The awards of the 6th AJB DOC were handed out September 12, deliberated over by an international jury consisting of directors Vitalij Manski, Bernadett Tuza-Ritter, and Nermin Hamzagić, along with producers Vanja Jambrović and Mohamed Elmongy.
The AJB DOC Main Award was presented to Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz for When Spring Came to Bucha.
“We are awarding the main prize to a film that, in a very emotional, realistic, delicate, and subtle way, portrays a true human tragedy that we witness in the news every day. The director approached the topic with dignity and deep respect. In every scene of the film, thex managed to strike a balance between revealing the immense number of war victims and testifying that, despite everything, life must go on,” the jury explained their decision.
In addition to the Main Award, the jury also bestowed a Special Recognition Award to the film Pure Unknown directed by Valentina Cicogna and Mattia Colombo. The film tells the story of Cristina Cattaneo, a forensic expert who tirelessly works on identifying “bodies without identity” that arrive at the autopsy room under her supervision.
“This extraordinary documentary delves into a profound human story. The authors of this film, through a powerful cinematic approach, depict the heroic struggle of one individual against the entire system,” the jury noted.
A second Special Recognition Award was given to Flotation, directed by Alesandra Tatić and Eluned Zoe Aiano. The film tells the story of life in Majdanpek, a town in eastern Serbia, whose identity is divided between industry and magic.
“We are presenting this Special Recognition Award to a multi-layered and poetic portrait of a society trapped in socio-economic transition, haunted by demons and torn between two realities: the harsh present and an uncertain future. The authors have successfully emotionally engaged us by contrasting the inner world of the characters with their harsh environment,” emphasized the jury.
The Al Jazeera Balkans Program Jury Award, deliberated over by Lejla Dedić, Sead Kreševljaković and Đani Hasečić, was presented to Nick Read and Ayse Toprak for their My Name is Happy. The film tells the incredible story of Mutlu Kayi (Mutlu means ‘happy’ in Turkish), a rising Turkish pop star who narrowly escaped femicide.
“This exceptionally important documentary film sheds light on the pressing issue of femicide and underscores the significance of fighting violence against women. At the same time, the film evokes empathy and compassion, strengthens resilience, and nurtures hope,” explained the jury.
The Audience Award will be announced in a few days, once the votes for all the films screened at this year’s AJB DOC have been counted.
Over the course of the five festival days, 24 documentary films were showcased in four festival selections: Competition Program, AJB Screening, Last Minute Cinema, and Smart Doc, alongside two special screenings. This lineup included six world premieres, one international premiere, 12 regional premieres, and five premiers from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“For us, all the selected and screened films are winners because they left a strong impression and elicited reactions from the audience that embraced the festival. This is evident in the packed cinema halls at all screenings and the BKC, which reached full capacity three times this year, setting a new attendance record compared to all previous festival editions,” said Edhem Fočo, the director of the AJB DOC Film Festival.
“Authors and the audience will remain our primary focus because we do all of this for them. We are thrilled by the fact that, as a festival, we have positioned ourselves as an essential organization in the realm of documentary film, both among our dedicated the audience and within the filmmaking community. I extend my gratitude to everyone who has supported us over the years, and I hope they will continue to do so in the seventh and all future editions we organize,” Fočo added.
After the awards ceremony, Tarik Đođić, the director of Al Jazeera Balkans, addressed the attendees. “Ahmed Mahfouz, the director of Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, had the honour of opening the Festival, and it is my pleasure to close it,” said Đođić.
He expressed gratitude to the audience for dedicating their time to watching the documentary films screened at AJB DOC. “For six years now, the second weekend of September has been reserved for our Festival, and I hope we will continue with this organization until our tenth anniversary, when I will be able to confidently say to reserve this date for AJB DOC,” Đođić said.
“I would like to express my gratitude once again to the authors, guests, the audience, employees, and collaborators who worked on the organization, volunteers, and all our partners, and I invite you to enjoy one more film and to vote at the end,” he concluded.
Following that, a screening of Viktor Portel’s film The Investigator took place, which follows the work of Vladimir Dzura, the only Czech investigator who worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
