Discover the Fipadoc 2026 Awards:
- INA-MADELEN AUDIENCE AWARD
The Extraordinary Journey of Mister Jack by Sarah Moon Howe - GRAND PRIX IMPACT BANQUE POPULAIRE
An Eye for an Eye by Tanaz Eshaghian & Farzad Jafari
A film that opens our eyes to the weird complexity of a legal system that hands over a decision of death or life to ordinary citizens. The filmmakers bring us close to real people in an extremely pressing, life-changing situation. A well-crafted film that brings us face to face with some of today’s most important human rights challenges: women’s rights and the inhuman death penalty. - GRAND PRIX FOR MUSICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Orchestra by Philippe Béziat
By awarding the Grand Prix Musical Documentary to Nous, l’orchestre, the jury wished to honour a powerful film, both in substance and in form. The work offers a finely observed exploration of the musical — and above all human — mechanisms that allow a great symphony orchestra to become a single, indivisible entity. Philippe Béziat captures with great empathy and ingenuity these women and men working behind the scenes, guided daily by star conductors who, for their part, are accustomed to the spotlight and the microphones. - GRAND PRIX FRENCH DOCUMENTARY
The Strike by Gabrielle Stemmer
A national award for a sexy film about a sex strike. A radical and joyful experience. A political film about freedom. A filmmaker in whom we believe. - GRAND PRIX INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY
Redlight to Limelight by Bipuljit Basu
In a fractured world, this documentary shows how the act of filmmaking can empower community and restore our faith in humanity. More than ever, we believe that cinema does not only reflect change — it has the power to inspire it. - YOUNG EUROPEANS AWARD
The Indestructible Castle by Danny Biancardi, Virginia Nardelli & Stefano La Rosa - MICHEL MITRANI DISCOVERY AWARD
Agnus Dei by Massimiliano Camaiti
With this award, we wished to salute the boldness and rigor of a powerful cinematic language, carried by an aesthetic and a poetics of revelation that immerses us in a little-known and fascinating world. We were particularly moved by the sense of editing, the mastery of storytelling, and the use of silence and beauty, which make this film a powerful work where the sacred and the profane enter into dialogue. - TËNK AWARD
Elysian Fields by Anna-Maria Dutoit - SMART BIARRITZ IMMERSIVE AWARD
Impulse: Playing With Reality by May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy
The jury awards Impulse: Playing with Reality (May Abdalla, Barry Gene Murphy) for its virtuoso handling of the interactive potential of immersive technologies, opening up genuine new perspectives for the documentary genre. The work invites us to share, in a tangible and intimate way, the experience of attention deficit disorder: a plunge into the depths of neurodivergence, staying as close as possible to the voices that inhabit it, guided by a narration delivered by the brilliant Tilda Swinton. The artistic direction, unafraid to explore unexpected formal paths, gives full space to the characters — and to the power of its message. - NEW TALENT AWARD
Drawn in Water by Heta Jokinen
The film Drawn in Water by Finnish director Heta Jokinen deeply moved us through the great poetry of its images and the delicate way it weaves a connection between inner dialogue and the outside world. Through the silent questioning of a mesmerizing little black cat, the film unfolds a profound reflection on belonging, family, and the deeply human need to define oneself in an uncertain world. Within a fragile, fluid, and tactile visual universe, created through stop-motion using clay and cut-paper forms, the film physically embodies the idea that relationships are in constant evolution. The jury salutes the fragile balance between the haptic power of the materials and the emotional weight of the narrative, which allows the film to give tangible form to seemingly theoretical texts with rare mastery, extending their impact well beyond the screening. - COUP DE CŒUR DANS LES MURS AWARD
Maïmouna, the Voice of the 9-3 by Anouk Burel & Antonin Boutinard Rouelle - SHORT FILM DOCUMENTARY AWARD
What Does the Mud Whisper? by Dea Tcholokava
What Does the Mud Whisper? is a remarkable film, with delicate, expressive, and sensual direction… Both the visuals and the sound reveal great subtlety. Director Dea Tcholokava transports us to the heart of Georgia, into the dreamlike and allegorical world of legends that both unsettle and comfort. She captures the intimate, ancestral bond that connects humans to the healing forces of the earth, this living mud that unites bodies, in the daily labor of grandmothers and the play of little girls. - SACEM AWARD FOR ORIGINAL SCORE
Grey Zone by Liza Guillamot and her composer Pierre Lucas
Beyond the qualities of the music itself, we applaud the collaborative work between the director and the composer. Through the identity of the music and its role in the film, Liza Guillamot and Pierre Lucas succeed in immersing us in the gray area that the film explores. - HUMAN RIGHTS IN ACTION AWARD
Trade Secret by Abraham Joffe
WWF has made the polar bear a symbol of the dire consequences of climate change. This film shows that the flagship organization for biodiversity protection contributes to the annual deaths of hundreds of individuals, killed to feed an international trafficking network or the trophy hunting industry. Exposing double standards, secret agreements, and half-truths, Trade Secret fulfills one of the essential functions of documentary filmmaking.
