Jury reports 2025

"We were taken on grand philosophical quests and witnessed fragile domestic exchanges. Most notably and noticeably, we met one remarkable female protagonist after another, and were introduced to one exciting female filmmaker after another, which left us grateful and hopeful for what festival platforms such as IDFA might model for us—the viewing public and the global community—a practice of amplifying those who are too often silenced, and empowering—through attention, due respect, and resources—those who are creating our era’s most compelling and transformative films."

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Special Mention:

"A complicated and highly relatable family struggles to find a way to remain close despite massive philosophical and moral disagreements. Each member is respectfully defined and rendered with love and patience. The motif of the archeological dig transposes cleverly from the natural landscape to the packing boxes in the family garage; a delicate sifting of modern American life, skillfully conducted via the mechanism of personal filmmaking. The Special Mention goes to Flood, directed by Katy Scoggin."

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The IDFA Award for Best Cinematography:

"The jury was moved by the beauty of images that enhance the beauty of the land, its nature, and its inhabitants. In a country where war has been a reality for the past century, we encounter a closed religious community that has maintained a pacifist stance. Though shot by four cinematographers, this film nevertheless maintained an impressive unified appearance where every shot is its own canvas. The IDFA Award for Best Cinematography goes to Silent Flood by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, with cinematography by Ivan Morarash, Oleksandr Korotun, Viacheslav Tsvietkov, Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk."

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The IDFA Award for Best Editing:

"A masterful revisitation of an unprecedented crisis that shook a nation, the editing of this film condenses the essence of collective memory, cutting between known and lesser-known details to reveal the systematic cause-and-effect of politics and economy, exposing the disbalance and abuse of power that so many nations endure today. Beyond an Argentinian story, the film invites us to project our own history onto one explosive month. The IDFA Award for Best Editing goes to December by Lucas Gallo, with editing by Fernando Epstein."

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The IDFA Award for Best Directing:

"A visual labyrinth that takes us deep inside a single location yet continuously reveals new facets and faces, this film depicts something scarcely seen in stories of the refugee experience: the long arc of permanent exile in which dislocation engenders new communities defined by survival and defiance—communities that are then forcefully dissolved, creating another wave of trauma. We were struck by the evident time and care the directors took in working with members of this community, in their ability to capture and convey a sense of home in such an unlikely place. The IDFA Award for Best Directing goes to Tamar Kalandadze and Julien Pebrel for The Kartli Kingdom."

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IDFA Award for Best Film:

"This film opens a window onto the power of art and hope during the difficult times through which we’re living. Through masterful cinematography often filmed in dangerous conditions, and the protagonist’s radiant energy, this empowering collaboration between an established filmmaker and a young new artist enables her to reclaim identity amid exile and domestic violence, to bloom despite repression, and to find solace through creation. A self-portrait that witnesses the growth of an Afghan artist whose work will continue to resonate. The IDFA Award for Best Film goes to A Fox Under the Pink Moon directed by Mehrdad Oskouei and co-directed by Soraya Akhalaghi."

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The jury members of the International Competition were Eric Hynes, Isabelle Glachant, Maya Daisy Hawke, Michel K. Zongo, and Myriam Sassine.

"The films we watched created a space in which we, the jury, sharpened our thinking, challenged our assumptions, and explored together the shifting possibilities of cinema. Our conversations were lively, often stretching our minds around the question of where the edges of the medium lie and how its boundaries can be questioned. We reflected on how difficult and courageous it is to move beyond convention, and how each attempt to escape familiar tools carries both risk and revelation. In all this, we enjoyed being together."

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The IDFA Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution:

"The jury presents the IDFA Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, honoring the exceptional collaboration that shapes its distinct cinematic language which operates in synergy. Through the combined work of archival research, cinematography, editing, color grading, and sound design, the film forges a unified aesthetic that bridges past and present. The Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution goes to Amílcar by Miguel Eek."

