Irish-Croatian documentary The Balkan Cowboy, directed by Dublin-based artist and photographer Dragana Jurisic, has won Best Documentary at the 2026 Adelaide Film Festival.

Produced by Zlata Filipovic and Anna Rodgers of Dublin-based Invisible Thread Films, with Croatian co-producer Oliver Sertic of Restart, the film received its international and Australian premiere at the festival. The award carries a prize of AUD $10.000.

The win follows its world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival in August and a Grand Prix award at the Mediteran Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jurišić’s debut feature follows her search for the story of cult amateur filmmaker Hari Džekson, who made Westerns in the Bosnian town of Bijeljina, casting friends and neighbours as cowboys, outlaws and villains. His filmmaking was interrupted by the war in the 1990s.

Returning to the home she fled, Jurišić retraces Džekson’s story and recreates one of his films with local people from both sides of the ethnic divide. Blending documentary, performance and the Western genre, the film explores the legacy of conflict and the connections formed through filmmaking.

The Adelaide 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, The 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.”

Speaking about the award, Jurišić said: “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.”

She added: “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 continues its screenings to audiences around the world.”

The Balkan Cowboy forms part of Screen Ireland’s 2026 Production Slate and is supported by an Arts Council Project Award. Its funding also includes RTÉ, Coimisiún na Meán, Section 481 and HAVC.