– The Berlin-based gathering has also rewarded Paranoia in Hollywood, Stories from the Beauty Parlor and the VR experience Less Than 5Gr of Saffron
Redlight to Limelight by Bipuljit Basu
It’s almost a wrap for the third edition of Doxumentale, which is unspooling in Berlin’s neighbourhood cinemas and open-air venues until 7 June. This year’s award winners were announced on 4 June, with the festival honouring outstanding works across documentary film, non-fiction publishing, podcasting and immersive storytelling.
The top prize, the Best Documentary Film Award, went to Bipuljit Basu’s Redlight to Limelight. Celebrating its German premiere at Doxumentale, the film follows sex workers in Kolkata’s red-light district as they establish their own film production company. As they portray their own lives, the boundaries between reality and fiction begin to blur.
The jury, made up of Ado Hasanović, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, Fredrik Gertten and Loraine Blumenthal, praised the film for doing “what only the best documentaries can do: it returns the story to the people who live it”. The jury also handed Special Mentions to Abraham Joffe’s Trade Secret and Amanda Sans Pantling’s Miss Jobson.
Commenting on this year’s selection, festival director Anna Ramskogler-Witt (see the interview) said: “Time and again, the juries highlighted the power of these works to create empathy. That is exactly what we experienced at the festival as well: people entering into dialogue through stories.”
The Award for Best Non-fiction Book went to Jan Jekal’s Paranoia in Hollywood. The jury, consisting of Yvonne de Andrés and Tobias Milbrandt, singled out a work that combines historical research with strong social relevance. In detail, the book revisits the McCarthy era in Hollywood while raising questions that remain highly topical today, with the jury praising its “sensitivity to ambivalence” and its ability to reveal the simultaneity of political control, solidarity and exclusion.
Meanwhile, the Best Podcast Award was bestowed upon Annamaria Olsson’s Stories from the Beauty Parlor. The series takes listeners into beauty salons around the world, recounting the stories of women whose everyday lives are shaped by social and political conflicts. The jury, composed of Peter Drössler, Marie Eickhoff and Dina Elsayed, commended its blend of journalistic research and personal intimacy, describing the podcast as “an invitation to feel and to learn”.
Finally, the Best VR Project Award went to Négar Motevalymeidanshah’s Less Than 5Gr of Saffron. The immersive work explores memory, loss and the experiences of Iranian migrants through a visual language reminiscent of a graphic novel. The VR jury, comprising Julia Bruton, Anna Desponds and Nico Nonne, highlighted the project’s emotional power and its ability to translate personal experiences into a striking visual universe.
Beyond the award winners, Doxumentale has reported strong audience interest, including the sold-out world premiere of Sorry for the Genocide as well as additional screenings. The festival continues over the weekend with further showings of Redlight to Limelight, Miss Jobson, Truck Mama, Mariinka and Trade Secret, several of them accompanied by Q&As.
The award-winning VR experience Less Than 5Gr of Saffron will tour Berlin cinemas from 5 June, while readings by the nominated non-fiction authors are available online on YouTube, and all nominated podcasts remain accessible. In addition, 21 films are available via Doxumentale’s video-on-demand platform until 30 June for €5 each, while the Stream-On Pass grants access to all available online titles.
Here is the full list of this year’s award winners:
Best Documentary Film
Redlight to Limelight – Bipuljit Basu (Finland/Latvia/India)
Special Mentions
Trade Secret – Abraham Joffe (Australia/USA)
Miss Jobson – Amanda Sans Pantling (Jamaica/Spain)
Best Non-fiction Book
Paranoia in Hollywood – Jan Jekal
Best Podcast
Stories from the Beauty Parlor – Annamaria Olsson
Best VR Project
Less Than 5Gr of Saffron – Négar Motevalymeidanshah (France)
