The prizes of the 57th Visions du Réel were handed out April 24. Director Xisi Sofia Ye Chen won the Grand Prize of the International Feature Film Competition with From Dawn to Dawn, her first feature-length film. Hassen Ferhani received the Burning Lights Competition Award for Alea Jacarandas. The National Competition Jury Award was handed to Nicole Nicole, Lauren Dällenbach’s feature debut; and the Audience Award went to Birds of War by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak.
Visions du Réel continues until Sunday, April 26, with a selection of award-winning films screened throughout the day. The online programme will remain available until May 4, 2026.
‘’I am particularly delighted to see that this year’s list of winners embodies what makes Visions du Réel so unique: its ability to present films that break down the barriers of conventional documentary cinema, offering audiences the chance to shift their perspective, whether by discovering new voices or exploring specific realities, contexts of joy and terror, darkness and beauty, confinement and freedom. This edition has demonstrated that the festival has retained a loyal audience over many years, whilst broadening its reach, particularly among younger generations‘’ comments Emilie Bujès, Artistic Director of the Festival.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
From Dawn to Dawn by Xisi Sofia Ye Chen won the Grand Jury Prize of the International Feature Film Competition. The Jury commented: “The Grand Jury Prize goes to an astonishing self-assured debut. A moving, intimate and complex portrait of the impacts of exile and the struggle to reclaim one’s life. Using poetic personal narration and evocative, at times dream-like cinematography, the film unfolds in layers at once revealing and deepening the question of how migration, economic survival and trauma impact family relations.”
The Jury also awarded the Special Jury Award, offered by Région de Nyon, to Marlene Edoyan for A Fire There, her second feature film, adding a few heartfelt words: “The special jury award goes to an intimate film about friendship and destiny, that beautifully brings back poetry in a place marked by regional volatility and political challenges. Through its precise and strong mise en scène, the film gives us access to the hopes and dreams of young men trying to decide on their future.” Finally, Boubacar Sangaré received a Special Mention for Djeliya, mémoire du Mandé.
BURNING LIGHTS COMPETITION
Hassen Ferhani won the Jury Prize in the Burning Lights Competition, offered by the Canton of Vaud, for Alea Jacarandas. The Jury commented: “A film that, on the surface, explores transmission, but beneath opens onto deeper currents. It teaches us how to look—toward beauty, and toward the dream of beauty hovering over the violence of history and the distances between beings. Between father and son, it reflects on what is passed on: a love of storytelling, and a realism at the foundation of art.”
The Special Jury Award was awarded to Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava, the first feature film by Nông Nhât Quang, “a film of individuals striving to affirm themselves within the constraints of family, carried by endearing, complex characters.” The Jury also gave two special mentions: The Case Against Space by Graeme Arnfield and Illusion of a Quiet Night by Olga Chernyk.
NATIONAL COMPETITION
With Nicole Nicole, her debut film, Lauren Dällenbach won the Jury Prize in the National Competition, offered by SRG SSR. The Jury stated: “This film is deeply human, reflecting the challenges that life can place before us, and the ways in which we face and overcome them—individually and together, as families and as a society. With a delicate balance of humour and tenderness, it offers a perspective that is both grounded and luminous.”
The Jury also praised the work of Sophie Schrago in What Comes From Sitting in Silence?, awarding it the Special Jury Award in the National Competition. The political dimension of the work particularly impressed the jury: “The film addresses a difficult reality with extraordinary empathy for its courageous female protagonists, who strive to preserve their personal integrity.” Der Runde Tisch—a mid-length film co-directed by Juliette Menthonnex and Benjamin Bucher—left Nyon with a special mention.
AUDIENCE AWARD
The Audience Award went to Birds of War by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak. Over thirteen years, Birds of War delves into the personal archives of a Lebanese journalist living in London and a Syrian cameraman to tell the story of the liberation of Aleppo and the uprising of the population in Beirut, while a love story unfolds in parallel.
All awards:
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
- Grand Jury Award presented by la Mobilière, 20 000 CHF: From Dawn to Dawn by Xisi Sofia Ye Chen
- Special Jury Award presented by the Région de Nyon, 10 000 CHF: A Fire There by Marlene Edoyan. Special mention: Djeliya, mémoire du Mandé by Boubacar Sangaré
BURNING LIGHTS COMPETITION
- Jury Prize in the Burning Lights Competition presented by the Canton de Vaud, 10 000 CHF: Alea Jacarandas by Hassen Ferhani
- Special Jury Award presented by la Société des Hôteliers de la Côte, 5 000 CHF: Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava by Nông Nhât Quang
- Special mention: The Case Against Space by Graeme Arnfield, Illusion of A Quiet Night by Olga Chernyk.
NATIONAL COMPETITION
- Jury Prize in the National Competition offered by SRG SSR, 15 000 CHF: Nicole Nicole by Lauren Dällenbach
- Special Jury Award in the National Competition offered by SSA/Suissimage, 10 000 CHF: What Comes From Sitting in Silence by Sophie Schrago
- Special mention: Der Runde Tisch by Juliette Menthonnex & Benjamin Bucher
INTERNATIONAL MEDIUM LENGTH AND SHORT FILM COMPETITION
- Jury Prize for the Best Medium Length Film offered by the Clinique de Genolier, 6 000 CHF: Ici, ailleurs by Comes Chahbazian
- Jury Prize fort the Best Short Film offered by Vector Gestion, 5 000 CHF: Visite guidée by Alba Jaramillo
- Special Youth Jury Award for a medium length film offered by the École Moser, 4 000 CHF: The Building Site by Tiziano Locci & Tito Puglielli
- Special mention from the Jury of the International Medium and Short Film Competition, 2 000 CHF: Memories of a Window by Amin Pakparvar & Mehraneh Salimian
- Special mention from the Jury of the International Medium and Short Film Competition: Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon by Bill Morrison
WIDE ANGLE
- Audience Award in the Wide Angle Competition offered by the Ville de Nyon, 10 000 CHF: Birds of War by Janay Boulos & Abd Alkader Habak
INTERNATIONAL CRITICS’ AWARD – FIPRESCI AWARD
- First feature film presented in the International Feature Film Competition or the Burning Lights Competition: Saudades Eternas by Emma Boccanfuso
- Prix Interreligieux. Feature Film of the International Competition that highlights questions of meaning and human solidarity: Dentro by Elsa Amiel
PERCEPTION CHANGE AWARD Prize awarded to a film that sheds light on the current issues that will define the world of tomorrow. Presented by the Director General of the Geneva UN with the support of Diplomatic Club: Good Valley Stories by José Luis Guérin
