Carlos Casas and Lee Ann Schmitt Win Top Prizes at Documenta Madrid 2026

The 23rd edition of the Documenta Madrid International Film Festival concluded with awards totaling over €30,000. Carlos Casas won the National Competition Best Film prize (€10,000) for 'Krakatoa', praised for transcending non-fiction boundaries with a mythological adventure narrative. Lee Ann Schmitt took the International Competition Best Film award (€10,000) for 'Evidence', recognized for its poetic cinematography linking intimate and global issues. Manuel Correa's 'Atlas de la desaparición' won the National Fugas Prize (€5,000) and the Audience Award for Best National Film. Daniel Mann's 'The Recce' won the International Fugas Prize. Luciana Espinoza Hoempler's 'No hay camino' received the CineZeta Young Jury Award. In the Corte Final section, Fernando Vílchez Rodríguez and Lili Albornoz's 'Escribir nuestro nombre y seguir' won the main prize (€4,000) and the Freak Agency Distribution Award. The Audience Award for Best International Film went to Clarisa Navas's 'El príncipe de Nanawa'. Special Mentions were given to Rocío Mesa's 'OAO' (National) and Lesley Loksi Chan's 'Lloyd Wong, Unfinished' (International). The closing featured the premiere of Juan Cavestany's 'Vial Matadero', exploring Matadero Madrid as a symbol of urban transformation. Over 1,650 films from more than 20 countries were submitted. Juries included Hélder Beja, Maite Conesa, Jessica Sarah Rinland, and Laura García-Lorca.