DocsBarcelona, the Catalan capital's biggest documentary film festival, opens its 29th edition on 7 May with the Iranian film 'A Fox Under a Pink Moon'. The festival will host American filmmaker John Wilson and the film's Iranian protagonist, Soraya Akhlaghi.
The film follows 16-year-old artist Soraya Akhlaghi as she documents her attempts to escape Iran, where she lives with an abusive husband. She tries to reunite with her mother in Austria. Mehrdad Oskouei directed the film remotely, using images Akhlaghi recorded over five years with her mobile phone. This offers a first-person account of a young woman facing extreme social circumstances.
The screening at Cinemes Aribau marks the national premiere in Spain. The film previously won the Best Film Award at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival. Akhlaghi creates sculptures using everyday materials like mud or wet egg cartons, turning art into a way to process her experiences. Akhlaghi, the protagonist and co-director, will attend the inauguration to share her life story and the creative process behind the film.
Challenging Conventions and Taboos
The Official Section of DocsBarcelona 2026 will screen three stories that challenge conventions. 'Barbara Forever', by Brydie O’Connor, looks at the life, work, and cultural impact of pioneering filmmaker Barbara Hammer. O’Connor uses over eighty films, unseen archival material, and audio interviews to create a tribute and an extension of Hammer's legacy.
Patience Nitumwesiga's documentary, 'The Woman Who Poked The Leopard', tells the story of Stella Nyanzi, a prominent Ugandan activist. Nyanzi, imprisoned and tortured, defies Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni by defending the rights of queer people in a country where homosexuality is punishable by death. 'Mailin', by María Silvia Esteve, reconstructs the director’s memory as she tells a bedtime story to her daughter. The story reveals a girl who suffered abuse for fifteen years by a priest, offering an opportunity to give her daughter the childhood she never had.
John Wilson Returns with 'The History of Concrete'
American filmmaker John Wilson will return to DocsBarcelona to present his feature debut, 'The History of Concrete'. Wilson previously presented his series 'How To with John Wilson' at the festival in 2024. He will offer a special screening on 12 May at the Aribau Cinema, followed by a discussion with the audience.
In 'The History of Concrete', Wilson explores urban life through the material itself. This comedic documentary offers a unique portrait of urban life and its inhabitants, moving along unpredictable paths and bringing out humour born from intuition and observation.
Exploring Violence and Resistance
The Visions Section of the festival brings together works with innovative cinematic language that expand the limits of non-fiction. Filmmakers in this section will explore the impact of violence and its narrative on communities through two documentaries.
In 'Afterlives', director Kevin B. Lee revisits extremist violence encoded in Islamic State videos and the efforts of those who resist its impact. The film looks at the power structures that extend from the colonial past to the digital age. The German documentary 'Das Deutsche Volk', by Marcin Wierzchowski, shows the racist attack in Hanau, where nine young people were murdered. The film explores the consequences for the survivors, their families, and the community over five years, and their attempt to regain a sense of belonging in the country they consider home.
