14/03/2022 - The works by Giovanni Buccomino, Gessica Généus and Kaltrina Krasniqi have received the Grand Prizes at the 20th edition of the Swiss festival

Geneva’s International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) has wrapped its 20^th edition with the announcement of its winners, after running from 4-13 March.

Starting with the Creative Documentary Competition, the jury, headed up by Cambodian film director Rithy Panh, and featuring Monika Borgmann, Eythar Gubara, Callum Macrae and Chuu Wai Nyein, bestowed the Grand Prize of Geneva, valued at CHF 10,000 (€9,758) – offered by the city and state of Geneva – upon After a Revolution [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Giovanni Buccomino. The jury’s statement mentions that the film is “an uncompromising portrait of two courageous people who, in the chaos of post-war Libya, refuse to give up the fight for justice”.

The CHF 7,000 (€6,831) Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize, in tribute to her son Sergio Vieira de Mello, offered by the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, went ex-aequo to Angels of Sinjar [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Hanna Polak (dubbed “a heartbreaking cry for justice. An exposé of a terrible crime against humanity: it is the horror of a forgotten genocide and of a people who are denied all of their rights, but also their strength and their courage”) and to The Silence of the Mole by Anaïs Taracena, which was deemed a “clarion call for an end to the ongoing culture of impunity affecting Guatemala – a precondition for peace and reconciliation throughout the world”.

As for the Youth Jury Prize, offered by Peace Brigades International (PBI) and accompanied by CHF 1,000 (€975), it went to Invisible Demons by Rahul Jain, which reminded the jury “that the consequences of global warming are not a hypothetical danger, but a daily reality for millions of people”.

In the Fiction Competition, the Grand Prize Fiction, valued at CHF 10,000 and offered by the Hélène and Victor Barbour Foundation, went to two films, Vera Dreams of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaltrina Krasniqi
film profile] by Kaltrina Krasniqi and Freda [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Gessica Généus. The International Fiction and Human Rights jury was presided over by Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, with Elene Naveriani, Julien Neutres and Thierry Oppikofer. They mentioned: “The authenticity of these works that portray the situation of unique families and women in Kosovo and Haiti, respectively, was deeply convincing to the jury members. Inspired by the two directors' own experiences, the courage and resilience of these characters give hope for a better world for all those who fight for justice, equality and peace.” The Youth Jury Prize was also bestowed upon Vera Dreams of the Sea, a film that strikes “a magnificent balance between aestheticism and realism”.

The Special Mention went to Hit the Road by Panah Panahi, as “the story is very touching in its approach to the original and intimate theme, and in the authenticity of its characters and the strength of the emotions they convey”.

Finally, in the Grand Reportage Competition, the CHF 5,000 (€4,877) Prize of the OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture) went to White Torture by Narges Mohammadi. According to the jury, “Solitary confinement and other forms of psychological torture may not leave any physical scars, but they are equally efficient at profoundly damaging the women and men who have endured them. Narges Mohammadi is again being held in Evin prison.” The Special Mention went to Ne nous racontez plus d’histoires ! by Ferhat Mouhali and Carole Filiu-Mouhali.

Here is the full list of award winners at the 20^th FIFDH:

Creative Documentary Competition

Grand Prize of Geneva
After a Revolution [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Giovanni Buccomino (UK/Italy)

Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize (ex-aequo)
Angels of Sinjar [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Hanna Polak (Libya/Italy)
The Silence of the Mole - Anaïs Taracena (Guatemala)

Youth Jury Prize
Invisible Demons - Rahul Jain (India/Finland/Germany/USA)

Fiction Competition

Grand Prize Fiction (ex-aequo)
Freda [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Gessica Généus (Haiti/Benin/France)
Vera Dreams of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaltrina Krasniqi
film profile] - Kaltrina Krasniqi (Kosovo/North Macedonia/Albania)
Special Mention
Hit the Road - Panah Panahi (Iran)

Youth Jury Prize
Vera Dreams of the Sea - Kaltrina Krasniqi

Grand Reportage Competition

Prize of OMCT
White Torture - Narges Mohammadi (Iran)
Special Mention
Ne nous racontez plus d’histoires ! - Ferhat Mouhali, Carole Filiu-Mouhali (France/Algeria)

HUG - Artopie Jury Prize
Dear Future Children [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Franz Böhm (Germany/UK/Austria)