OPUS BONUM
Best World Documentary Film 2024
Main Award:
Ms. President (dir. Marek Šulík / Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: A fascinating and absorbing character study of Zuzana Čaputová's five years as Slovak President addressing the ethical and political shifts in Slovak society during this time. Ms. President presents a personalised and intimate portrait with a particular focus on gender and familial dynamics along with her political undoing by opposition populist leader, Prime Minister Robert Fico. The film gives the viewer a profound sense of the challenges facing women in politics today.
Best Central and East European Documentary Film:
Happiness to All (dir. Filip Remunda / Czech Republic, Netherlands, France, 2024)
Jury statement: A powerful and unsettling observational character study of a disaffected, marginalised individual, which explores the social context in which Putin's nationalist populism has taken root. Happiness to All is a challenging and insightful work that sheds light on the disturbing side of contemporary Central European politics.
Original approach:
Cleaning & Cleansing (dir. Thomas Fürhapter / Austria, 2024)
Jury statement: An absorbing and arresting cinematic study of everyday cleaning and cleansing practices in a diverse range of work, institutional and social settings, from slaughterhouse to space station. Cleaning and Cleansing is rigorously formal and precise, with strikingly 'clean' editing and sound design complementing the images perfectly. Our modern Western obsession with cleanliness and hygiene are put under the microscope here in a surprisingly engaging way.
Best editing:
The Goodbye (dir. Toia Bonino / Argentina, 2024)
Jury statement: The Goodbye unfolds a complex and revealing examination of family history focusing on Toia Bonino’s discovery of her grandfather's links to fascism as an aide to Benito Mussolini. The film shifts to an intuitive and reflective exploration of gender relations and the intertwining of familial, cultural, and political history. Many layers of editing and complex narration are edited masterfully together here in ways that remain open and thought-provoking.
Best cinematography:
In Praise of Shadows (Catherine Martin / Canada, 2023)
Jury statement: A mesmerising visual meditation on shadows and their significance in relation to cultural experience and artistic expression. In Praise of Shadows is visually engaging with excellent cinematography resulting in a poetic evocation of different ways of rendering light and shadow inspired by Japanese author, Junichiro Tanazaki.
Student Jury Award:
The Goodbye (dir. Toia Bonino / Argentina, 2024)
Jury statement: The jury has selected The Goodbye by Toiy Bonino. This distinctive documentary reveals the relationships between the men and women of an Italian-Argentinian family. Toia discovered an unexpected family legacy in the form of her grandfather's negatives, sparking a bold journey into her family roots. Instead of traditional documentary storytelling, Toia Bonino combines diverse footage, photographs and texts to unfold the tensions between the men and women in a family where women silently bore the burden of the family's past. The jury selected the film for its original perspective, unexpectedly vibrant mosaic of micro-stories, metaphors and often willingly unclear circumstances of family history.
FIRST LIGHTS
Best World Documentary Feature Debut or Second Feature 2024
Main Award:
Grey Zone (dir. Daniela Meressa Rusnoková / Slovakia, 2024)
Jury statement: We admire this film for its sensitive approach document longitudinal reverberations, powerful first-person cinematography and narration, and archival contextualization. For its raw and cinematic qualities, the award for the Best Documentary Film goes to Daniela Rusnoková's Grey Zone.
Special mention:
Becoming Outline (dir. Miriam Bajtala / Austria, 2024)
Jury statement: In this film, the narrative construction, multilayered staging, and courageous excavation of the filmmaker's own life created a thoughtful and insightful experience. We award a Special Mention to Miriam Bajtala's Becoming Outline.
Original approach:
Me + You (dir. Zohra Benhammou, Romy Mana / Belgium, 2024)
Jury statement: We were happily surprised by this film's unique and authentic hangout structure, where shared moments are more important than dramatic storylines, which deeply touched us. The award for Original Approach goes to Zohra Benhammou and Romy Mana's Me + You.
Best sound design:
Grey Zone (dir. Daniela Meressa Rusnoková / Slovakia, 2024)
Jury statement: For its transportive design connecting several types of images into one cohesive whole, the award for Best Sound Design goes to Richard Fülek and Daniela Meressa Rusnoková's Grey Zone.
Best cinematography:
World Between Us (Marie Dvořáková / Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2024)
Jury statement: For creating an intimacy that truly conveys the spirit and personality of the protagonist, the award for the Best Cinematography goes to Marie Dvořáková for World Between Us.
Visegrad Award
Best Film from the Visegrad region 2024
Main Award:
Grey Zone (dir. Daniela Meressa Rusnoková / Slovakia, 2024)
Jury statement: We found Grey Zone to be at the same time an extremely brave and aesthetically accomplished film. By combining historical archives with the most personal experience of cruelty and isolation that a mother can face, the filmmaker took us on a universal journey filled with love and strong family bonds. We felt grateful to be privy to the filmmaker’s intimate relationship with her three children, which illuminated even the darkest corners of our hearts.
