POLISH DOCUMENTARY PROJECT SELECTED FOR DOK. ARCHIVE AWARD
The Polish documentary project The Chef Suffragette, directed by Magdalena Szymków and produced by Małgorzata Prociak / Raban, has been selected as one of the five titles chosen for the DOK.archive Award 2026. This prestigious distinction recognises the most compelling documentary projects in development or early production that bring history to life through the creative use of archival and compilation materials.
The DOK.archive Award is granted to projects in which high-quality archival material constitutes an essential element of the narrative. As the organisers emphasise, the use of historical or commercial film footage on a larger scale significantly increases production costs. The initiative was therefore created to support filmmakers working with licensed archival resources, while also strengthening this important tradition of documentary cinema.
Out of all submissions to the DOK.archive Award 2026, five projects have been selected to be presented before a five-member jury during a live pitch at the DOK.forum Marketplace. The winning project will receive archival material from the British Pathé collection worth €22,500 or, alternatively, €2,500 in cash.
The inclusion of The Chef Suffragette in this group marks a significant distinction for the Polish project and its creators, while also confirming the film’s international potential as a work developed around an archival, historically grounded narrative.