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The IDFA Award for Best Directing:

"The jury presents the IDFA Award for Best Directing to a film that creates a powerful philosophical metaphor for the futility of humanity’s obsession with preservation. Through its precise, poetic visual language and subtle humor, it reveals the fragile tension between conservation and inevitable decay. Its courageous, contemplative direction transforms this struggle into an elegant, resonant meditation that stays with the viewer. The film stages the continuous human struggle with time. The IDFA Award for Best Directing goes to Holy Destructors by Aiste Žegulytė."

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The IDFA Award for Best Film:

"In this film, with an outstanding text, the form elevates the subject to another level. Here, time and space are both concrete and suspended. The authors invented and set up a reality where cinematic experience offers emotional truth. The film presents itself as an unusual and poignant cinematic experiment that holds together various lines of reflection: diaspora, exile, historical repetition, and personal memory. The jury unanimously decided to present the IDFA Award for Best Film to Past Future Continuous by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani."

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The jury members for the Envision Competition were Ansuya Blom, Gladys Joujou, Ignacio Agüero, Massimo D’Anolfi, and Salomé Jashi.

"We, as a jury, were given the honor of experiencing the powerful works presented at IDFA DocLab this year. The themes, concepts, urgencies, forms, and styles were not only impressive and relevant, but also stemmed from an undeniably genuine place in the hearts of their makers. This year, we witnessed how immersive experiences can evolve as a medium of expression. How sometimes a glitch is not an imperfection, but rather an artistic choice. We truly believe that this is not a competition, but an assembly; a rare opportunity to experience what artists wish to say.

From the unbearable realities of the genocide in Gaza to rooted Andean Futurism, from the obscure oracle of being to reviving dead animals, from the heaviness of holding a piece of shrapnel in one hand to being invited to see what is not there, from floating between the particles of quantum physics to receiving a recipe on how to become a lesbian, from a homage to the absent water in Zimbabwe to creating a world out of one box. This year we were gifted with memorable experiences, one after the other, that we will cherish deeply. We would like to thank every artist and team member for allowing us to see the world through their eyes."

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Special Mention:

"The jury believes that the importance of this work lies not only in its urgency and relevance, but also in how it places a hyperreality within a virtual reality setting. It transported us there and allowed us to experience a glimpse of what it is like to walk endlessly among the ruins of demolished lives. What it is like to exist within an ongoing genocide. The work opens up another possibility for what digital immersive experiences can and cannot do when reality itself feels unreal. The Special Mention goes to: Under the Same Sky by Khalil Ashawi."

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IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction:

The jury was moved by the layered and focused essence of this work. The simplicity of its aesthetic, the confronting gaze of its characters, and the relevance of imagining a decolonized future make the work urgent in content, powerful in form, and contemplative in experience. The work does not only claim its own space in the virtual world; instead, it creates its own cosmos without asking permission. We quote these lines from the work: 'You must be a dot before becoming a line. You must be a line before becoming a plane. If there is no plane, there is no volume.' The work awarded with the IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction is: Feedback VR, un musical antifuturista by Claudix Vanesix for Collective AMiXR."

"The 2025 selection for the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling Competition examined society’s relationship with digital and online media. What does it mean to be constantly connected by physical and online infrastructures, with the ability to archive everything we do? How does this affect the way we remember and are remembered? What is encoded in these systems, and more importantly, what is not? The jury sensed a strong desire amongst the participating artists to question existing systems of memory. There is a palpable longing to explore new forms of storytelling within these infrastructures, as well as a desire to propose alternatives and fill in the gaps. The artists achieve this through various media, such as linear video, gaming, interactive documentaries, and physical archives. Their works sparked a lot of conversation with the jury. The jury observed that these alternative archives and their narratives worked best when created through intensive collaboration and dialogue."

Special Mention:

"A Special Mention goes to an interactive artwork that highlights the urgent need to redesign systems of remembrance. Taking the form of a game, it traces the impact of systemic racial violence in the US and the UK. The jury was impressed by both the technical realization of the game and the deep archival research behind it. They recognize its potential for engaging non-linear and interactive storytelling, and the possibilities for developing this further. The jury’s special mention goes to Coded Black by Maisha Wester."

