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FIPADOC 2025 Awards

Black Box Diaries triumphs at FIPADOC

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- Japanese director Shiori Itō’s movie reigns supreme in the International Competition while Giuseppe Schillaci’s Bosco grande scoops the national Grand Prize

Black Box Diaries triumphs at FIPADOC
Black Box Diaries by Shiori Itō

At the close of an edition unspooling between 24 January and 1 February and drawing scores of international industry professionals to Biarritz, the 7th FIPADOC has delivered its verdict. The International Competition jury (Nicolas Philibert, Mandisa Zitha and Mila Turajlić) crowned as its winner the American-British-Japanese co-production Black Box Diaries [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Japanese director Shiori Itō, a film unveiled in last year’s Sundance Film Festival and nominated for the upcoming Best Documentary Feature Film Oscar.

The French competition, meanwhile, was won by Giuseppe Schillaci’s French-Italian co-production Bosco grande [+see also:
interview: Giuseppe Schillaci
film profile
]
, revealed in the Giornate degli Autori’s Venetian Nights line-up in Venice last year.

Equally noteworthy is the result of the Musical Documentary Competition, dominated by Belgian director Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johan Grimonprez
film profile
]
, a movie which bagged the Special Jury Prize for Cinematographic Innovation in last year’s Sundance Film Festival and which is also nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Film Oscar.

The winners are as follows:

Grand Prize for Best International Documentary
Black Box Diaries [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
- Shiori Itō (USA/UK/Japan)

Grand Prize for Best National Documentary
Bosco grande [+see also:
interview: Giuseppe Schillaci
film profile
]
- Giuseppe Schillaci (France/Italy)

Grand Prize for Best Musical Documentary
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johan Grimonprez
film profile
]
- Johan Grimonprez (Belgium/France/Netherlands)

Grand Prize Impact Documentary
Yintah - Jennifer Wicham, Brenda Michel, Michael Toledano (Canada)

Other awards

INA Madelen Audience Award
Golo & Ritchie
- Martin Fougerol, Ahmed Hamidi (France)

Smart Prize
Human Violins - Ionana Mischie (France) (short film)

Sacem Award for Best Original Soundtrack
The Watchman - Lou du Pontavice, Victoire Bonin Grais (France/Belgium)

Best Short Film
Exit Through The Cuckoo’s Nest -  Nikola Ilic (Switzerland)

Young Creation Prize (Best Graduate Film)
Confession - Rebeka Bizubova (Slovakia) (short film)

Tënk Prize (for graduate films)
May It Last - Louise Chauchat (France) (medium-length film)

Young Europeans Prize
Murmuring Hearts - Vytautas Puidokas (Lithuania/France/Norway)

Michel Mitrani Discovery Prize (for a first or second film)
Black Box Diaries - Shiori Itō

Ciné+ Prize
The Flats [+see also:
film review
interview: Alessandra Celesia
film profile
]
- Alessandra Celesia (France/Ireland/UK/Belgium)

Women in Media Prize
Sudan, Remember Us [+see also:
interview: Hind Meddeb
film profile
]
- Hind Meddeb (France/Tunisia/Qatar)

Coup de Cœur Dans les Murs Prize
Red Shadow over the White House - Antoine Vitkine (France)

Human Rights in Action Prize
Tata [+see also:
film review
interview: Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc
film profile
]
- Lina Vdovii, Radu Ciorniciuc (Romania/Germany/Netherlands)

(Translated from French)

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