This year’s award winners at the festival
We are proud to present this year’s award winners in the Dok:Sør section and the main competition, as well as the winner of the Audience Award. Below, you can read about the films that received honourable mentions from the juries, along with the winning films in the two sections.
Doc:South
Ten films participated in the Doc:South programme, the festival’s competition section for documentary film. The jury was composed of Martin Hoftun Jæger, Kasper Skålid, and Siri Hertzberg Brenno Hjorth.
Honourable Mention to EVEREST DARK
«An honourable mention goes to a documentary that moves deeply through its intimate and respectful portrayal of a demanding and often overlooked livelihood. The film offers a powerful insight into the everyday lives of people who live with the forces of nature close to their bodies and who carry heavy physical and emotional burdens.
With striking cinematography and a powerful soundscape, the film conveys the risk, strength, and vulnerability that shape the lives within this environment. It broadens the audience’s perspective and creates space for reflection on a reality few are ever exposed to.
For its visual strength, its commitment, and its ability to highlight an important and often overlooked story, an honourable mention is awarded to Everest Dark.»
The winner of Doc:South is YANUNI
«The award for Best Documentary goes to a film that combines courageous storytelling with visual richness and political weight. At its centre is a dedicated environmental activist who risks much in her fight for nature and justice. Through her work, we gain an unusually close insight into the realities of illegal gold mining, abuses of power, and the human consequences that follow in the wake of an unstable political landscape.
The film stands out through its powerful interplay of music, sound design, and an intense visual language that keeps the audience engaged from beginning to end. Its editing and dramaturgy create a tension that makes the story both enlightening and gripping to follow.
For its thematically bold approach, its cinematic qualities, and its ability to engage on multiple levels, the award for Best Documentary is given to Yanuni.»
Main Competition
This year’s main competition featured ten fiction films. The winner receives the festival’s top award, the Silver Mirror. The jury consisted of Cornelia Boysen, Ida Madsen Hestman, and Brwa Vahabpour.
Honourable mention to A POET
«We wish to give an honourable mention to a film that, in an engaging and organic way, draws us into the world of poetry. With a sharp eye and a steadily building pace, the filmmaker leads us toward a climax that truly delivers. The masterful climactic sequence balances elegantly between humour and deep gravity, leaving a lasting impression.
With bold editing, an unpretentious approach, and above all a cinematic expression shaped by the extraordinary lead actor and his physicality and presence, we are left reflecting on how we navigate dreams, relationships, and the hard realities of life.
An honourable mention goes to A Poet by Simon Mesa Soto.»
The Silver Mirror Award goes to LEFT-HANDED GIRL
«The Silver Mirror is awarded to a film with a rough yet colourful visual style. The film was shot on an iPhone, a choice that has been discussed within the jury. We find that this decision elevates the film and gives it a more direct and immediate form of expression.
The intimate encounter with the film’s young protagonist, I-Jing, allows us to continually borrow her gaze on the adult world. In doing so, we become aware of how the rules and doctrines of adults can appear absurd, while seemingly trivial remarks can have a profound impact on a small child. Despite serious thematic undercurrents, we are left with a sense of warmth and feel-good, and with the impression that the film wants to say something about the importance of community beyond the family as an institution.
The film charmed the jury with its portrait of three generations of working-class women in Taipei—their expectations, traditions, and secrets. This is conveyed through assured direction that gradually guides the story from its curious opening to the film’s final, long-awaited, and unforgettable moment.
The Silver Mirror is awarded to Left-Handed Girl, by Shih-Ching Tsou.»
Selmer Media will distribute the film in Norway and is set to have a regular theatrical release on January 23, 2026.
The Audience Award goes to IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
The audience has voted among all the films in the programme produced after 2023. This year’s audience favourite is It Was Just an Accident, by Jafar Panahi.
Arthaus is distributing It Was Just an Accident in Norway, and the film will have its regular theatrical release on February 20, 2026.
One lucky audience member who voted will win two festival passes to the next edition of Arabiske filmdager, taking place from March 19 to 22, 2026.
The winner will be contacted by email after the festival.