The 24th edition of Dokufest, Kosovo’s International Documentary and Short Film Festival, returns from August 1–9, under the provocative theme: “Endless Greed, Mental Void.” This year’s theme is a  response to global war, injustice, displacement, and passivity and a call to resist apathy, reclaim truth, and persevere through the power of storytelling.

Described not as a concept but a ‘condition,’ the theme of the 24th edition of Kosovo’s DokuFest reflects the difficulty of thinking and feeling clearly amidst suffering in the world and the current state of media overload. 

“We scroll past agony. We absorb injustice. We live through fatigue,” reads the festival’s programme, drawing attention to hyper-visibility and dulled collective response.

DokuFest will take place in venues throughout the historic city centre of Prizren, as well as at the Innovation and Training Park and at Abi Qarshia cinemas.

Following nearly 3,500 submissions, DokuFest has selected 100 films across seven competitive categories. 

The full programme includes the globally acclaimed View from the World strand, a newly introduced Fiction/Non-Fiction programme, and a special retrospective of short films by cinematic legend Wim Wenders.

Voices from the frontlines of reality

Veton Nurkollari, DokuFest’s Head of Program, shared that this year’s selection was deeply shaped by the violence and unrest in today’s world.

“This year has been so difficult, so violent, and so troubled—this inevitably reflects on what we’ve selected. Documentary filmmakers are at the forefront of what’s happening today. They are the unsung heroes, bringing stories back to us. This selection is a celebration of them,” he said.

Alongside the competition programmes, two special programmes have also been announced. 

“DokuFest’s highly praised View From The World strand returns, featuring some of the finest and boldest nonfiction work of the year, including Oscar-winning Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 Meters to Andriivka and Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni’s Sundance Grand Jury winner Cutting Through Rocks,” the festival’s programme reads.

Additionally, a completely new special programme has been announced for this edition of DokuFest: Fiction/Non-Fiction, featuring a selection of films on the border between documentary and fiction. The lineup includes Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s film about the Irish hip-hop sensation, and DokuFest regular Courtney Stephen’s strange and fascinating Invention.

Starting this year, DokuFest has launched an annual programme dedicated to the masters of cinema through their short films.

Furthermore, DokuNights series will also bring an electric lineup of music to Prizren’s open-air stages:August 3: Shkodra Elektronike, the duo that represented Albania in Eurovision 2025, August 4: DakhaBrakha, Ukraine’s legendary “ethno-chaos” ensemble, August 6: Cinna Peyghamy, Andra Kryeziu (YAAND), and Justin Robinson (urbau), August 7: Electronic artists LUXE (London) and upsammy (Amsterdam), August 8:  Kosovan pop artist Yll Limani and August 9: Experimental sounds from Sound Metaphors DJs, Sleep D, and Genc Elezaj.

Founded in the aftermath of war, DokuFest has grown from a grassroots revival of cinema in Prizren to an internationally recognised event.