As the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) draws to a close, it has announced its winning titles during an awards ceremony held at Amsterdam's Compagnietheater on 25 November. In the International Competition, Sergei Loznitsa’s Mr. Landsbergis [+lee también:
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In the Envision Competition, which rewards works that approach documentary with new stylistic courage, it was Karim Kassem’s Octopus (Lebanon/Qatar/USA) that took home the top award. Both trophies come with a €15,000 prize.

The historical Mr. Landsbergis tells the story of the Singing Revolution in Lithuania, the peaceful protests that took place between 1989 and 1991, when it broke away from the Soviet Union. Jury members Arne Birkenstock, Claire Diao, Elena Fortes, Jessica Kiang, and Ryan Krivoshey were blown away by its sense of urgency: “It is not easy to bring history to life. It is even more difficult to make it thrilling, urgent and totally enriching, to make it feel like we are living through it as it happens. On every level of craft, the winning film represents a monumental achievement that fully explores the role that one man, one nation and one historical moment can play in the still-unfolding story of the global struggle for freedom and self-determination.”

The winner of the Envision Competition, Octopus, shows us the aftermath of the Port of Beirut explosion, using a very silent and reflective approach. “This film develops its own imagistic language: a language of mystery and loss in the aftermath of a tragedy. It was made with great respect toward the subject matter, and it felt like a story told from the inside. There are no answers presented, just the questions of life in the face of a disaster,” the jury, consisting of Andrea Arnold, Joe Bini, Charlotte Serrand and Akram Zaatari, reported.

The European victors, among others, were O, Collecting Eggs Despite the Times [+lee también:
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entrevista: Shamira Raphaëla
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Here is the full list of this year’s winners:

International Competition

IDFA Award for Best Film
Mr. Landsbergis [+lee también:
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IDFA Award for Best Directing
Diem Ha Le - Children of the Mist (Vietnam)

IDFA Award for Best Editing
Danielius Kokanauskis - Mr. Landsbergis

IDFA Award for Best Cinematography
Ruslan Fedotow - Where Are We Headed (Belarus/Russia)

Envision Competition

IDFA Award for Best Film
Octopus - Karim Kassem (Lebanon/Qatar/USA)

Award for Best Directing
Pim Zwier - O, Collecting Eggs Despite the Times [+lee también:
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Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution
One Take Grace - Lindiwe Matshikiza (South Africa)
Special Mention
Skin - Marcos Pimentel (Brazil)

IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction

IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction
Museum of Austerity - Sacha Wares and John Pring (UK)

Special Jury Award for Creative Technology
Symbiosis - Marcel van Brakel and Mark Meeuwenoord (Netherlands)

IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling

IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling
Un(re)solved - Tamara Shogaolu (USA/Netherlands)

Special Jury Award for Creative Technology
Ravi and Emma - Kylie Boltin, Ella Rubeli, Ravi Vasavan and Emma Anderson (Australia)

IDFA Competition for Short Documentary

IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary
Handbook - Pavel Mozhar (Germany/Belarus)
Special Mention
Wolf Whispers - Chloé Belloc (France)

IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary

IDFA Award for Best Youth Film
Shabu [+lee también:
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entrevista: Shamira Raphaëla
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Special Mention
Dust, Bread - Mahdi Zamanpoor Kiasari (Iran)

IDFA 2021 cross-sectional awards

IDFA Award for Best First Feature
Where Are We Headed - Ruslan Fedotow (Belarus/Russia)
Special Mention
Children of the Mist - Diem Ha Le

IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film
Jason [+lee también:
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Special Mention
Housewitz - Oeke Hoogendijk (Netherlands)

FIPRESCI Award
Makeup Artist - Jafar Najafi (Iran)

Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive
Ultraviolette and the Blood-Spitters Gang - Robin Hunzinger (France)
Special Mention
Babi Yar. Context [+lee también:
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entrevista: Sergei Loznitsa
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IDFA Forum Awards

IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch
La Casa - Bettina Perut and Iván Osnovikoff (Chile)

IDFA Forum Award for Best Rough Cut
The New Greatness Case [+lee también:
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DocLab Forum Award
Continuum VR - Daniela Maldonado, Tomas Espinosa and Paula Gempeler (Colombia)