Following four days of project presentations, curated meetings, and industry conversations, Visions du Réel unveils the award recipients of the 24th edition of VdR–Industry. More than CHF 80’000 in cash and in-kind prizes were awarded to 12 projects at the 2026 Visions du Réel Industry Awards Ceremony in Nyon.
Among this year’s prizes was the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, which grants €20,000 to support international co-productions at an early stage. The ceremony also marked the final edition of the visions sud est Award, which has long encouraged independent film production in countries with low production capacities through a CHF 10’000 prize.
Sabine Fayoux Cantillo, who concluded her first edition as Head of Industry, commented: “Our juries had the exciting, and challenging, task of making decisions that can really have an impact on a project’s trajectory. It has been wonderful to witness the depth, breadth, and range of projects recognized across this year’s awards. Visions du Réel extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the awarded teams, as well as to every project that participated in this year’s edition. We are excited to see these films move into their next stage with the right support and collaborators around them”.
Eurimages Co-production Development Award
Uganda by Daniel Mann and produced by La Bête and Acqua Alta received the Eurimages Co-production Development Award. The prize is designed to encourage international co-production from the initial stages of a project. The jury consisted of Karim Aïtouna (Producer, Haut les Mains Productions), Salomé Jashi (Filmmaker and Chairperson of the Documentary Association Georgia) and Ilse Ronteltap (International Officer of the Netherlands Film Fund).
In its statement, the jury said: “In our deliberations, we were particularly drawn to a project that demonstrates a strong and distinctive artistic vision, combined with a thoughtful and coherent approach to form. The filmmaker shows a confident use of irony and subtle, at times absurd humour, building a layered narrative within a complex and delicate structure. We were especially struck by the project’s ability to engage with historical material in a way that feels both inventive and critically aware. It approaches its subject with sensitivity and precision, while opening up meaningful reflections on how the past continues to resonate in the present. The jury also wishes to highlight the strength of the collaboration behind the project, which brings together a clear and proven creative partnership”.
visions sud est Award
Job 1:21 by Samuel Suffren and produced by Kit Films and Les Films du Bilboquet received the visions sud est Award. The jury included Sarah Schiesser (Deputy Head of Open Doors at Locarno Film Festival), John Canciani (Artistic Director of Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur) and Stefanie Rusterholz (Co-director of trigon-film). The jury stated: “The visions sud est jury was moved by the intense impression of different systems of belief, and of parts of stories that are being shaped. We would like to offer this support to a project in the making, which we believe will bring an underrepresented region to the global screens, to find its final form and full potential”.
A total of 12 projects received awards as part of the 2026 VdR–Industry programme, marking the conclusion of this year’s industry activities. Visions du Réel continues until Sunday, April 26, with the festival awards to be announced on Friday, April 24.
The 2026 VdR–Industry Award recipients are:
- Eurimages Co-production Development Award: €20,000 in cash, this award has been created to promote the Fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project. Winner: Uganda by Daniel Mann. Production: La Bête, Acqua Alta. France
- visions sud est Award: CHF 10’000 in cash awarded to the best project from the South (Africa, Latin America and Asia) or from Eastern Europe (according to SDC’s eligibility country list) presented at either the VdR–Pitching, VdR–Work in Progress or VdR–Rough Cut Lab. Winner: Job 1 :21 by Samuel Suffren. Production: Les Films du Bilboquet, Kit Films. France, Haiti
- RTS Award A €10,000 RTS pre-buy of one project pitched at the VdR–Pitching showcase. Winner: TRADE by Todd Chandler. Production: Spectrascopic, AJNA Films, Breezy Circle. United States
- Lightdox Award: €3,000 in cash awarded to the project with highest international potential at the VdR–Pitching showcase. Winner: TRADE by Todd Chandler. Production: Spectrascopic, AJNA Films, Breezy Circle. United States
- The Party Film Sales Award: €3,000 in cash awarded to the project with highest international potential at the VdR–Work in Progress showcase. Winner: My Skin and I by Milton Guillén & Fiona Guy Hall. Production: Mayana Films, Solaris Films. Germany, United States, Nicaragua
- IDA Documentary Culture Award $2,000 USD in cash and two passes to Getting Real ’26 to a project that embodies a thriving and inclusive documentary culture – in its making, its vision, and its reach. Winner: Hello ?! bu Sofie Benoot . Production: Quetzalcoatl, Altitude100, GROM, guča films. Belgium, Netherlands, Slovakia
- Tënk Opening Scenes Award: Purchase of distribution rights for one film of the Opening Scenes section. Winner: Welcome to Set by Cyan Bae. Production: Pingping Press. Netherlands
- Tënk Post-production Award: Sound post-production facilities at Tënk studios (France) including 2 weeks in the mixing studio and 1 week in the Auditorium. Winner: Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature by Stefan Pavlovic. Production: Serendipity Films, artTrace Foundation. France, Netherlands
- Unifrance Doc Award in partnership with TitraFilm Subtitles creation (to the value of €2,300) sponsored by TitraFilm and one Unifrance membership (value of €1,590) for the French producer attached to the project. Winner: Tranposition by Vladlena Sandu. Production: Dieptescherpte BV. Netherlands
- Masé Studios & Color Grade Award: Creation of a DCP package for one project pitched at the VdR–Work in Progress showcase. DCP made by Color Grade with capacity to screen a projection in the Masé Studios Atmos Cinema-certified auditorium A (Geneva). Winner: My Skin and I by Milton Guillén & Fiona Guy Hall. Production: Mayana Films, Solaris Films. Germany, United States, Nicaragua
- Raggioverde Subtitling Award: Subtitles creation including translation in one language. Winner: La Linda by Francina Carbonell. Production: María una vez, Gema Films. Chile, Argentina
- Cannes Docs Award: Invitation to feature as a Cannes Docs ‘Spotlighted Project’, including two complimentary Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes badges valid for the 2026 or 2027 edition. Winner: Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature by Stefan Pavlovic. Production: Serendipity Films, artTrace Foundation. France, Netherlands
- No Nation Films Fellowship Award: Six Month Fellowship aimed at giving support, guidance, counsel and mentorship to exceptional documentary film teams from around the globe who find themselves grappling with challenges and in vulnerable circumstances for one project in the VdR–Rough Cut Lab. Winner: The People Outside by Jewel Maranan. Production: Cinema Is Incomplete. Philippines
- DOK Leipzig Award: Two accreditations and four nights accommodation at DOK Leipzig & an observer access to the DOK Co-Pro Market for the filmmaker and producer, valid for the 2026 or 2027 edition. Winner: Liberal Arts by Pacho Velez. Production: Pachoworks. United States
- AIDC Award: Two accreditations to attend the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) and a fee waiver to apply to The FACTory for the 2027 edition. Winner: Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Koval Bhatia. Production: Bellota Films, What Took You So Long, A Little Anarky Films. France, United States, India
- DAE Encouragement Award: Two free consultations with network members tailored to the needs of the project.Winner: Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Koval Bhatia. Production: Bellota Films, What Took You So Long, A Little Anarky Films. France, United States, India
