The winners of Adelaide Film Festival's 2026 jury-selected film awards have been announced, celebrating outstanding storytelling across feature fiction, feature documentary, short filmmaking and cinema creating change.

South African filmmaker John Trengove's The Smell of Apples has received the $10,000 AFF Feature Fiction Award, while The Balkan Cowboy, directed by Dublin-based artist and filmmaker Dragana Jurišić, has won the $10,000 AFF Feature Documentary Award.

The $5,000 AFF Change Award has been presented to Steal This Story, Please!, directed by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, a documentary celebrating journalist and Democracy Now! founder Amy Goodman. Australian filmmaker Lizzie Cater has received the $3,000 AFF Shorts Award for Baby Talk.

The juries also recognised Fruit Gathering, Tehran, Under the Skin and Time and Water with Special Mentions and a Special Commendation across the competitions.

Together, these awards recognise the creativity, innovation and impact of filmmakers from around the world, from bold new voices and distinctive documentaries to stories exploring the possibilities for change.

AFF Feature Fiction Award: The Smell of Apples

Set in apartheid-era South Africa, The Smell of Apples follows 11-year-old Marnus, whose idyllic childhood begins to unravel as he confronts the violence and inequality surrounding his privileged family. Adapted from Mark Behr's acclaimed novel, the film explores family, secrecy and the gradual awakening of a young boy to the realities of apartheid.

South African writer and director John Trengove co-wrote the film with Christopher Ciancimino. His debut feature, The Wound (2017), premiered at Sundance and Berlin, won the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature at the BFI London Film Festival and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His second feature, Manodrome (2023), premiered in competition at Berlin.

In awarding The Smell of Apples the AFF Feature Fiction Award, the Official Competition Jury said:

“Among the Feature Fiction films, the jury was especially impressed by a film made with both visual and narrative precision. For its devastating story of family, secrets and violence seen through the unblinking eyes of a child, the jury awards the Feature Fiction Competition Prize to The Smell of Apples, directed by John Trengove.”

On receiving news of the award, Trengove said:

“I’m humbled and delighted by this news. The Smell of Apples was a labour of love, and I owe everything to the incredible team who took this journey with me. To see our film resonate with audiences far and wide is immensely gratifying. Thank you to the Adelaide Film Festival for this recognition, it is deeply appreciated.”

Established in 2007, the AFF Feature Fiction Award recognises international filmmaking that embraces distinctive voices, bold storytelling and creative risk-taking. The $10,000 award is sponsored by the Nunn Dimos Foundation.

AFF Feature Documentary Award: The Balkan Cowboy

The Balkan Cowboy, from artist, photographer and filmmaker Dragana Jurišić, has won the AFF Feature Documentary Award.

Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, Jurišić was captivated by Westerns, particularly those of the mysterious local filmmaker Hari Džekson. Returning to the region decades later, she sets out to uncover the story of the filmmaker who inspired her childhood fascination, confronting the lasting divisions and difficult histories left by the Yugoslav wars.

Blending archival material, personal memories and unexpected humour, The Balkan Cowboy takes audiences on a journey through cinema, history and the communities shaped by conflict.

Born in the former Yugoslavia and now based in Dublin, Jurišić is an award-winning visual artist, photographer and filmmaker, and an assistant professor at Dublin City University's School of Communications. The Balkan Cowboy marks her directorial debut and screened in competition at Sarajevo Film Festival.

In recognising the film, the Official Competition Jury said:

“The Jury awards the Best Documentary Prize to a film that takes an inventive, long-view approach to the wounds of history and the enduring divisions left by violent religious ethnonationalism. Archival, innovative, and often unexpectedly funny, Balkan Cowboy turns a deeply personal journey into a moving exploration of the Yugoslav wars and their aftermath. With wit, humanity, and a keen eye for the absurd, the film reminds us that confronting the past may open new ways of understanding one another.”

Jurišić, who joined us in Adelaide for the Festival, shared:

“I spent the most welcoming, fun and wonderful days at the Adelaide Film Festival 2026. I am so grateful to learn of the Best Documentary Award for The Balkan Cowboy. My heartfelt thanks to the Jury and the brilliant team at Adelaide Film Festival.
“The Festival was a warm and inclusive space and I am so fortunate to have had a chance to attend. I would like to use this opportunity to thank our funders: Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, RTÉ and the Irish film tax credit and the Croatian Audio Visual Centre. Thanks also to my producers Zlata Filipović, Anna Rodgers and co-producer Oliver Sertić, the brilliant cast and crew, the family of Hari Džekson and the people of Bijeljina where we shot this film. The documentary was inspired by a film lover and a dreamer who brought people together through the process of filmmaking and I hope it will continue to do that as it goes on to screen to the audiences around the world.”

Introduced in 2013, the $10,000 AFF Feature Documentary Award celebrates original and distinctive voices in factual filmmaking.

Special Mentions

The AFF 2026 Official Competition Jury also recognised two films with Special Mentions across the Feature Fiction and Feature Documentary competitions.

Feature Fiction Special Mention: Fruit Gathering

The Jury awarded a Special Mention to Fruit Gathering, directed by Aung Phyoe.

