The 2024 VdR-Industry awards were handed out April 17 to close the Visions du Réel industry programme, offering over CHF 100,000 in awards and prizes to the projects pitched across the industry showcases.
These included the first Eurimages Co-production Development Award, a €20,000 cash prize, as well as the CHF 10,000 prize from visions sud est, Switzerland’s national fund designed to encourage independent film production in countries with low production capacity.
“The increasingly prominent role played by the VdR-industry awards on the international documentary landscape is a testament to the continuing importance of nonfiction stories to challenge, inspire and enrich our lives,” comments Alice Burgin, new Head of Industry at Visions du Réel. “With our awards partners, we are able to recognise and celebrate the power of bold, risk-taking projects showcased in our market. Our hope is that, in these difficult times, these awards can encourage filmmakers from all over the world to continue to pursue their passion to tell the salient stories of our time.”
This year VdR-Industry welcomed 1,400 professionals representing 71 countries and more than 500 individual meetings were held over three days.
The project The Last Days of the Hospital by Mehran Tamadon won the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, created to promote the Fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project, and decided on by a jury comprising Susana Santos Rodrigues (IndieLisboa International Film Festival), Eleni Chandrinou (Eurimages) and Vadim Jendreyko (Mira Film). Citation: “The jury decided in favour of a project that is both challenging and urgent. The director is immersed and immerses us, the audience, in a world that is beyond our comfort zone. An unconventional approach that questions our perception of people living in a mental health institution. In the harsh reality of the death of a public hospital, the film constructs a utopia where the patients become people.”
The Special Eurimages Co-production Development Award (also €20,000) was given to the the Ukrainian project Fixing the War. This award was created to support a Ukrainian co-production in development. Citation: “The Jury chose to award an intimate, raw and experiential European co-production that will go behind the curtain of news creation to show the people that really make it happen. This film gives a key to understanding how the media function in the twenty-first century – seen from the trenches of both war and news creation.”
The visions sud est award went to Hanz Rippe Gabriel, for their project The Shadow of Yolüja. The jury, including Zsuzsi Bánkuti, Head of Open Doors Locarno Film Festival, Meret Ruggle co-director of Trigon-film, and John Canciani, artistic director of Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, said of the project: “We extensively discussed the eligible projects and were impressed by the diversity of topics, visual approaches, and the depth of the personal stories. We ended up with a shortlist of three, and after a long discussion we decided to award a young and enthusiastic team that has a clear vision. They are currently researching a story linked to a local community that carries significant global relevance.”
Finally, the VdR–Industry jury, comprising of Kristy Matheson, Head of Festivals at British Film Institute, Rémi Burah, CEO and Selection Committee member at ARTE France Cinema, and Lisa Chanoff Kleiner, co-founder at Catapult Film Fund deliberated over numerous cash and in-kind awards across the VdR–Pitching and VdR–Work In Progress showcases. This included the Xe Award, a CHF 5,000 awarded to one project in the VdR–Pitching programme, which was awarded to Life of Tipu. Citation: “For the 2024 Xe Award, the jury selected a film that we greatly admired for its poignant and playful approach. Through the lens of the artistic process, the film explores the complexity of familial relations and migration.”
In addition, the same jury awarded the Lightdox Award, a cash prize of €3,000 for one project in the VdR–Work In Progress programme, which was bestowed upon At Least to See the Ocean.
Numerous other prizes were awarded including the RTS Award, a Swiss pre-sale awarded to She Wrestlesas well as the TËNK Opening Scenes Award, an acquisition of one finished film from the Opening Scenes program, awarded to the film Mawtini. The new NO NATION FILMS Award, consisting of a fellowship with the dynamic filmmaking duo Diana El Jeiroudi and Orwa Nyrabia to one project from a low-production capacity country, was awarded to TAU.
ALL AWARDS
- Eurimages Co-production Development Award €20,000 in cash, this award has been created to promot the Fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project. The Last Days of the Hospital by Mehran Tamadon Production: TS Productions (France) and BOX Productions (Switzerland).
