonist who is as likable as he is resilient, the filmmakers invite us into a story that is emotional 'like hell,' yet remarkably balanced by a sharp, necessary sense of humor. It lays bare a profound systemic injustice, revealing the cold lack of responsibility and the layers of deception practiced by powerful banking institutions. At its core, the film is a searing indictment of how easily an individual can be turned into a scapegoat, highlighting a narrative of survival in the face of pervasive, everyday racism."
The jury: Heino Deckert (Managing Director of Ma.ja.de & Producer), Jacqueline Nsiah (Film Curator & Programmer) and Per K. Kirkegaard (Filmmaker & Film Editor).
The VIKTORIA DOK.international is endowed with 10,000 euros. The prize is sponsored by Bayerischer Rundfunk. The nominated films cover a broad spectrum in terms of content and form and are distinguished by their high artistic quality.
Photo MEANWHILE IN NAMIBIA (c) Jonas Spriestersbach
Although Germany acknowledges the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama in German South West Africa, it offers development aid rather than paying reparations. In his episodic film set in Namibia, Jonas Spriestersbach observes his surroundings with keen attention to detail and captures powerful images that reveal the alarming ubiquity of structural inequality and racism.
From the jury’s statement: "We are deeply impressed by the director's perceptive camera work, which captures tourists watching the display of the Black population in pre-colonial costumes with unabashed racist and sexist gazes. We were stunned by the images and the actions and opinions they portray. The camera does not seem neutral, but the protagonists are presented as they present themselves. The subjects speak and act openly in front of the camera. The director skilfully underscores the unease the film rightly leaves us with further, when the camera at times permits a shift of perspective, where Namibians get to comment on the Germans' behavior and presentation. An intense and visually stunning film that lingers long after viewing."
The jury: Christa Auderlitzky (Managing Director of Filmdelights Sales & Distribution), Inka Achté (Artistic Director of the DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival and Head of the Acquisition and Strategy Department at Raina) and Mira Bach Hansen (documentary film festival consultant at the Danish Film Institute).
The VIKTORIA DOK.deutsch carries a prize fund of 7,500 euros. The prize is sponsored by Sky. The nominated films explore people and issues in the German-speaking world or in German history.
Somewhere in northern Chile, a mob is chasing Venezuelan migrants, thousands of whom have travelled thousands of kilometres in search of one thing: work and a decent life. A bird’s-eye view of Chile’s ruggedly beautiful landscape contrasts with close-ups of the protagonists. The complexity of migration on the other side of the ocean holds up a mirror to us.
From the jury’s statement: "What distinguishes this film for us is the clarity of co-directors Sebastián Gonzaléz and Amílcar Infante’s formal decisions. Rather than following a single protagonist, they bring together a plurality of voices, allowing individual experiences to accumulate without collapsing them into a simplified narrative. This maintains scale, while a tension between distance and proximity shapes the viewing experience. Expansive aerial views hold us at a remove, while closer encounters introduce an immediacy that remains deliberately incomplete. Through this, the film does not simply depict migration, it renders its conditions tangible. This becomes particularly striking in sequences marked by acts of collective violence. The film forces the viewer to face what is difficult to hold."
The jury: Dario Oliveira (Artistic Director of PortoPostDoc), Susann Knießner (Funding Coordinator, Berlinale World Cinema Fund) and Susan Mbogo (Managing Director, Docubox).
The VIKTORIA DOK.horizonte is sponsored by the Petra Kelly Foundation and comes with a prize of 5,000 euros. Films focusing on countries with unstable structures were nominated.
Pigs as farm animals? Or perhaps something to cuddle? And if pig hearts can soon be transplanted into humans, won't that raise entirely new issues? Are the boundaries between species becoming blurred? A film set between a university laboratory and an animal sanctuary that never attempts to lecture, but instead poses insightful questions and uncovers some astonishing discoveries.
The kinokino Audience Award is worth 2,000 euros and is sponsored by BR, 3sat and DOK.fest München. The award is named after and has as its media partner kinokino – the film magazine on Bayerischer Rundfunk | 3sat. After each screening at DOK.fest München 2026, audience members were able to rate the film they had just seen via a QR code.
Photo SOMETIMES, I IMAGINE THEM ALL AT A PARTY (c) Bildersturm Filmproduktion
Fourteen years after surviving an attempted femicide, the filmmaker returns to the people and moments from back then. Conversations are filled with warmth and hope, but also with coldness and brutality. Through intense encounters, the protagonist explores her memories—and seeks answers to all the questions that have haunted her ever since.
From the jury’s statement: "In SOMETIMES, I IMAGINE THEM ALL AT A PARTY Daniela Magnani Hüller succeeds in transforming a personal traumatic experience of male violence into a narrative that elevates her case to a societal level. She created a wonderful mosaic of mixed media to guide us through the range of emotions experienced in processing her traumatic event. In interviews with people from her past, she engages on eye level, centering human experience, while at the same time creating an intimate sense of connection with her audience. Daniela compels us with a unique sharpness of vision without losing complexity or perspective, leading us to moments where we can laugh together at the absurdities she faces without taking away any gravity."
The jury: José Manuel Cahuantzi (Escuela Superior de Cine), Jura Branellec (ZeLIG) and Lissy Giglberger (HFF Munich).
The jury awarded a special mention to FIRST LAP CRASH by Liam Erlach. His sister Amina is 21 years old and lives with a condition in which even the slightest exertion can throw those affected off balance. There is currently no cure – only hard-to-find ways to alleviate the symptoms. Her brother responds with a film about and for her. From the jury’s statement: “The film succeeds in bringing an invisible world to life through rhythm, silence and radical reduction. Liam finds his own visual language to express exhaustion, isolation and the fragility of everyday life.”
The Student Award is sponsored by megaherz and comes with a prize of 3,000 euros. The nominated films were outstanding documentary films by students from German-speaking film schools and academies.
Previously announced awards
These awards were announced at the 41st DOK.fest München:
German Documentary Film Music Award: MATERIA PRIMA / Winner: Atena Eshtiaghi (composition), Director: Jens Schanze
VFF Documentary Production Award: INNER EMIGRANTS / Winner: Lena Karbe (production and direction)
VFF Documentary Production Talent Award: DRIVING EUROPE / Winners: Artur Althen, Lennart Heidtmann, Felix Länge (producer), Director: Felix Länge
The winning films from the 41st DOK.fest München will be screened tomorrow, Sunday, in Munich cinemas as part of the BEST DOKS programme. Next Monday, the festival will bring the event to a close with SPORTFRENDE STILLER – MIT DEM HERZ IN DER HAND. 80 per cent of the films can still be viewed online via the digital screen until 25 May (at dokfest-muenchen.de).
