At the 22nd Verzió Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, held between 11 and 19 November, films competed within five categories. The award for Best Documentary Film went to the Georgian film 9-Month Contract, which examines the struggles of a single Georgian mother who turns to surrogacy, and the limits imposed by poverty. The Best Hungarian Film award was given to My Father’s Daughter, a story about the search for a lost sister. “In 2025, nearly eight thousand people engaged with stories drawn from real life,” organisers write.
The festival continues online until 30 November, including all winning and special mention titles.
“Hungary’s only human rights documentary film festival once again presented some of the most relevant and powerful documentaries from around the world,” organisers add. “The films addressed sensitive and diverse topics, ranging from war-torn Ukraine, Gaza and Iraq to pressing social issues at home, such as gender inequality, the climate crisis and child protection.”
This year, 60 films screened at Verzió, and the juries awarded prizes in four categories. The Audience Award winner was also announced at the November 19 awards ceremony. The creators of the winning films received a €1000 cash prize.
In the International Competition, the award for Best Documentary Film went to 9-Month Contract (dir. Ketevan Vashagashvili). The Jury commented: ‘By navigating the unregulated realm of commercial surrogacy, the film reveals a world that commodifies everything – even the human body – and exposes the strain placed on families by crumbling social systems. In doing so, it shows how the personal and the political are never truly separate, especially for those forced to survive within complex and unequal societies.’ A Special Mention was given to With Hasan in Gaza by Kamal Aljafari.
The Best Hungarian Documentary award went to My Father’s Daughter, directed by Lea Podhradská. The film tells the story of a protagonist who was abandoned and abused as a child, yet found the strength to move forward. The jury recognised, ‘its elegant blend of personal investigation, poetic imagery and raw emotions.’
The Best Human Rights Documentary was selected by the five-member Youth Jury, formed through Verzió’s open call. The winner was Cutting Through Rocks (dir. Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni), recipient of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, which portrays a woman’s struggle against the Iranian patriarchy. ‘Tonight, our award recognizes a film that embodies both unease and hope. Cutting Through Rocks tells the intimate story of a long forgotten womanhood; strong, proud, yet tender, following a woman who was born into the harshest disadvantage simply for being a woman, challenges a society that assumes only men can create change,’ said the jury. The Youth Jury’s Special Mention went to Khartoum by Rawia Alhag, Timeea M Ahmed, Anas Saeed, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad and Philip Cox.
The Doc Future Award, for first and second-time directors, went to Make It Look Real (dir. Danial Shah). ‘We would like to award a film that shows us how to reimagine ourselves and reality through the lens of a camera. The director’s sensibility and respectful approach to capturing a space of co-creation — one that also functions as a mirror — allows us to look at and laugh at ourselves and to better understand each other’s dreams and fears,’ said the jury. The Doc Future Special Mention was awarded to I Am Here, directed by Zsófi Paczolay and Dorian Rivière.
The Audience Award went to Sári Haragonics’s Don’t Worry, Sári! which weaves together present-day and family archival footage, voice messages and dreams to paint a sensitive portrait of how layers of the past and present interact in our family relationships.
INDUSTRY
Awards were also presented at the end of the 10th Verzió DocLab industry program, with the Hungarian-American project The Grandfather Puzzle receiving the most recognitions. “These prestigious domestic and international awards – including the HBO Development Award, post-production support from FocusFox, and backing from MADOKE – not only offer professional validation but also significant opportunities for creators to enter the international documentary filmmaking scene,” organisers write. Click here to see the full list of awarded projects.
Commented Festival Director Enikő Gyureskó: “We are truly happy that audiences once again embraced the opportunity for interaction, that active dialogue emerged between viewers and creators, and that unforgettable memories were made. This year, Verzió was again about openness and conversation, which meant a great deal to the filmmakers who joined us.”
“The 8000 participants who attended screenings and accompanying events in Budapest and across the country show the strength of Verzió,” he added.