- Special Eurimages Co-production Development Award €20,000 in cash, this award has been created to support a Ukrainian co-production in development. Fixing the War by Vadym Ilkov and Clare Strong. Production: Moon Man (Ukraine) and Plainsong Films (Ireland)
- visions sud est Award CHF 10,000 in cash awarded to the best project from the South (Africa, Latin America and Asia) or from Eastern Europe (according to SDC’s eligibility country list) presented at either the VdR– Pitching, VdR–Work In Progress or VdR–Rough Cut Lab. The Shadow of Yolüja by Hanz Rippe Gabriel. Production: Páramo Films (Colombia)
- RTS Award A RTS pre-buy of one project pitched at the VdR–Pitching showcase. She Wrestles by Charles Fairbanks. Production: She Wrestles Production (United States)
- Xe Award CHF 5,000 in cash awarded to the most promising co-production pitching as part of the VdR– Pitching showcase. Life of Tipu by Bob Gallagher. Production: EZ Films (Ireland), Homebird Productions (India)
- The Party Film Sales Award € 5,000 including a cash contribution of €2,500 awarded to one project with strong international potential. Dreams of the Wild Oaks by Marjan Khosravi. Production: Seven Springs Pictures (Iran), Lukimedia (Spain), Avant la Nuit (France)
- Lightdox Award €3,000 in cash awarded to the project with highest international potential at the VdR–Work In Progress showcase. At Least to See the Ocean by Pablo Lozano. Production: La Felicidad (Dominican Republic)
- Unifrance Doc Award in partnership with TitraFilm Subtitles creation (to the value of €2,300) sponsored by TitraFilm and one Unifrance membership (value of €1,590) for the French producer attached to the project. Dreams of the Wild Oaks by Marjan Khosravi. Production: Seven Springs Pictures (Iran), Lukimedia (Spain), Avant la Nuit (France)
- TËNK Post-production Award Sound post-production facilities at Tënk studios (France) including two weeks in the mixing studio and one week in the Auditorium. Beyond the Fold by Ross McClean. Production: Here and Elsewhere Films (USA), Nightstaff (Ireland), Little Rose Films (UK)
- TËNK Opening Scenes Award. Purchase of distribution rights for one film of the Opening Scenes section. Mawtini by Tabarak Allah Abbas. Production: Akka Films (Switzerland), SIZE MEDIA (Switzerland), HEAD – Genève (Switzerland)
- Raggioverde Subtitling Award Subtitles creation included translation in one language. The Myth of Mahmoud by Shaima Al Tamimi & Mayar Hamdan Production: Y2P Studios (Qatar)
- Downtown Studios Award Creation of a DCP package for one project pitched at the VdR–Work In Progress showcase. The Myth of Mahmoud by Shaima Al Tamimi & Mayar Hamdan. Production: Y2P Studios (Qatar)
- Cannes Docs Award Invitation to feature as a Cannes Docs “Spotlighted Project”, including 2 complimentary Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes badges valid for the 2024 or 2025 edition. Magnetic Letters by Demie Dangla. Production: Binisaya Movement Inc. (Philippines), Dynamo Production (France), Seera Films (Germany)
- DOK Leipzig Award Two accreditation and four nights accommodation at DOK Leipzig & observer access to the DOK Co-Pro Market for the filmmaker and producer for the 2024 or 2025 edition. Pratopia by Sean Ali Wang. Production: Muyi Film (Netherlands)
- DAE Encouragement Award Two free consultations with network members tailored to the needs of the project. Pratopia by Sean Ali Wang. Production: Muyi Film (Netherlands)
- NO NATION FILMS AWARD One No Nation Films Fellowship including guidance, mentorship, and counsel towards completing their feature-length documentary films for one project from a low capacity country. TAU by Timofey Stekolshuk. Production: Independent Film Project (Georgia), Eversince GmbH (Germany)