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IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling:

"The winning artwork offers a personal reflection on representation, authorship, and sexuality, taking a multi-layered approach to these themes. From a critical perspective on biases within AI, the artist demonstrates the potential to challenge, change, and queer the online representation of bodies and sexuality. The jury especially appreciated the artist’s nuanced perspective and the way the work brings depth and complexity to themes often framed in binaries. The winner of the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling is Artificial Sex (Ep. 1 & 2) by Anan Fries."

"Our jury was impressed with the quality and diversity of form and content of the entire selection. The films took us all over the world, where we viewed different global and personal conflicts, often blurring the lines between them. From a teenage girl’s room to a horse travelling in first class, from female taxi drivers to the dignity of essential workers, from personal transitions to mass demonstrations against repressive governments, all these films showed originality and fresh perspectives. Some pushed emotional boundaries, while others pushed formal boundaries. Many did both. As a jury, we were delighted by the difficulty in choosing a clear winner, when so many films were powerful in their own right. Nonetheless, here is the jury’s selection for Special Mention."

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Special Mention:

"This powerful documentary essay attempts to heal intergenerational wounds using a personal story intertwined with a dark moment in history and its continuing reverberations. Confronting the foreboding shadow of the past, the jury was intrigued by the creative use of different formal elements to help solve this repressed family puzzle. The jury awards a special mention to Dreams for a Better Past by Albert Kuhn."

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IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary:

"Confronting an unspeakable tragedy, a father and son search for solace, and find a unique community that both welcomes and comforts them while sharing their burden of grief. In a self-reflective and non-formulaic way, the filmmaker uses his craft to try to heal an open wound, and where film becomes a universal experience of mourning. The IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary goes to An Open Field by Teboho Edkins."

"Giving first-time recognition to emerging filmmakers is a deep honor for us as a jury. They are the next visionaries of our industry. In this year’s IDFA Award for Best First Feature selection, we have seen films about home, family relations, nature, land and memory: topics that touch the core of us as human beings. We experienced these films with emotion. They are sculpted with beautiful fragility, as poetic and meditative journeys, engaging and tender. They explore our complexities and aim to encourage dialogue, integrity, and forgiveness. They all portray an important moment in societies around the world and demonstrate the power of cinema to shift perspectives. They all reflect what cinema is about: providing shelter for us all."

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Special Mention:

"We unanimously admired the resonance of the directors' profound commitment to the characters and the powerful visual language that captures the family-like ties. With warmth and poetry, this film reveals the quiet strength of collectivity—where activism emerges through images that breathe, relationships that endure, and a cinematic sensibility that conveys the transformative power of community and the courage of those who stand in the face of an unjust system. The Special Mention goes to The Kartli Kingdom by Tamar Kalandadze and Julien Pebrel."

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IDFA Award for Best First Feature:

"An expansive and courageous film that delves deeply into the complexities of a family shaped by generations of war and displacement. The filmmaker’s vulnerability allows us intimate access to a profoundly sensitive portrait of his own family, rendered with honesty, nuance, and emotional depth. This year’s winner of the IDFA Award for Best First Feature goes to a film told with bravery and cinematic maturity and one that lingers, revealing the enduring impact of history on the personal and what the concept of home means. The winner is Paikar by Dawood Hilmandi."

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The jury members were Ali Essafi, Heather Haynes, and Rosa Spaliviero.

"This year’s selection took us on a journey, one that stirred heavy emotion while also remaining tender, honest and raw. We were impressed by how the filmmakers invited us into worlds shaped by the battles inside ourselves as well as the battles in the world around us. There was a lot of heaviness. We moved through stories of loss, uncertainty, memory, fractured identity, broken love, rediscovered love, and mental health which was represented with striking nuance in three different films. Yes, it was heavy. Yet amid that weight, there was great beauty. They spoke to our world at this moment. They felt personal even if the stories were presented in different forms and styles covering different periods and generations, showing our interconnections as human beings, no matter where, when and in how many voices."

