Escape from Iran, Ugandan torture, and a history of concrete at DocsBarcelona 2026

The 29th edition of DocsBarcelona, the Catalan capital's biggest documentary film festical, opens on May 7 with the Iranian film 'A Fox Under a Pink Moon'.

In the pulsating film, the 16-year-old artist Soraya Akhlaghi documents her attempts to escape Iran, where she lives with her abusive husband, and reunite with her mother in Austria.

Directed remotely by Iranian documentarian Mehrdad Oskouei with the images that Akhlaghi recorded over five years with her mobile phone, it offers a first-person testimony of a young woman subjected to extreme social circumstances.

The screening will be the national premiere in Spain, after winning the Best Film Award at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival.

Using everyday materials, such as mud or wet egg cartons, Akhlaghi creates sculptures full of meaning and turns art into a way of processing her experience.

The inauguration at Cinemes Aribau will feature the protagonist and co-director of the documentary, who will share with the audience her life experience and the creative process behind the film.

Breaking taboos

The Official Section of DocsBarcelona 2026 will screen three stories that challenge conventions and taboos.

‘Barbara Forever’, by Brydie O’Connor, is an immersion into the life, work and cultural impact of pioneering filmmaker Barbara Hammer. Drawing on over eighty films, previously unseen archival material and audio interviews, O’Connor transforms the documentary into a tribute and an extension of her legacy.

The documentary ‘The Woman Who Poked The Leopard’, by Patience Nitumwesiga, tells the story of Stella Nyanzi, one of Uganda’s most prominent activists. Imprisoned and tortured, Nyanzi 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, and becomes an opportunity to offer her daughter the childhood she never had.

'The History of Concrete'

American filmmaker John Wilson will return to DocsBarcelona to present his feature debut, 'The History of Concrete'.

Wilson returns to Barcelona after presenting his cult series 'How To with John Wilson' at the festival in 2024, and offers a special screening on May 12 at the Aribau Cinema, with a discussion with the audience.

In 'The History of Concrete', Wilson explores urban life through this material. The unique comedic documentary offers a singular portrait of urban life and its inhabitants, which travels unpredictable paths and brings out a humor that is born from intuition and pure observation.

Violence and resistance

The Visions Section of the festival brings together works with innovative cinematic language that allow for the expansion of the limits of non-fiction.

Here, filmmakers will explore the impact of violence and its narrative on communities with two outstanding documentaries.

In ‘Afterlives’, director and desktop cinema pioneer Kevin B. Lee revisits the extremist violence encoded in Islamic State videos and the efforts of those who resist its impact. Beyond its toxic effects, he delves into the power structures that extend from the colonial past to the digital age.

On the other hand, the German documentary ‘Das Deutsche Volk’, by Marcin Wierzchowski, shows the racist attack in the city of Hanau, where in a few minutes, 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 their home.