Prelude to ZagrebDox: The KIC Surrogate Cinema is Hosting Selected Festival Highlights
25.3.2026.
Four selected screenings as a prelude to this year's edition of ZagrebDox—and a chance to revisit stories that stick with you.
Awaiting the 22nd edition of the International Documentary ZagrebDox Film Festival, scheduled from April 19 to 26, 2026, the Prelude to Dox Program at the KIC Surrogate Cinema is hosting a curated selection of titles from previous festival editions. Audiences will once again get to revisit films that defined past programs and get a taste of what’s to come at this year’s ZagrebDox.
The Prelude to Dox Program opens on Monday, March 30 at 9:00 PM with a screening of Karaoke Paradise by director Einar Paakkanen, previously shown at the 19th ZagrebDox as part of the Happy Dox Program. This moving and offbeat film takes the audience to northern Finland, where karaoke becomes a space of connection, healing, and community. Through a series of warm and intimate stories, Paakkanen reveals how music and togetherness can help us cope with loneliness, illness, and everyday challenges.
On Thursday, April 2 at 5:00 PM, the Program continues with the irresistibly uplifting Where the Kids Have No Name by director Jamillah van der Hulst. Screened at last year’s festival within the Teen Dox Program, this film received a Special Mention. This powerful documentary offers a glimpse into the lives of children growing up on the streets of Bangladesh. Through their stories and the work of an organization that supports them, the film examines both harsh living conditions and the hope for change.
The Program continues on Monday, April 13 at 9:00 PM with a screening of the intimate, richly layered, and deeply tender The Banality of Grief by renowned Danish documentary filmmaker Jon Bang Carlsen. As both a love letter and a tribute to a beloved partner, the film blends past and present into an impressionistic, existential reflection on life and death.
The Program concludes on Thursday, April 16 at 5:00 PM with Happy Campers by director Amy Nicholson, which audiences saw at the 20th ZagrebDox as part of the Happy Dox program. The film takes us to a charming coastal community in Virginia, where trailer park residents lead modest yet fulfilling lives. Common stereotypes recede before a strong and tightly knit community that faces the threat of eviction and losing their homes.
The Prelude to Dox Program thus offers a cross-section of diverse authorial voices and themes—from human stories of connection and socipolitically engaged works to deeply personal narratives—that serves as an introduction to another edition of ZagrebDox, the meeting point for the best contemporary documentary filmmaking.
All screenings are free of charge. ZagrebDox is supported by the City of Zagreb, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild, and the Zagreb Tourist Board. For the latest updates and information, visit the official website http://zagrebdox.net/ or follow the festival on social media.
