Cannes Docs, the premier documentary showcase within the Marché du Film at Cannes Film Festival, wrapped up on May 19th with its award ceremony!

Congratulations to Ashley Duong, who received the Documentary Magazine Award for her project BA’S BOOK, at the Docs-In-Progress, Canada Showcase.

The project will be showcased in the Documentary Magazine Summer 2026 issue which reaches nearly 540K readers annually. 

Synopsis: When a filmmaker receives her father’s memoir about the Vietnam War and the Iranian Revolution, she answers with a film. Returning to her ancestral village, she collaborates with her father and relatives to film participatory re-creations of their past. A true hybrid of live-action and documentary, Ba’s Book offers a disarming look at how a family moves forward from divisions caused by displacement and war. 

“Pitching alongside such inspiring international filmmakers was truly humbling. And winning an award provides wonderful momentum for Ba’s Book as we work on the final stages of bringing this family story about the generations-long impact of war into the world. ” - Ashley Duong, filmmaker

“It was such an honour for us to be part of the Canadian delegation to Cannes Docs, such an amazing opportunity to share our work with the international documentary community. Ashley and I were so thrilled to win the Documentary Magazine Award. Thank you to RIDM, Telefilm Canada, and the wonderful Cannes Docs team. ” - Ina Fichman, producer

Docs-In-Progress jury was composed of:

Themba Bhebhe
Freelance Consultant, Strategic Advisor & Industry Programmer | Indigenous Cinema Alliance, Third Horizon

Fujioka Asako
Vice-chair | Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival

Paulina Portela
Founder & Director | Compañía de Cine

Other delegations and institutions represented this year included Scotland, the Five Nordics, Docs by the Sea, Palestine, Spain, Chile-Colombia, and CIRCLE. 

See the full list of Docs-In-Progress award winners.