– Uganda by Daniel Mann has scooped the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, whilst Job 1:21 by Samuel Suffren received the visions sud est Award
Uganda by Daniel Mann (courtesy of Visions du Réel)
At the 24th edition of Visions du Réel’s industry sidebar, VdR-Industry (19-22 April), more than CHF 80,000 (approximately €87,000) in cash and in-kind prizes have been handed out to 12 projects, marking the culmination of four days of pitches, curated meetings and industry discussions in Nyon.
This year’s ceremony, held amid a notably upbeat atmosphere, also saw the third edition of the Eurimages Co-production Development Award and the final outing of the long-running visions sud est Award, which has historically supported projects from regions with limited production capacity.
Reflecting on her first edition as head of Industry, Sabine Fayoux Cantillo underlined the stakes behind the decisions: “Our juries had the exciting, and challenging, task of making decisions that can really have an impact on a project’s trajectory. It has been wonderful to witness the depth, breadth and range of projects recognised across this year’s awards. Visions du Réel extends its heartfelt congratulations to all of the award-winning teams, as well as to every project that participated in this year’s edition. We are excited to see these films move into their next stage with the right support and collaborators around them.”
The Eurimages Co-production Development Award, worth €20,000, went to Uganda by Daniel Mann, produced by La Bête and Acqua Alta (France). The jury praised the project’s “strong and distinctive artistic vision” as well as its confident use of irony and layered narrative structure, noting in particular its ability to engage with historical material in an inventive and critically aware manner. The panel comprised Karim Aïtouna, Salomé Jashi and Ilse Ronteltap.
Meanwhile, the visions sud est Award – presented for the last time and carrying a CHF 10,000 cash prize (€10,885) – was bestowed upon Job 1:21 by Samuel Suffren, produced by Kit Films and Les Films du Bilboquet (France/Haiti). The jury, made up of Sarah Schiesser, John Canciani and Stefanie Rusterholz, highlighted the project’s exploration of belief systems and its potential to bring an underrepresented region to international audiences.
Among the other notable winners, TRADE by Todd Chandler (USA) picked up both the €10,000 RTS Award – in the form of a pre-buy – and the €3,000 Lightdox Award, confirming its strong international positioning. My Skin and I by Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall (Germany/USA/Nicaragua) received The Party Film Sales Award and the Masé Studios & Color Grade Award, while Hello?! by Sofie Benoot (Belgium/Netherlands/Slovakia) was honoured with the IDA Documentary Culture Award.
Further prizes went to a broad range of projects across the different strands of the programme. Welcome to Set by Cyan Bae (Netherlands) secured the Tënk Opening Scenes Award, while Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature by Stefan Pavlovic (France/Netherlands) snagged both the Tënk Post-production Award and the Cannes Docs Award, ensuring continued visibility on the international circuit.
Additional recognition included the Unifrance Doc Award for Transposition by Vladlena Sandu (Netherlands), the Raggioverde Subtitling Award for La Linda by Francina Carbonell (Chile/Argentina) and the No Nation Films Fellowship Award for The People Outside by Jewel Maranan (Philippines).
Finally, Liberal Arts by Pacho Velez (USA) received the DOK Leipzig Award, while Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Koval Bhatia (France/USA/India) picked up both the AIDC Award and the DAE Encouragement Award.
Now that the industry awards have been handed out, Visions du Réel 2026 continues until 26 April, with the festival’s main competition prizes set to be announced on the 24th, bringing this year’s edition to a close.
Here is the list of this year’s industry winners:
Eurimages Co-production Development Award
Uganda – Daniel Mann (France)
Production: Fabrizio Polpettini (La Bête), Christophe Gougeon (Acqua alta)
visions sud est Award
Job 1:21 – Samuel Suffren (France/Haiti)
Production: Eugénie Michel Villette (Les Films du Bilboquet), Samuel Suffren (Kit Films)
RTS Award
TRADE – Todd Chandler (USA)
Production: Alysa Nahmias (AJNA Films), Keith Wilson (Breezy Circle)
Lightdox Award
TRADE – Todd Chandler
The Party Film Sales Award
My Skin and I – Milton Guillén, Fiona Guy Hall (Germany/USA/Nicaragua)
Production: Zorana Mušikić, May Odeh (Mayana Films), Milton Guillén, Fiona Guy Hall
IDA Documentary Culture Award
Hello?! – Sofie Benoot (Belgium/Netherlands/Slovakia)
Production: Marc Goyens (Quetzalcoatl), Guillaume Malandrin (Altitude100), Steven Rubinstein Malamud (GROM), Matej Sotnik (guča films)
Tënk Opening Scenes Award
Welcome to Set – Cyan Bae (Netherlands)
Production: Francesco Ragazzi, Cyan Bae (Pingping Press)
Tënk Post-production Award
Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature – Stefan Pavlovic (France/Netherlands)
Production: Eyal Sivan (Serendipity Films), Kostana Banovic (artTrace Foundation)
Unifrance Doc Award (with TitraFilm)
Transposition – Vladlena Sandu (Netherlands)
Production: Jos de Putter (Dieptescherpte BV)
Masé Studios & Color Grade Award
My Skin and I – Milton Guillén, Fiona Guy Hall
Raggioverde Subtitling Award
La Linda – Francina Carbonell (Chile/Argentina)
Production: Maria Paz González (María una vez), Gema Juarez Allen (Gema Films)
Cannes Docs Award
Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature – Stefan Pavlovic
No Nation Films Fellowship Award
The People Outside – Jewel Maranan (Philippines)
Production: Jewel Maranan (Cinema Is Incomplete)
DOK Leipzig Award
Liberal Arts – Pacho Velez (USA)
Production: Scott Cummings, Pacho Velez (Pachoworks), Milo Borsuk
AIDC Award
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Koval Bhatia (France/USA/India)
Production: Dominique Barneaud (Bellota Films), Riham Ezzaldeen (What Took You So Long), Koval Bhatia (A Little Anarky Films)
DAE Encouragement Award
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Koval Bhatia