Special mention:
Comrades (dir. Joanna Janikowska / Poland, Italy, 2024)
Jury statement: The film delicately illustrates the intertwining paths of three young idealists, fighting with an old political frame as well as with their own future. The director brings a unique perspective on European democracy with her three characters, who enthusiastically participate in the political activities in their own ways aiming for a better society. The images are creatively unified from her initial rough materials into a beautifully and intelligently crafted film despite limited production resources.
CZECH JOY
Best Czech Documentary Film 2024
Main Award:
The Impossibility (dir. Tomáš Hlaváček / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: The awarded documentary is a haunting film that weaves together footage taken over many years into a seamless whole in which time disappears and a convincing picture of individual criminality and systemic failures remains. Against the backdrop of the exploitative tactics of a slum landlord, it captures the despair and the rising voice of the Roma women trapped in impossibility. The best documentary in the Czech Joy section for 2024 goes to The Impossibility.
Special mention:
Happiness to All (dir. Filip Remunda / Czech Republic, Netherlands, France, 2024)
Jury statement: The jury appreciates a masterfully crafted film that manages to convey the vision of the world from inside Putin's totalitarianism through physical action, gestures and physicality. The film combines a fascination with the harsh life in Siberia and the vulgarity of autocracy, revealing just how profoundly different the concept of happiness appears from this perspective. The special mention goes to Happiness to all.
Original approach:
Dajori (dir. Martin Páv, Nicolas Kourek / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: The Czech Joy jury decided to present the award for Original Approach to a film that focuses on care, concern and love in a Romani family and that stands out and inspires us by its sensitive listening to the protagonists. The award goes to the film Dajori.
Best editing:
Echt – The Art of Jan Merta (dir. Tomáš Merta / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: We appreciate the gentle way in which the editing of this film drew us into the inner world of its main protagonist, caught between introversion and engagement, as well as into the tension in his paintings. The Czech Joy jury awards the prize for the best sound to Echt - the Art of Jan Merta.
Best sound design:
once i got in, it was hard to get out (dir. Nora Štrbová / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: The jury of the Czech Joy competition appreciated the artistically sensitive use of the soundtrack which helps distinguish the protagonist's inner world from the outer reality. This approach creates a unique mythical and poetic atmosphere in the film once I got in, it was hard to get out.
Best cinematography:
Fakir (dir. Roman Ďuriš / Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, 2024)
Jury statement: In this film, life between prison and the circus is narrated using an agile and action-packed cinematography that manages to capture the overall situation and draw you into the atmosphere of the depicted world without leaving the intimate space of the protagonist. The Czech Joy jury awards the prize for the best cinematography to the film Fakir.
Student Jury Award:
World Between Us (Marie Dvořáková / Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2024)
Jury statement: Our jury decided to award this film for its refreshing optimism and hope that change is possible. It inspired us and made us want to take action. We found ourselves wanting to watch the film again and again, once just wasn’t enough! It focuses not only on Marie Tomanová's photographic career but also on her extraordinary relationship with her husband Thomas. It speaks a unique language, capturing the most interesting aspects of even the most ordinary people and relationships. With optimism and lightness it portrays the personality of the photographer and her portrait work, and shows that we can find our inner self even on the other side of the world. We think all young people should see the film to be encouraged to follow their dreams.
TESTIMONIES
Best Film Testimony 2024
Main Award:
The Sky above Zenica (dir. Zlatko Pranjic, Nanna Frank Møller / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, 2024)
Jury statement: Set in a city under toxic seige, this environmental and political thriller follows citizens fighting the tentacles of international corporate corruption to stop the staggering impact of unregulated industrial air pollution. Devastating, yet tender, this film was shot in Bosnia Herzegovina over seven years and is the result of deep community connection and trust. We, the jury, find it particularly poignant to give this prize here in Jihlava, where, citizens like the protagonists of this film, have similarly and successfully battled against polluting smokestacks only 4 km from this stage. For its deep access, and longitudinal lens on the human costs of corporate greed and the searing power of a community taking a stand, we award the best film on Politics, Knowledge and Nature in the Testimonies category, to The Sky Above Zenica by Nanna Frank Moller and Zlatko Pranjic.
Special mention for Best Film on Politics:
The Day Iceland Stood Still (dir. Pamela Hogan / Iceland, United States, 2024)
Jury statement: Weaving first-hand interviews with archives and animation, this inspirational documentary reflects on the early days of first wave feminism in Iceland. It tells the story of a powerful collective of shrewd, funny, creative matriarchs who overcame fear and deployed a genius strategy to cross political and class lines and mobilize a stunning 99% of the country’s women to strike for their rights. For its gently-paced, witty and elegantly clear account of a pioneering feminist movement in Iceland, we award the special mention for best film on Politics in the Testimonies category, to The Day Iceland Stood Still, by Pamela Hogan.
