Awards of the seventh Fipadoc international documentary festival in Biarritz

A few words from the jury:

« Very admiring of the tenacity and the courage it took for the young Japanese journalist Shiori Itô to break the silence and bring to light the truth about the violence inflicted on her by a man close to the Prime Minister of her country, and deeply moved by the first-person cinematic story that she took from it, a story which reflects with great sincerity the many obstacles that she had to overcome throughout her fight, the fears, the pressures, her moments of doubt and of fragility, we decided to unanimously award the Fipadoc 2025 Grand Prix for International Documentary to the film Black Box Diaries. »

The jury : Nicolas Philibert, Mila Turajlìćm & Mandisa Zitha

The Grand Prix for International Documentary awards an international film that has not yet been released in France. The winner receives 5,000 € in prize money endowed by the Nouvelle Aquitaine region.  

Grand Prix for French Documentary

Bosco Grande by Giuseppe Schillaci (France - Italy)

A few words from the jury:

« The images freeze instantly in the mind: a gigantic body, lying still on a bed in a tiny room it almost fills entirely; a trapdoor opening onto a pulley system through which a pizza is lowered onto the floor; a gray-and-white cat searching for its owner among the empty beer bottles. These images provoke in the viewer a complex mix of comedy and despair, love and disgust—unprecedented images, the kind we expect cinema to show us. Giuseppe Schillaci filmed his friend Sergio for months— a tattoo artist and pillar of a community of former punks in Palermo, more or less worn down by life, whose lives remain intertwined. A huge man in every sense, weighing about 250 kilos, with an unconditional love for his friends and a very ambivalent relationship with his mother. The film offers a perspective of the working-class neighborhood of Bosco Grande, with a deliberately myopic gaze, drawing from this focus a particular authenticity in its depiction of the social and cultural margins. »

The jury: Lofti Achour, Lucile Commeaux & Claus Drexel 

The Grand Prix for French Documentary is awarded to the director of the best French film. It is endowed with €5,000 by the City of Biarritz.

Grand Prix for Musical Documentary

Soundtrack to a coup d’État by Johan Gimonprez (Belgium, France & Netherlands)

A few words from the jury:

« In the struggle of many African countries to reclaim their destiny, facing the economic and geostrategic interests of former colonizers and the two great East/West blocs, the figure of Patrice Lumumba stands as a symbol. In Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, his fight and assassination are told through not only the involvement but also the instrumentalization of the greatest jazz artists of the time. As a true actor in the drama unfolding, the music occupies a new, fundamental space. Radiating with sensual power, anger, and freedom, it is intertwined with archival footage and testimonies of incredible richness, in a montage that is both bold and virtuosic. The note (often blue), the word, and the image make this documentary a moment that is both moving and enlightening, as well as fascinating and unsettling, even in its ambiguities (the joviality of the opportunist Khrushchev). We are convinced that Max Roach's drums and Abbey Lincoln's cry will resonate long in the hearts and bodies of the audience. »

The jury: Stéphane Davet, Nicholas Mcroberts & Priscilla Pizzato

The Grand Prix for Musical Documentary is awarded to the director of the best international film about music or live performance. It is endowed with €5,000.

Grand Prix Impact Documentary

Yintah by Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell & Michael Toledano (Canada)

A few words from the jury:

« In awarding the Impact Documentary Award to Yintah, we wish to salute a work that has touched us deeply with its powerful narrative and unique intensity. This exceptional documentary, the fruit of ten years' work by Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell and Michael Toledano, plunges us into the heart of the resistance of the Wit'suwit'en, an Aboriginal people living in western Canada, against the construction of a pipeline threatening their ancestral lands. 

Alongside the bare-handed women warriors, the viewer experiences from the inside the unequal confrontation between a people who refuse to disappear and the relentless steamroller of economic imperialism, unchecked by the political leaders who are supposed to be preserving the living.

The cinematography, with its subtle, breathless imagery and chiselled sound, creates total immersion, making palpable the contrast between the clatter of industrial machinery mutilating the earth and the ancestral songs of humanity. Yintah, which means ‘earth’ in the Witsuwit'en language, is an electroshock. It is a source of inspiration that underlines the urgency of action and demonstrates the power of collective mobilisation across generations. This film perfectly embodies the spirit of the Impact Award, showing that resistance is a fire that is shared, and ignited particularly in the darkness of cinemas. »

The jury: Irène Challand, Sylvain Louvet & Olivier Saby

The Grand Prix Impact Documentary reward to the director of the best international film committed to human rights, social justice or the environment. The Grand Prix Impact Documentary Impact is doubly endowed by La Cinémathèque du documentaire and the Indarra Fund, with €5,000 each.

New AWARD – Human Rights in Motion Award 

Tata by Lina Vdovîi & Radu Ciorniciuc (Romania, Germany & Netherlands)

A few words from the jury:

« In awarding Tata, the Human Rights in Motion Award, our jury wishes to honour the work and commitment of Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc who, through this intimate, sincere and deeply moving story, shed a rare light on the issue of domestic violence and the exploitation of invisible workers in Europe.

Thanks to a subtle narrative combining hidden camera and direct cinema, Tata plunges us both into the brutal reality of exploited workers on Italian wine estates, contemporary slaves, and into the toxic family knots that are passed down from generation to generation. However, the film does not stop at making observations, and instead fights a real battle: that of breaking the chains of the reproduction of violence, denouncing the failings of institutions - administrative or religious - and calling for a collective awakening.

At the crossroads of Italy, Moldavia and Romania, Tata transcends borders and reminds us, with striking force, that human rights are an urgent collective issue, here and now, at the heart of Europe. Through its subtlety, courage and sensitivity, this is not just a film that challenges us: it is a work that invites us not to resign ourselves. »

The jury: Irène Challand, Sylvain Louvet & Olivier Saby

The Human Rights in Motion Award is awarded to the director of the best film promoting human rights or the fight for democratic values. It is awarded by the Impact Documentary Jury, and is endowed with €5,000 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

INA-madelen Audience Award

Golo et Ritchie by Martin Fougerol & Ahmed Hamidi (France)

The INA-Madelen Audience Award goes to the director of the best film in the Panorama de la création francophone, voted for by the Biarritz audience. It is endowed with €5,000 by the INA-madelen platform.

SMART Award

Human Violins by Ioana Mischie (Romania, France)

A few words from the jury:

« A violin string becomes barbed wire, giving life to a vibrant and poignant work. Its aesthetic, both minimalist and rich, stands out with its originality. The depth of the light intensifies the emotional weight of the narrative. This creation powerfully highlights the importance of art, and especially music, in our lives - how it touches us, elevates us, and soothes us. »

The jury: Roei Amit, Gordon & An Oost

The Smart Award rewards the best digital documentary experience, distinguished by its originality and the coherence between its content and the technologies used. It is endowed with €3,000 by the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department (64).

Short Film Award

Exit Through the Cuckoo’s Nest by Nikola Ilić (Switzerland)