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Special Mention:

"With moments of brilliance and a lot of heart, this film is a roller coaster journey through emotions and countries, telling a story of several generations of displacement and their search for a sense of belonging, safety, and freedom. A film about apples and trees, and how to find each other from opposite standpoints. The Special Mention in the IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film goes to Paikar by Dawood Hilmandi."

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IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film: 

"This film leads us to the hidden world of the Other, which is sometimes an uncomfortable space to be. But the care and tenderness through which this sensitive exploration is filmed provides us with a safe distance, and enables us to learn together with the protagonists how to cope with the unknown. With attentive editing the director manages to reveal a light and relief, even in a struggle that might never be fully resolved. The IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film goes to My Word Against Mine by Maasja Ooms."

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The jury members were Liselot Verbrugge, Sam Soko, and Yuliia Kovalenko.

"We would like to start with a big thanks to IDFA, for being chosen as a jury for this wonderful selection in this cross-section award focused on the use of archive material: the Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award. We had the opportunity and the honor to discover 10 selected films coming from different competitions and sections, all using archive material to bring us into a new world and new stories. In our effort to compare or judge this treasure box full of diversity, we always tried to follow two criteria: the creative use of archive and the critical awareness about the use of archive. This approach opens questions about ethics, aesthetics, and the appropriation of archival material. Thanks to the richness of the selection this year, the high quality of the films and the different approaches to the use of the archival material, the jury decided to assign two prizes, a Special Mention and the Award."

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Special Mention:

"The Special Mention goes to a film that brilliantly revives “dead” archival images from a distinct perspective. Beginning with something small and neglected, the filmmaker opens up an astonishing range of narrative possibilities. Through her meticulous and imaginative treatment, she transforms the colonial archive into something alive, resonant, and deeply communal. It invites local voices to re-inhabit the images, to imagine stories for the displaced, and to reclaim a past that was never told from their point of view. The result is a cinematic world so vibrant and emotionally rich that you want to linger in it long after it ends. The jury wants to give a special mention to The Memory of Butterflies by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski."

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Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award:

The Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award goes to a film that opened our mind and soul to many questions: is it a tragic story about the death of a young adult? Is it a journey of the filmmaker reflecting on memory, loss and consciousness? Is it an essay about the reality of cinema and images and our position towards these? Is there any possible nuanced violence that is embedded in home movies? We don’t know, we didn’t look for answers, but we were touched by the vulnerability of the son and the fragility of the father to stay with him by looking at his images again and again. The jury decided to give the award to Remake by Ross McElwee.

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The jury members were I-hsuan Hsieh, Martina Parenti, Sandra Beerends.

"We—the jury of the IDFA FIPRESCI Award 2025—found watching the selection of thirteen films from all over the world an interesting and often deeply moving process. The vastly different perspectives showed universal themes of distorted relationships between parents and children, the painful loss of home and human survival. There were also shocking—and sometimes funny—films about the inequality of women and the destructive power of strongly held beliefs. Despite the immense problems, the jury was pleasantly surprised by the optimistic and determined humans portrayed. Sadly, but also realistically, not all stories had a happy ending or showed the fulfillment of personal quests. That’s also why almost all of the films can be seen as examples of how people live with adversity or the results of brokenness. In the often cruel and depressing world of today, the selection of documentaries brings new hope in the humanity of all people and the power of healing broken relationships."

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The FIPRESCI Award:

"For the quality of the cinematography, the sincere direction, and its realistic portrayal, the jury honors a film that poetically and almost universally explores the relationship between father and son, transcending borders and traditions. The film truthfully shows the fate of refugees from their point of view and blends tenderness and defiance in a powerful portrait of a family scattered all over the world. The FIPRESCI Award 2025 goes to Paikar by Dawood Hilmandi."

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The jury members were Boaz van Luijk, Jean-Max Mejean, and Sunchica Unevska.