The Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival presented its top industry accolades on Friday, recognizing innovative documentary projects through its New Visions Forum. Belgian project "6TM" captured the New Visions Award for most promising European project, while the U.S.-Canadian documentary "Searching for SmarterChild" earned the New Visions Award for most promising U.S. project. The awards ceremony celebrated emerging talent while also honoring veteran producer Signe Byrge Sørensen with the APA World Excellence Award for her substantial contributions to international cinema.
Belgian Family Tale '6TM' Secures European Honor
Directed by Karim Akalay and produced by Walid Bekhti, "6TM" is described as a Belgian family comedy structured across three chapters, combining elements of magical realism with the resilience of a local community. The project is set during an intense summer in Brussels' largest housing development, Cité Modèle. The storyline weaves through three personal narratives within a single family, exploring distinct community struggles through an imaginative lens.
Ji.hlava New Visions Forum Industry Award Winners
| Award | Project Title | Director(s) | Producer(s) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Visions Award (European) | 6TM | Karim Akalay | Walid Bekhti | Belgium |
| New Visions Award (U.S.) | Searching for SmarterChild | Lindsey Sitz, Zan Gillies | Erin Williams-Weir | United States, Canada |
| Cannes Docs – Marché du Film Award | Iridescence | Dominika Kováčová, Kilhan Wittock | Matej Sotník, Klára Tasovská | Slovakia, Belgium, Italy |
| DAE Award | Monument of Revolution | Mladen Ivanović | Tamara Puizina | Montenegro, Croatia |
| #Docs Connect Taskovski Training Award | Planet A | Emelie Mahdavian | Charlotte Hailstone | United Kingdom |
| Docs by the Sea Award | Daughters of the Pit | Anshul Chauhan | Mina Moteki, Anshul Chauhan | Japan |
| Eurodoc Award | If Only the Pines Could Speak | Yelyzaveta Myshkalenko | Diana Nazaruk | Ukraine |
| Jacob Burns Film Center Award | Planet A | Emelie Mahdavian | Charlotte Hailstone | United Kingdom |
| Lightdox Award | Male Fantasies | Max Bowens | Ryan Krivoshey, Sam Hewison | United States |
| Meditalents Residency Award | The 13th Fish | Sara Stijović | Sara Stijović, Marija Vlahović | Montenegro |
| Sheffield DocFest Networking Award | A Spectre Is Haunting Europe | Robo Mihály | Anna Mach Rumanová, Alena Kapinajová | Slovakia, Czech Republic |
| RAFF Residency Award | Words We Never Say | Agnieszka Zwiefka | Agnieszka Zwiefka, Iza Igel | Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain |
In the film's narrative, two children search for a magic lamp to prevent a friend who uses a wheelchair from having to leave the building due to out-of-service elevators. Concurrently, a teenage girl puts together a soccer team composed of misfits for an upcoming tournament, while a mother works to organize her neighbors in an effort to discover who took the rain.
The festival jury, comprising CPH:DOX managing director Katrine Kiilgaard, Tangaj Production managing partner Anda Ionescu, and American Documentary at POV co-producer Robert Y. Chang, commended the film's creative approach. The jury highlighted that the project "offers a fresh vision of European cinema" through its lived experience and co-creation methods, expanding inclusivity and representation. The recognition comes with an in-kind visual post-production grant valued at around 15,000 Euros from UPP, along with sound mixing and mastering services valued at approximately 5,000 Euros from Soundaquare.
'Searching for SmarterChild' Tackles the Origins of AI
The festival recognized "Searching for SmarterChild" as the most promising U.S. project, awarding the team a $7,000 cash prize presented in partnership with AmDocs. Directed by Lindsey Sitz and Zan Gillies, and produced by Erin Williams-Weir, the documentary revisits 2003 and the rise of SmarterChild, one of the earliest conversational internet chatbots.
The film explores how users historically interacted with the pioneering bot—confiding personal details, trading insults, and sending propositions—and examines what those early digital exchanges reflect about contemporary human behavior. As modern artificial intelligence systems expand into everyday life, the documentary investigates themes of human nature, personal accountability, and systemic change through past digital archives.
The jury praised the project for delivering an "original, entertaining and thought-provoking approach" to digital culture. They noted that by returning to early childhood interactions with chatbots, the documentary challenges viewers to reflect on their relationship with artificial intelligence and the ways humans engage with both emerging technologies and each other.
Industry Recognition and New Visions Forum Winners
Beyond the primary project honors, the festival conferred the APA World Excellence Award to Danish producer Signe Byrge Sørensen. The award recognized her outstanding contribution to global filmmaking and sustained achievements across the international documentary landscape.
The New Visions Forum also announced several project development partnerships and residency awards connecting filmmakers across various regions. Honors included the Cannes Docs – Marché du Film Award, which went to "Iridescence," and the Sheffield DocFest Networking Award, presented to "A Spectre Is Haunting Europe." Multiple entries earned cross-festival backing, highlighting an active international co-production market.
As these projects progress from development and post-production into future festival circuits, the industry prizes provide both financial resources and technical support aimed at bringing these non-fiction works to global audiences.
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Source: Variety
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