'Khartoum' Wins Top Prize at Reus Memorimage Festival

The documentary Khartoum, which portrays Sudan before and after the outbreak of civil war, has won the Premi Ciutat de Reus, the top award of the Memorimage festival. The International Film Festival of Reus announced the winners of its 21st edition on Saturday. More than 1,100 spectators attended four days of screenings dedicated to archive-image cinema at the Teatre Bartrina.

What is 'Khartoum'?

Khartoum is a collective creation directed by Sudanese filmmakers Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, together with British director Phil Cox. The film combines archive footage, recreations and animation to follow five people fighting for freedom and survival in a country marked by dictatorship, conflict and a colonial past. The documentary had its Spanish premiere at DocsBarcelona after screening at international festivals including the Berlinale and Sundance.

The Official Section jury — Ona Balló, Alba Bosch and Jordi Abelló — highlighted its experimental and original narrative and praised «l'ús avantgardista del croma», the chroma-key technique that lets the protagonists recreate their reality before exile. The jury also valued «el risc, l'exercici de rebel·lió i la urgència de parlar de conflictes que queden fora del focus mediàtic».

Which film collected the most awards?

Trains, by Maciej Drygas, took three honors — the most of any film this year:

• Special Mention of the Premi Ciutat de Reus
• Premi Cinema·Rescat for best documentation and research
• Premi ADAE for best creative use of archive, a new award this edition

The documentary traces 20th-century history through archive images of trains and passengers, setting progress and hope against migration, wars and human tragedy.

Who won the audience and section prizes?

The Audience Award went to Per què no escric res by Isabel Fernández. The documentary recovers the figure of writer Carmen Laforet, author of Nada, and defends her struggle for independence and freedom.

The Premi MemoriReus distinguished Un altre pare by Mariona Guiu, in which the filmmaker returns home and reviews tapes recorded by her father to explore grief, depression and the invisible wounds of family bonds.

Students in the MemoriJove sessions awarded their prize to Les culpables by Marta Duran Lozano. That film addresses the taboo of abortion during adolescence through hundreds of women's testimonies.

Who received the Honor Award?

The 2026 Honor Award went to historian and underwater documentarian Josep Maria Castellví, recognized for his career recovering, conserving and disseminating audiovisual heritage. The jury — Montse Bailac, Joaquim Nolla and Coia Escoda — cited his «aportació exemplar a rescatar, conservar i difondre testimonis i històries» and his contribution to preserving them as a shared legacy.

How did the festival close?

Memorimage closed on Saturday with a gala devoted to amateur cinema from Reus. The evening hosted the world premiere of 1966. Del desastre a la reconstrucció by Josep Batista and Josep Romeu, a documentary recovering a fair edition marked by the contrast between initial enthusiasm and subsequent disaster. The ceremony also paid tribute to Reus filmmaker Jordi Vall Ciré (1929–2026), who died this year, and affirmed the value of amateur footage as testimony to local history.

The 21st edition — the first under artistic director Maria Colomer Canyelles — offered 22 films, nine of them Catalan premieres, with all sessions free of charge. The program centered on revisiting historical narratives and recovering collective memory through audiovisual heritage, a framework the festival will carry into its next edition.

By Elena Vasquez