The 21^st edition of Geneva’s International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) has concluded with the announcement of its winners, following its 10-19 March run. The Creative Documentary Competition winners delve into the topic of dismantling colonial narratives, while the Fiction Competition winners portray the oppressive nature of an unjust Iranian government. The remaining films that were honoured at the 2023 FIFDH centre on the themes of women's liberation, the fight against femicides, and the importance of press freedom in Afghanistan.

Starting with the Creative Documentary Competition, the jury, comprising Anna Glogowski, Delphine Kemneloum Djiraibé, Dominique De Rivaz and Luciano Barisone, bestowed the Grand Geneva Award, valued at CHF 10,000 – offered by the city of Geneva – upon Aurora's Sunrise [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Inna Sahakyan
scheda film] by Inna Sahakyan. The jury’s statement underlines that it is “a cinematographic work that aims to prevent the Armenian genocide from being forgotten”.

The CHF 5,000 Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize, in tribute to her son Sergio Vieira de Mello, offered by the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, went to Colette and Justin by Alain Kassanda, which is a “politically engaged film based on the archives of the oppressor, which reveals the tumultuous history of colonisation and a false independence. An intimate dialogue that reveals truths that can form the basis of a peace and reconciliation process.”

The jury also handed a Special Mention to Seven Winters in Tehran [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by Steffi Niederzoll, as the film “takes us through the maze of arbitrary justice, culminating in the hanging of an innocent woman and the total denial of freedom of speech for women”. As for the Youth Jury Prize, offered by Peace Brigades International (PBI) and accompanied by CHF 1,000, it went to My Name Is Happy [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Nick Read e Ayse Toprak
scheda film] by Ayşe Toprak and Nick Read, which “stirred up great emotions with its strong, universal and essential message: the fight against violence towards women”.

In the Fiction Competition, the Fiction Grand Award, valued at CHF 10,000 and offered by the Hélène and Victor Barbour Foundation, went to Beyond the Wall by Vahid Jalilvand. The jury was composed of Jean-Pierre Greff, Kaltrina Krasniqi, Thierry Oppikofer and Toni Kamau, who opined: “The virtuosity of the editing of the shots and sequences, articulating different spaces and time frames, imaginary or real, heightens the message of the film, which combines a powerful protest against the arbitrary violence of a tyrannical regime and the exaltation of human dignity”.

The Youth Jury Prize, offered by the Eduki Fondation and accompanied by CHF 1,000, was bestowed upon A Room Of My Own [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ioseb “Soso” Bliadze e Tak…
scheda film] by Ioseb 'Soso' Bliadze, which is “another reminder that through reflection and enlightenment, it is possible to escape from conservative traditions and societies”.

In the Focus Competition, the CHF 5,000 Prize of the OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture) went to a filmmaker whose movie demonstrates a commitment to human rights, in order to support the writing of his or her next film, and the winner was The Etilaat Roz by Abbas Rezaie, which, according to the jury, “shows the bravery of journalists confronting the Taliban. It reminds us that every day, men and women are fighting for human rights in Afghanistan”.

Finally, the Artopie Award was given to Becoming a Black Woman [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] by Rachel M’Bon and Juliana Fanjul, and the jury, composed of young adolescents from different units of the HUG (Geneva University Hospitals), asserted: “It champions a current and intergenerational theme that is known to all but not sufficiently discussed, especially in Geneva and within Switzerland.”

Here is the full list of award winners at the 21^st FIFDH:

Creative Documentary Competition

Grand Geneva Award
Aurora's Sunrise [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Inna Sahakyan
scheda film] - Inna Sahakyan (Armenia/Lithuania/Germany)

Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize
Colette and Justin - Alain Kassanda (France/Belgium)

Special Mention of the Jury
Seven Winters in Tehran [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Steffi Niederzoll (Germany/France)

Youth Jury Prize – Documentary
My Name Is Happy [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Nick Read e Ayse Toprak
scheda film] - Ayşe Toprak, Nick Read (UK)

Fiction Competition

Fiction Grand Award
Beyond the Wall - Vahid Jalilvand (Iran)

Youth Jury Prize – Fiction
A Room Of My Own [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ioseb “Soso” Bliadze e Tak…
scheda film] - Ioseb 'Soso' Bliadze (Georgia/Germany)

Focus Competition

Prize of OMCT
The Etilaat Roz - Abbas Rezaie (Afghanistan)

Artopie Award
Becoming a Black Woman [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Rachel M’Bon, Juliana Fanjul (Switzerland)