Special mention for Best Film on Knowledge:
Pistachio Wars (dir. Yasha Levine, Rowan Wernham / New Zealand, United States, 2024 )
Jury statement: This fiercely independent documentary, valiantly supported through crowdfunding, follows the money behind California’s growing water emergency, and lands at the doorstep of pistachio tycoons who meddle with waterways, toxins, exploitative labour practices and global geopolitics to turn a wide profit on monocropping. This story unravels of a vast secret network of corruption, hiding in plain sight. For its razor sharp investigation, analysis and connecting the dots of a draught to corporate greed, we award the special mention for best film on Knowledge in the Testimonies category, to Pistachio Wars Rowan Wernham and Yasha Levine.
Special mention for Best Film on Nature:
Every Little Thing (dir. Sally Aitken / Australia, 2023)
Jury statement: This intimate nature documentary follows a human hero who is resoundingly compassionate, down to earth in her daily mission to rescue the smallest birds on earth, the hummingbirds. By saving these little creatures in her sanctuary in the city of angels, she saves herself. For its moving testimony of how hope and patience can heal broken hummingbird wings — and human hearts — we award the special mention for best film on topics of Nature in the Testimonies category, to Every Little Thing, by Sally Aitken.
FASCINATIONS
Best Experimental Documentary Film 2024
Main Award:
Saigon, Kosovo (dir. Tin Dirdamal, Runway AI / Kosovo, Vietnam, United States, 2024)
Jury statement: Portraying two distinct human lives, this emotional film explores the sense of uprootedness, revealing how separation from one’s roots, identity and original language can lead to unexpectedly positive outcomes.
Special mention:
Dinosaur's Egg (dir. Sruthil Mathew / India, 2024)
Jury statement: A poetic exploration of family history through the search for places charged with memories of grandparents' passing. In sensitive and sometimes performative ways, Sruthil presents the myths associated with these places to the audience.
Special mention:
space_invaders.exe (dir. Malaz Usta / Netherlands, Syria, 2024)
Jury statement: Malaz employs archival material to narrate the stories of displaced people from both history and the present. He uses a distinctive film language and collage techniques, as well as visual elements from computer games. To convey this emotionally charged topic, he isn’t afraid to incorporate hyperbole.
FASCINATIONS: EXPRMNTL.CZ
Best Czech Experimental Documentary Film 2024
Main Award:
Hopeful Visitors and Grieving Guides: Notes from the Travel Notebook of a Dark Tourist (dir. Jiří Žák, Matěj Pavlík / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: Experiential travel takes on various forms. Jiří and Matěj traveled to Norway to measure the sculptures of Gustav Vigeland, to confirm whether they truly align with Nazi doctrine, or to the infamous island of Utøya, the site of a cold-blooded terrorist attack committed on a group of young people in 2011.
Special mention:
Ruvja and Morena (dir. Julie Slovenčíková / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: If Věra Chytilová were still with us, she would surely have appreciated the rough and raw use of film language as well as the sincerity and playfulness of the two main characters in this short film depicting their time spent by the water.
Special mention:
Pyramid (dir. Matěj Smetana / Czech Republic, 2024)
Jury statement: Matěj Smetana decided to share his human possessions with the neighbors from the insect realm. He built a small replica of Djoser's pyramid out of sugar next to a large anthill and waited for the reactions of its inhabitants and other curious passers-by.
AUDIENCE AWARD 2024
Main Award:
Dajori (dir. Martin Páv, Nicolas Kourek / Czech Republic, 2024)
Ji.hlava Online Award:
The Impossibility (dir. Tomáš Hlaváček / Czech Republic, 2024)
SHORT JOY
Best Short Documentary Film 2024
Main Award:
Only if the Baby Cries.. (dir. Shadab Farooq / India, 2024)
This section’s jury was general public, which has voted online for the films in competition.
BEST VR PROJECT
Main Award:
Dreaming of Lebanon (dir. Martin Waehlisch, Cynthia Sawma / United States, 2023)
Jury statement: Dreaming of Lebanon uses immersive aspects of VR to share experience of a time and place in crisis. It merges documentary and illusive elements to emphasize individual engagement in collective responsibility. For using VR as an empathetic medium, the award goes to Dreaming of Lebanon.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD CINEMA AWARD 2024
Tsai Ming Liang
THE BEST FESTIVAL POSTER
Festival Identity:
4 Živly Film Festival 2024
Audience Award:
IFF Rotterdam 2024
