Thirteen industry awards were presented October 30 to the most promising projects participating in the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum 2026. In total, 29 projects from Europe, United States and East & Southeast Asia were presented. The projects in development, production and post-production were among those presented. The winners received numerous cash and in-kind awards accorded in cooperation with the partners of Ji.hlava IDFF. All awards…
The Industry jury was composed of Katrine Kiilgaard, Managing Director of CPH:DOX (Denmark); Anda Ionescu, Managing Partner and Producer at Tangaj Production (Romania); and Robert Y. Chang, Co-Producer of American Documentary | POV (USA).
The festival also accorded the APA World Excellence Award 2026 to renowned Danish producer Signe Byrge Sørensen. The award honours her outstanding contribution to international film production and her remarkable achievements in world cinema.
Ji.hlava New Visions Award for the most promising European project, in cooperation with UPP and Soundsquare (post-production services in the value of 15,000 EUR and 5,000 EUR)
- Winner: 6TM by Karim Akalay. Producer: Walid Bekhti. Country: Belgium. Jury statement: With its imaginative blend of magical realism, humour and social relevance, 6TM offers a fresh vision of European cinema. Rooted in lived experience and shaped through co-creation, 6TM challenges conventional representations and opens up new possibilities for who gets to tell stories, whose voices are heard, and who sees themselves reflected on screen. We believe this approach holds extraordinary promise for the next generation of both audiences and filmmakers, demonstrating how cinema can become more inclusive and participatory.
Ji.hlava New Visions Award for the most promising U.S. project in partnership with AmDocs
- Winner: Searching for SmarterChild (7,000 USD) by Lindsey Sitz, Zan Gillies. Producer: Erin Williams-Weir. Countries: United States, Canada. Jury statement: Searching for SmarterChild takes us back to the early days of the internet to confront one of the most pressing questions of our time: what does our relationship with artificial intelligence reveal about ourselves? By revisiting their interactions with one of the earliest chatbots of their childhoods, the filmmakers offer a perspective on today’s fascination with AI, challenging us to reflect not only on the technologies we create, but also on how we treat them and each other. The jury wishes to recognise the project’s promise to engage audiences through an original, entertaining and thought-provoking approach to a subject that will profoundly shape our collective future.
CANNES DOCS – MARCHÉ DU FILM AWARD
- Winner: Iridescence by Dominika Kováčová, Kilhan Wittock. Producers: Matej Sotník, Klára Tasovská. Countries: Slovakia, Belgium, Italy
DAE AWARD
- Winner: Monument of Revolution by Mladen Ivanović. Producer: Tamara Puizina. Countries: Montenegro, Croatia
#DOCS CONNECT TASKOVSKI TRAINING AWARD
- Winner: Planet A by Emelie Mahdavian. Producer: Charlotte Hailstone. Country: United Kingdom
DOCS BY THE SEA AWARD
- Winner: Daughters of the Pit by Anshul Chauhan. Producers: Mina Moteki, Anshul Chauhan. Country: Japan
EURODOC AWARD
- Winner: If Only the Pines Could Speak by Yelyzaveta Myshkalenko. Producer: Diana Nazaruk. Country: Ukraine
JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER AWARD
- Winner: Planet A by Emelie Mahdavian. Producer: Charlotte Hailstone. Country: United Kingdom
LIGHTDOX AWARD
- Winner: Male Fantasies by Max Bowens. Producers: Ryan Krivoshey, Sam Hewison. Country: United States
MEDITALENTS RESIDENCY AWARD
- Winner: The 13th Fish by Sara Stijović. Producers: Sara Stijović, Marija Vlahović. Country: Montenegro
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST NETWORKING AWARD
- Winner: A Spectre is Haunting Europe by Robo Mihály. Producers: Anna Mach Rumanová, Alena Kapinajová. Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic
RAFF RESIDENCY AWARD
- Winner: Words We Never Say by Agnieszka Zwiefka. Producers: Agnieszka Zwiefka, Iza Igel. Countries: Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain
BRATISLAVA INDUSTRY DAYS AWARD
- Winner: If Only the Pines Could Speak by Yelyzaveta Myshkalenko. Producer: Diana Nazaruk. Country: Ukraine