Set against the backdrop of civil war in Myanmar, the film follows a young woman working in a textile factory whose plans for a new life are complicated by an unexpected connection with a fellow worker. A tender and provocative exploration of forbidden love, the film previously won the Grand Prix Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The Jury said:

“For its insightful portrait of a young woman embarking on a journey of quiet but intense passion, the jury awards a special mention to Fruit Gathering, directed by Aung Phyoe.”

Feature Documentary Special Mention: Tehran, Under the Skin

Afsaneh Salari's Tehran, Under the Skin also received a Special Mention from the Official Competition Jury.

Exploring the widespread popularity of plastic surgery in Iran, the documentary offers an intimate look at the personal, cultural and economic pressures surrounding beauty in contemporary Tehran.

The Jury said:

“The Jury awards a Special Mention to Tehran, Under the Skin, a memorable film offering the viewer startling access to the hectic, culturally complex world of plastic surgery in Tehran. Intimate and probing, it takes an unjudgmental look at the hopes, anxieties, and economics of beauty.”

AFF 2026 Official Competition Jury

The AFF 2026 Feature Fiction and Feature Documentary competitions were judged by five members of the Official Competition Jury, bringing together international perspectives and expertise across filmmaking, performance, production and film exhibition.

The 2026 Official Competition Jury comprises:

Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Xavier Samuel, internationally acclaimed South Australian actor, whose credits include Elvis and Send Help.
Sandeep Ray, filmmaker and academic, and Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Nottingham Malaysia.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Adelaide-based actor, writer, director and producer, known for I Am Woman and Apple Cider Vinegar.
Anna Vincent, Australian producer whose work across fiction and documentary has screened at major international film festivals, including Cannes, Sundance, Berlin and Tribeca.

AFF thanks the Official Competition Jury for their time, expertise and commitment to recognising outstanding filmmaking in the 2026 program.

AFF Change Award: Steal This Story, Please!

Steal This Story, Please!, directed by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, has won the $5,000 AFF Change Award.

The documentary follows journalist and Democracy Now! founder Amy Goodman, tracing her extraordinary career reporting on stories often overlooked by mainstream news organisations. From its beginnings as a community radio programme to an internationally watched independent news outlet, Democracy Now! has maintained its commitment to reporting beyond corporate media structures.

Drawing on archival material and behind-the-scenes access, the film explores Goodman's decades of journalism, the risks she has faced in pursuing stories and the importance of independent media in holding power to account.

Directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin received an Academy Award nomination for their documentary Trouble the Water (2008). Their latest film has also been recognised internationally, including receiving an Audience Award at Palm Springs.

In awarding Steal This Story, Please! the AFF Change Award, the Jury recognised the film's exploration of independent journalism, collective action and the power of individuals to challenge injustice.

The Jury said:

“What makes this a film of change is its demonstration of the power of critique, exposure of injustice, the importance of independent media and how much it needs our support, and most importantly the power of the people to overcome.”

Established in 2020, the AFF Change Award recognises films with positive social or environmental impact through cinema expressing a desire to live in new ways.

AFF 2026 Change Award Jury

The AFF 2026 Change Award was judged by three leaders in their fields, bringing together expertise in futures research, storytelling, arts practice and social change.

The 2026 Change Award Jury comprises:

Professor Ariella Helfgott, Professor of Foresight at Adelaide University and Co-Director of the SA Futures Agency.
Dr Jared Thomas, curator, archivist, researcher, filmmaker and award-winning writer of children's and young adult fiction.
Emma Webb OAM, organiser, curator and activist whose work spans experimental and socially engaged performance, arts advocacy and the cultural sector.

AFF thanks the Change Award Jury for their time, expertise and commitment to recognising cinema that inspires positive social and environmental change.

AFF Shorts Award: Baby Talk

Australian filmmaker Lizzie Cater has won the $3,000 AFF Shorts Award for Baby Talk, an intimate short exploring love, family and societal expectations.

Set in 1992 and inspired by true events, the film follows Leo, whose wedding to the father of her unborn child is approaching, as she spends a precious day with her best friend Amy searching for a wedding dress during a road trip home.

Written and directed by Cater, the 12-minute film had its World Premiere at the 2026 Mardi Gras Film Festival and screened as part of AFF 2026's Queer Shorts programme.

The AFF Shorts Award Jury recognised the film's carefully unfolding storytelling, distinctive visual language and exceptional performances.

In awarding Baby Talk the prize, the Jury said:

"Baby Talk was chosen as best short film because of the clever and gradual reveal of the themes and the lasting impact of the visual language. The performances from the cast are exceptional and drive an unexpectedly moving story of love, family, societal expectation and the courage required to honour one’s own truth."

The $3,000 AFF Shorts Award celebrates original and innovative short filmmaking, recognising emerging voices and creative achievement in the short film format.

AFF 2026 Shorts Award Jury

The AFF 2026 Shorts Award was judged by three filmmakers and screen industry professionals, bringing together perspectives from directing, performance and First Nations storytelling.

The 2026 Shorts Award Jury comprises:

Travis Akbar, Wongutha filmmaker.
Alies Sluite, director.
Anna Lindner, actor and filmmaker.

AFF thanks the Shorts Award Jury for their time, expertise and commitment to recognising original and innovative short filmmaking.

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