Nyon, Switzerland – The celebrated Swiss documentary festival, Visions du Réel, concluded its latest iteration by awarding its top prize to “The Prince of Nanawa” by Argentine filmmaker Clarisa Navas. The documentary triumphed in the International Feature Film Competition, receiving the Grand Prix and a cash prize of 20,000 CHF ($24,000). Meanwhile, Iranian filmmaker Bani Koshnoudi’s “The Vanishing Point” clinched the top Burning Lights Competition honor, rewarded with 10,000 CHF ($12,000).
“The Prince of Nanawa” captures the story of Ángel, a dynamic young boy with a profound connection to his Guarani heritage in Paraguay. Navas, known for her 2020 San Sebastián-winning film “One in a Thousand,” spent a decade filming Ángel’s life, documenting his dreams and engagements with his community. Jury members, including Japanese festival director Hama Haruka, U.S. filmmaker Eliza Hittman, and Greek director Athiná-Rachél Tsangári, praised the film for its unique blend of autofiction, fiction, and non-fiction, noting the camera’s role as a “communal, familial instrument.”
In the Burning Lights section, Koshnoudi’s “The Vanishing Point” explored her family’s silence surrounding a cousin who disappeared during the 1988 purges in Iran. The jury, which included U.S. filmmaker Scott Cummings, French producer Thomas Hakim, and Georgian-Swiss director Elene Naveriani, lauded the film for its courageous depiction of pain and resistance, referring to it as a “manifesto of resistance against the regime.”
Other notable awards at the festival included the Special Jury Award in the International Feature Film Competition, which went to “To Use a Mountain” by Casey Carter, diving into the sites considered for nuclear waste disposal in the U.S. A Special Mention was awarded to Marie Voignier’s “Anamocot,” following a French scientist’s quest for the mythical creature Mokélé-Mbembé.
The National Competition saw “Les Vies d’Andrès,” a collaboration between Baptiste Janon and Rémi Pons from Switzerland and Belgium, taking the top prize, which included a 15,000 CHF ($18,000) award. Their film juxtaposes the life of a contemporary European truck driver with that of a cart driver from the early 20th century, exploring themes of modernity and profit.
Recognition also extended to the audience, which favored “Cutting Through Rocks” by Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki, previously celebrated at the Sundance Film Festival. This film received the Audience Award in the Wide Angle Competition, further emphasizing its international appeal.
Émilie Bujès, artistic director of Visions du Réel, hailed the selection of films at this year’s festival as a “bulwark against the standardization of both cinema and ideas,” underlining that the 154 films presented offered varied and profound insights into contemporary and personal issues through the documentary form. She expressed her contentment with this year’s awarded films, many of which represented long-term projects, confirming the festival’s commitment to showcasing unique cinematic experiences.
All films recognized at this year’s Visions du Réel, which prides itself on being a platform for innovative and impactful documentary storytelling, had their world premieres at the festival, which ran until Sunday evening with an online selection available until April 20.
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