Russian War Recruitment in Africa, Hidden West Bank Settlement Funding, Scams in Southeast Asia, and More: 2026 DIG Awards Shortlist

From September 23 – 27, 2026, the 12th edition of the DIG Festival — Europe’s premier multimedia investigative journalism festival — will showcase a powerhouse lineup of outstanding investigative documentaries and podcasts for attendees in Modena, Italy.

These include the screening of 25 new investigative films — chosen from 300 entries — which will be evaluated by an international jury across five video categories for the annual DIG Awards. The diverse finalists reflect the theme of the 2026 event, “Bella Ciao,” which has emerged as a call to arms for free speech and democracy and recalls a World War II-era protest anthem.

The DIG jury, chaired this year by award-winning Croatian filmmaker Igor Bezinović, will also select winners from among five shortlisted investigative podcasts that tackle harms including systematic exploitation, corruption, and abuse.

To be screened at Modena’s historic Cinema Astra, shortlisted documentaries tackle topics ranging from a human trafficking scam in Myanmar and the US migrant deportation deal with El Salvador to a forensic reconstruction of an assault on environmental protesters in Europe and several exposés on human rights abuses in Palestine. Audio category nominees include investigations into AI errors in criminal prosecution; the exploitation of migrant workers in Turkey; the looting of Venezuelan oil wealth; and a brazen scheme to exploit children living with cancer.

In parallel, a non-competition festival program will also feature 30 panel discussions and presentations by world-renowned documentary makers.

A collage of images from selected DIG Festival investigative documentaries. Image: Courtesy of DIG Festival

DIG — which stands for “Documentari, Inchieste, Giornalismi” (Documentaries, Investigations, Journalism) — is a nonprofit organization that supports investigative journalism in Italy and worldwide. In keeping with this year’s theme, the festival released a statement saying: “Freedom must not simply be defended. It must be practiced and expanded every day, choosing to disobey and to speak up when there are those who would impose silence.”

For 2026, the DIG Academy is also offering 12 new, free-to-attend workshops focused on the central themes of contemporary investigative journalism, including source protection, large digital archives, migration, open source research, greenwashing, and fighting nuisance SLAPP suits.

Below, we review the Investigative Long and Investigative Medium finalists that the event will celebrate at its upcoming event.

(See the shortlist of short-form investigative films, investigative podcasts, and “reportage” documentaries at this link).

Finalists (Investigative Long)

Addiction Criminals

Image: Addiction Criminals

This project reveals the inside story of a prescription drug abuse epidemic that has killed some 800,000 Americans and has been slowly spreading worldwide. Having previously produced several documentaries about victims of this global opioid crisis, director Paul Moreira turns the camera on the people who helped fuel it, from pharmaceutical executives to drug traffickers. Through interviews with former industry insiders and video footage from hearings and interrogations, the film reveals how aggressive marketing, corruption, and criminal networks helped turn addictive drugs into a highly profitable global business, blurring the line between the pharmaceutical industry and organized crime.

Death in Dubai

Image: Death in Dubai

This BBC Africa Eye investigation uncovers the hidden reality of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Dubai. Reporter Runako Celina follows the stories of young Ugandan women who were allegedly lured to the UAE with promises of legitimate work, only to find themselves trapped in prostitution and abusive conditions. Through survivor testimonies and undercover reporting, the investigation exposes a wider network of trafficking, coercion, and abuse, and identifies a key figure accused of running the network.

Into The Void: Putin’s Foreign Fighters

Image: Into the Void

Adding to an already impressive body of investigative work into Russian military recruitment, this BBC Eye project explores Russia’s covert recruitment of foreign men to fight its war in Ukraine. The film follows young men from Syria, Yemen, and Egypt who travel to Russia seeking work, only to discover they have been deceived and sent to the frontline. Through testimonies, secret recordings, and undercover reporting, the investigation exposes a recruitment network that targets vulnerable men with false promises of civilian jobs and high salaries, and reveals the precise mechanics of their entrapment.

Iran, Israel and the Bomb

Image: Iran, Israel and the Bomb

This long-form documentary carefully reconstructs Israel’s covert, decades-long campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Filmmakers Miyuki Droz Aramaki and Sylvain Lepetit surface incidents ranging from sabotage and cyberattacks to targeted assassinations of nuclear scientists and the theft of Iran’s nuclear archives. The film also explores the true state of Iran’s nuclear program, as well as the question of whether it could rebuild itself even more secretly.

The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador

Image: The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador

Three months into Donald Trump’s second term as US president, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele opened his country’s notorious CECOT prison to deportees the Trump administration had detained and accused of being gang members. This FRONTLINE investigation digs into the controversial deal between Bukele and the Trump Administration that enabled this pipeline, and which outraged human rights organizations and migrant rights groups throughout the region. Through interviews, leaked documents, and prison records, FRONTLINE and reporters from El Salvador’s news outlet El Faro uncover evidence of secret negotiations and agreements that raise questions about the true motives behind the deportations.

Finalists (Investigative Medium)

In Beijing’s Crosshairs

Hua Yong. Image: Screenshot, In Beijing’s Crosshairs

In November 2022, the body of a Chinese dissident, Hua Yong, was found on a small island off Canada’s west coast; a death initially considered a drowning from a kayaking accident. This Radio-Canada documentary investigates both the incident and the prior targeting of the dissident, and uncovers the alleged role of Chinese secret police in his suspicious death. Through the testimony of a former Chinese spy — as well as unique access to Hua Yong’s communications — this film shines new light on a troubling mystery.

Myanmar Scam Factory

Image: Myanmar Scam Factory

This investigative film by TRT World lifts the lid on a hidden world of cyber slavery that targets and exploits victims around the globe. Using powerful testimony and documentary evidence, reporters expose a diabolical cross-border fraud scheme where people are trapped at scam centers in Myanmar and then forced to perpetrate digital fraud on others.

Shot Like Enemies: Inside Nepal’s Gen Z Uprising

Image: Shot Like Enemies

In September 2025, 19 young protesters were killed on the streets of Kathmandu during a mass demonstration against government corruption. The following day, protests erupted across Nepal, leading to the collapse of the government. Drawing on more than 4,000 videos filmed during the protests, alongside exclusive leaked police radio records and personal testimonies, this investigation provides a comprehensive account of one of the most dramatic events in Nepal’s recent history. The broadcast of the BBC World Service film led to major impacts, including the arrest of the former prime minister and a cabinet minister over their roles in the tragedy.

Soaked In Blood. The Killing of Ameen Sameer Khalifa

Image: Soaked In Blood. The Killing of Ameen Sameer Khalifa

This film by Middle East Eye reconstructs the events leading to the death of a young Palestinian man at a food distribution center in southern Gaza, and reveals how aid sites became deadly traps for civilians. Using forensic analysis, eyewitness testimony, satellite imagery, and Ameen’s own final video, this investigation raises questions about the so-called “safe routes” established by Israel for Gaza civilians seeking aid.

The Fifth Estate: Funding the Occupation

Image: Funding the Occupation

This dogged investigation reveals how Canadian charitable donations may be funding the ever-expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The film follows the flow of millions of dollars in tax-deductible donations to Canadian charities linked to settlement activity, examining how the country’s tax system enables funds to reach organizations supporting settlements considered illegal under international law. Through financial records and testimony from Palestinian families affected by settler violence, the investigation exposes the human and political consequences of this funding network.

Rowan Philp is GIJN’s global reporter and impact editor. He was formerly chief reporter for South Africa’s Sunday Times. As a foreign correspondent, he has reported on news, politics, corruption, and conflict from more than two dozen countries around the world.