Rising of Lusitania AnimaDoc Festival 2026 Winners: ‘Who Killed Narin G**?’ Takes Grand Prix
Skwigly
From 12–15 October 2026, the Lusitania docked in the Polish port city of Gdańsk for the latest edition of the Rising of Lusitania AnimaDoc Film Festival, presenting 51 films from 30 countries at the University of Gdańsk.
Lusitania Grand Prix, went to Ayce Kartal’s Who Killed Narin G***?
The programme featured 22 films in the professional category and 15 in the student category, evaluated by separate professional and student juries. Audiences also voted for their favourites, including the winner of the festival’s MOCK<anima>DOC category.
An additional eight films were presented in the Panoramic View from the Command Deck programme, while the festival hosted live discussions with directors Žoel Kastelic (Coming Back with the Waves), Beaux Salix (The Hermit Crab) and Helena Stańczyk (I’m Painting a Self-Portrait, But All I See Is My Sister’s Face).
Another highlight was the Polish premiere of Aria Covamonas’ The Great History of Western Philosophy.
The festival’s top honour, the Lusitania Grand Prix, went to Ayce Kartal’s Who Killed Narin G***?*, while Uliana Gromyko’s Error: Connection Lost received both the professional jury’s Rising Award and the Students4student Award.
The full list of winners, special mentions and jury statements follows.
Professional Jury Awards
Jury: Maja Markowska, Vahram Mkhitaryan and Urszula Morga
Lusitania Grand Prix Award – Best Professional AnimaDoc
WHO KILLED NARIN G**?**
France, 2025 | 04:42
Director: Ayce Kartal
Jury statement: For the masterful use of animation to create a world of boundless imagination, and for the courage to pose questions without imposing easy answers.
Special Jury Award – Best Professional AnimaDoc
UNLEARNING MOTHERHOOD
Netherlands, 2025 | 10:45
Director: Juliana Erazo Gómez
Jury statement: For opening the door to a motherhood that can be lived out without one’s own child. For creating a rounded, pink world that offers refuge in the midst of an internal struggle against fear.
Rising Award – Best Student AnimaDoc
ERROR: CONNECTION LOST
Netherlands, 2025 | 05:02
Director: Uliana Gromyko
School: HKU – University of the Arts Utrecht
Jury statement: For a minimalist form that translates a deeply personal story into a universal experience of loss, and of love for our near ones whose fate and health we tremble for.
Special Jury Award – Best Student AnimaDoc
I’M PAINTING A SELF-PORTRAIT, BUT ALL I SEE IS MY SISTER’S FACE
Poland, 2026 | 10:45
Director: Helena Stańczyk
School: Lodz Film School
Jury statement: For the extraordinary tenderness in portraying the bond between Alicja and Bożena Wahl, twin sisters and artists. For weaving a deeply personal story of closeness, shared creativity, and lives intertwined with art from a rich archival record.
Special Mentions – Creative Approach to the Topic
AS THE CROW FLIES
France, 2025 | 29:59
Director: Clara Lacombe
Jury statement: For giving a refugee a voice, involving him in the creative process, and portraying a young man who retains his sensitivity and hope despite difficult experiences.
OUR WALLS
Czechia/Slovenia, 2026 | 07:35
Director: Živa Divjak
School: FAMU – Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Jury statement: For an intimate portrayal of an intergenerational relationship and a visually accomplished exploration of caring for loved ones, raising questions about the limits of personal freedom.
RAPTUS
Cuba, 2025 | 10:16
Director: Ivette Ávila Martín
Jury statement: For a genuine testament to violence, hand-sculpted into a symbolically beautiful, visual narrative.
Personal Mention – Maja Markowska
THE AUTOHARP CRUSHING ON HOT GUYS
Czechia, 2026 | 08:23
Director: Antonie Zavadilová
School: FAMU – Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Jury statement: For a tender tale of mundane anxieties, inviting the viewer to a café table for a deeply satisfying, brilliant discussion on the follies of love.
Personal Mention – Vahram Mkhitaryan
THE IN-THE-HEAD FILM
Germany, 2026 | 11:24
Director: Konstantin von Sichart
Jury statement: A compelling self-portrait that reveals the artist’s creative process, the impossibility of escaping one’s own thoughts, and a sense of helplessness in the face of the stimuli flooding in from a constantly changing world.
Personal Mention – Urszula Morga
MEALITANCY
Belgium, 2024 | 12:07
Directors: Marie Royer, Zinia Scorier
Jury statement: For an uncompromising story of resistance to consumerism and for portraying the world from a non-human perspective.
Student Jury Awards
Jury: Magda Brzezińska, Julia Rutkowska and Jagoda Woźniak
Lusitania Student Award – Best Professional AnimaDoc
H.R. 4405
Lithuania, 2026 | 03:17
Director: Tylus Kinas
Jury statement: The Student Jury would like to award this film for its synthetic form, which aptly engages with the difficult topic of sexual violence, adopting and presenting the audience with the perspective of the victim, which also presents a metaphor for the fragmentation of consciousness resulting from trauma. For its overwhelming narrative, which leaves the viewer with a feeling of unease and incomplete understanding of the situation until the very last second.
Special Mention – Best Professional AnimaDoc
MEALITANCY
Belgium, 2024 | 12:07
Directors: Marie Royer, Zinia Scorier
Jury statement: The Student Jury commended the film for its exploration of a universal issue within a local context, as well as its potential to inspire viewers to launch similar social initiatives. Furthermore, the film stands out for its cohesive, charming colour palette—built upon primary colours—as well as its excellent compositions and an apt comparison of the activists’ efforts to the tireless, never-ending labour of ants.
Students4student Award – Best Student AnimaDoc
ERROR: CONNECTION LOST
Netherlands, 2025 | 05:02
Director: Uliana Gromyko
School: HKU – University of the Arts Utrecht
Jury statement: The Student Jury wishes to award the film for its compelling approach to the poignant subject of the war in Ukraine. The animation fluidly guides the viewer through the protagonists’ story, highlighting the close bond between a brother and sister—a connection that flourishes as they share the use of a computer. The theme of technology—serving not merely as a tool, but as a space for building relationships—is reflected in the film’s visual style. This approach underscores the profound significance of the computer for the younger sister, establishing it as a vital element of the narrative.
Audience Awards
Audience Award – Professional AnimaDoc
NONNA LUCIA
Switzerland, 2026 | 06:59
Director: Marcel Barelli
Audience Award – Student AnimaDoc
THOUSANDS OF HOURS
Czechia, 2026 | 06:20
Director: Barbora Vanická
School: FAMU – Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Audience Award – MOCK<anima>DOC (Make-Believe Award)
SHOULD VIRTUAL PETZ DIE?
Italy, 2024 | 12:00
Director: Carlo Galbiati