Ready to welcome audiences, the 21st Lemesos International Documentary Festival opens on Saturday, August 1. Organised by Brave New Culture and funded by the Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the festival brings bold themes, voices and subjects to the big screen.

Commenting on the 2026 agenda, the organisers share: “Every documentary presented at the 21st Lemesos International Documentary Festival is both an invitation and a challenge: to engage in dialogue, to reflect, and to share thoughts, ideas and emotions.

“Documentaries that uncover the hidden facets of a complex world, that bear witness to difficult lives and shed light on the unseen tragedies of our time. Films that approach the human condition with humour and tenderness, yet always with warmth and empathy.”

The first screening of this edition begins this Saturday at 8.30pm with the multi-award-winning documentary One in a Million, directed by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes.

The film is a deeply moving portrait of a young Syrian woman, Israa. One in a Million traces her journey from the streets of Izmir to her final destination in Germany, exploring the refugee experience and the complexities that define it in contemporary Europe.

Over the course of a decade, the filmmakers follow Israa and her family in their pursuit of the European ‘paradise’, through Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Austria and Germany, and back to Aleppo, where they reflect on the journey that shaped their lives. Throughout the film, audiences witness Israa’s transformation from a girl into a young adult.

At the heart of the documentary lie cultural barriers, the challenges of displacement, internal conflicts, differing perspectives within the family itself and the bittersweet realities of coming of age under extraordinary circumstances.

The film has received numerous international awards, including the Audience Award and the Directing Award for Best Documentary at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. As the first festival screening comes to an end, the day’s events continue with a music performance.

At 10.30pm, the Ioanna Troullidou Quartet will entertain the audience with Ioanna Troullidou on vocals, Marios Toumbas on piano, Irenaeos Koullouras on bass and Ioannis Vafeas on drums.

Sunday’s screenings begin earlier at 6.30pm with the film The Golden Spurtle, followed by Bull’s Heart at 8.30pm and Closure at 10.30pm. Throughout the following week, three documentary films will be screened on each evening at the above times, except for the final night, when there will be two films and a closing music event.

21st Lemesos International Documentary Festival

One week of film screenings, documentaries, Cyprus premiers, discussions and parties. August 1-8. Ceronia Hall, Lanitis Carob Mill, Limassol. www.filmfestival.com.cy