ZagrebDox 2026: Stories That Fill Theaters and Win Festivals

ZagrebDox is, once again, presenting a dynamic cross-section of today’s most exciting documentary filmmaking through its Musical Globe, Happy Dox, Festival Hits, Teen Dox, and Green Dox programs. From impactful stories defined by music and festival standouts to films exploring identity, youth, and the climate crisis, this year’s lineup brings together acclaimed titles and emerging voices from around the world. These programs have already become popular favorites, selling out theaters and establishing themselves as the festival’s most sought-after programs.

Musical Globe explores music’s power to define generations, inspire social change, and foster intimate personal spaces, featuring four feature-length documentaries. Behind the Smile by Marko Đorđević revisits the world of Vlada Divljan ten years after his death, as his family opens personal archives filled with previously unseen home videos, creative moments, and fragments of the artist’s life. The film was awarded at Beldocs and Dok’n’Ritam. Andrej Košak's Punk Under the Communist Regime, which premiered at DokuFest, takes audiences to Ljubljana between 1977 and 1985, where young punks built an authentic movement of resistance despite political repression.

Warmth, humor, and unforgettable protagonists define this year's Happy Dox Program, which features four films. In The Golden Spurtle, director Constantine Costi follows charismatic Charlie Miller as he works to preserve the tradition of the World Porridge Championship in a small Scottish town, turning a simple dish into a symbol of community and heritage. The Nicest Men on Earth by Josefine Exner and Sebastian Gerdes proffers a witty and tender portrait of Danish men navigating shifting gender roles, asking what it means to be a man in one of the world’s most progressive societies.

Festival Hits gathers eight films that have already stunned major international festivals. Among them is Richard Ladkani's Yanuni, a portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous leader from the Amazon who stands on the front lines of the fight for climate justice, balancing political power, personal risk, and private life. The film won at the São Paulo International Film Festival and received special recognition from the International Documentary Association. Kabul, Between Prayers by Aboozar Amini offers an intimate look at the life of a young Taliban soldier, avoiding stereotypes while focusing on the complexity of an individual shaped by ideology and circumstance. Screened in Venice, at IDFA, and at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the film is characterized by a sensible and nuanced perspective.

Young people's perspectives and coming-of-age themes take center stage in the Teen Dox Program, which features seven films. Niñxs by Kani Lapuerta, awarded at the Molodist Film Festival and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, follows eight years in the life of Karla, a transgender girl in Mexico, as she navigates a transition that is both destabilizing and liberating. Things That Keep Me Up at Night by Niklas Gyberg Ivarsson gathers young voices from different countries as they share their deepest fears and insecurities, creating a universal portrait of a generation. +10k by Gala Hernández López follows young Pol in his search for identity and success in the digital age. The film has won multiple awards and was selected for the Quinzaine des Cinéastes program in Cannes.

The relationship between humans and nature — and our emotional responses to the climate crisis — shapes the Green Dox Program, which features four memorable films. The Coriolis Effect by Petr Lom and Corinne van Egeraat is a cinematic meditation set in Cape Verde, the birthplace of powerful hurricanes, where climate change shapes everyday life for both people and animals. The filmmakers will attend the festival and hold a masterclass. Climate in Therapy by Nathan Grossman, in turn, is an innovative and humorous take on the climate crisis, following a group of scientists who go through therapy to process the emotional weight of the global issues they study.

The 22nd edition of ZagrebDox takes place at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema from April 19 to 26, 2026. The festival is supported by the City of Zagreb, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild, and the Zagreb Tourist Board. All updates and information are available at the official website and on the festival’s social media channels.