Natalia Koniarz’s “Silver” has been named the winner of the Opus Bonum section at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival. The film also picked up the award for the best documentary film in the Visegrad region and best cinematography recognition for Stanisław Cuske.
“Silver” boasts the acclaimed filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski (“Ida,” “Cold War”) as an executive producer. “It’s a sensory and poetic experience. It brings images from the depths with remarkable clarity,” he said, calling the film “brutal, hypnotic and profoundly humane.”
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“You live with these people, you become friends with them, you witness their suffering and violence, but you can’t change it or react. My reaction to someone else’s suffering could have consequences when I’m no longer there,” Koniarz told Variety.
“I constantly confronted my own beliefs and prejudices in order to find an insider’s perspective.”
Yudi Zhu won the top prize in the First Lights section for “So Close, So Far,” while Sammy Baloji’s “The Tree of Authenticity” dominated the Testimonies category. Fredj Moussa was given the Fascinations’ main award for “Land of Barbar.” Finally, acclaimed director Vitaly Mansky was the Czech Joy winner with “Time to the Target.” A co-production between Latvia, Czech Republic and Ukraine, it depicts Mansky’s hometown of Lviv, disrupted by war.
Unsurprisingly, the warmly received “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” by David Borenstein and Pavel “Pasha” Talankin walked away with the audience award.
Already noticed at Sundance, the film has been selected by Denmark as its entry for the best international feature film Oscar. It shows Talankin, a small-town teacher, quietly resisting – and filming – propaganda and militarization sweeping over his school after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He’s since fled Russia.
During a Q&A with the audience, Talankin reveled at its success. “I got a call from the kids I used to teach when Denmark decided to submit the film. They said: ‘Just imagine if the best actor award goes to our teacher’!”
He said: “I was born in Russia; I grew up in it and grew up with my eyes open. I knew what was happening. Everything that comes out of Putin’s mouth when he’s on TV is a lie. It’s always a lie.”
This year’s edition also welcomed Tsai Ming-liang, back to present “Night Journey.” Last year, he picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award at Ji.hlava.
“I was immediately drawn to the quiet atmosphere of the small town and the fog that shrouds its nights. The idea came to me to shoot a new ‘Walker’ film there,” he explained. Shortly afterwards, he was invited by FAMU to serve as a guest professor for the autumn semester.
“My producer began planning a new project: to return to Ji.hlava a year later, filming with FAMU students before the next edition of the festival, complete post-production in Prague and hold its world premiere at Ji.hlava.”
“The Walker” series began in 2012 and has continued for 13 years, with 12 films completed so far: “Walker in Spain” is still in post-production.
“As long as Lee Kang-sheng and I are both still here, I believe the series will continue. I look forward to seeing how Lee might keep walking slowly into his sixties and seventies. Future plans include a ‘Walker’ in Jeonju [in Korea] and others in different cities,” said Tsai Ming-liang.
“Whenever there’s an invitation and some funding, I will make another one.”
“Ji.hlava proved to be the perfect place for ‘Night Journey’: it offered the right timing, strong institutional collaboration and external partnerships. I don’t think such a project could have happened this smoothly, or this quickly, anywhere else – even in Prague.”
Full list of winners:
Opus Bonum
Main Award: Natalia Koniarz, “Silver”
I. Special Mention: Jean Boiron-Lajous, “Abysses and Wonders”
II. Special Mention: Hilary Powell, Dan Edelstyn, “Power Station”
Best Central and Eastern European Documentary
Lisa Polster, “Bürglkopf”
Award for the Best Documentary Film in the Visegrad Region 2025
Natalia Koniarz, “Silver”
Award for Original Approach
Diego Hernández, “Skyless Roof”
Best Editing
Xavier Sirven, “Abysses and Wonders”
Best Cinematography
Stanisław Cuske, “Silver”
Award for the Best Sound Design
Henry Sims, “The Beauty of the Donkey”
Student Jury Award
Peter Mettler, “While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts”
First Lights
Main Award: Yudi Zhu, “So Close, So Far”
Special Mention: Karel Malkoun, “The Cats, the Sea, and Everything Between”
Best Cinematography: Ludmila Cimbůrková, Maja Penčič, “Minimum Love”
Award for Original Approach: Raaed Al Kour, “Taste of Salt”
Testimonies
Main Award: Sammy Baloji, “The Tree of Authenticity”
Special Mention: Amber Fares, “Coexistence, My Ass!”
Special Mention for Best Film on Politics: Joanna Grudzinska, “Poland versus History”
Special Mention for Best Film on Knowledge: Åse Svenheim Drivenes, “Teenage Life Interrupted”
Fascinations
Main Award: Fredj Moussa, “Land of Barbar”
I. Special mention: Mario Blaconà, “Transparencies”
II. Special mention: Paula Malinowska, “Branching Light and Flickers of a Dawn”
Exprmntl.cz
Main Award: Nebe Motýlová, “Tiny Film about Rape”
I. Special mention: Zbyněk Baladrán, “The Totalitarian Society of the Image”
Audience Award
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
Czech Joy
Main Award: Vitaly Mansky, “Time to the Target”
Special Mention: Martin Trabalík, “What About Petey?”
Best Editing: Michal Böhm, “Unborn Father”
Best Sound Design: Martin Stýblo, “Kapralova”
Best Cinematography: Martin Kollár, “Chronicle”
Award for Original Approach: Jan Strejcovský, “Is It Worth It!?”
Student Jury Award: Martin Trabalík, “What About Petey?”
Virtual Reality Film
Award for the Best Virtual Reality Film: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, “The Exploding Girl”
Special Mention: Sjors Swierstra, Ivanna Khitsinska, “Shelter”
Special Mention: Shiuan Yan, “Trans-Composition”
Short Joy
Gabriele Neudecker, “wedLOCK tradWIFE”
Contribution to World Cinema Award
Fundación Grupo Ukamau
Ji.hlava Industry Winners
Ji.hlava New Visions Award for the Most Promising European Project in Cooperation with UPP
“Adam’s Tooth” (United Kingdom, Georgia)
Directors: Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt
Producers: Tekla Machavariani, Mariam Chachia
Ji.hlava New Visions Award for the Most Promising European Project in Cooperation with Soundsquare
“Superhumans” (Austria)
Director: Inna Shevchenko
Producers: Arash T. Riahi
Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2025 for the Most Promising U.S. Project in Partnership with AmDocs
“Newville” (United States, Uganda, Switzerland)
Directors and producers: Pisie Hochheim, Tony Oswald
Cannes Docs – Marché Du Film Award
“Correspondances to Inhabit the World” (Uruguay, Switzerland, Spain)
Director: Laura Gabay
Producer: Vania Jaikin
DAE Award
“Laura Zahirah: Just a Regular Muslim” (Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Finland)
Director: Karoliina Lahti
Producer: Serj Rimma
#Docs Connect Taskovski Training Award
“Superhumans”
Sheffield Docfest Networking Award
“The Pylon and Lake” (France)
Director: Sylvain Yonnet
Producers: Cécile Lestrade, Elise Hug
Lightdox Award
“Dear You” (United States)
Director: Aurora Brachman
Producers: Khaula Malik, Lo Heimer
Docs By the Sea Award
“Drifting by the River Rhythm” (Cambodia)
Director: Polen Ly
Producer: Daniel Mattes
Meditalents Residency Award
“Momtski Kamen – The Girl’s Rock” (Greece)
Directors: Maria Sidiropoulou, Chloe Bruhat
Producer: Maria Sidiropoulou
Jacob Burns Film Center Award
“Newville”