The Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH, 6-15 March) has wrapped its 24th edition, having welcomed more than 32,000 festivalgoers to various screenings, debates and public discussions. With over 200 guests from the worlds of art, science, politics and activism taking part in the programme, the Geneva-based event once again positioned itself as a key international platform for films and conversations addressing urgent human-rights issues.

At the closing ceremony, editorial co-directors Laura Longobardi and Laila Alonso Huarte commented: “This year’s awards reflect the diversity of voices that FIFDH brings to the fore. These films shed light on realities too often overlooked and open up powerful new perspectives. We are proud to celebrate works that inspire courage and give voice to those too often unheard.”

In the International Documentary Competition, the jury – comprising photographer and filmmaker Zed Nelson, writer and playwright Sarah Schulman, and filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi – awarded the Geneva Grand Award, valued at CHF 10,000 (€11,000) and sponsored by the city and canton of Geneva, to A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Soraya Akhlaghi and Mehrdad Oskouei. The film follows a young Afghan artist documenting her path into exile while maintaining a long-distance collaboration with Iranian filmmaker Oskouei. The Youth Jury Prize – Documentary was also bestowed upon A Fox Under a Pink Moon. According to the young jurors, the film’s intimate form and the protagonist’s age created a strong sense of closeness, while the fragmented structure and the filmmaker’s visual creativity highlighted the transformative role of art in the face of adversity.

The FIFDH Gilda Vieira de Mello Award, valued at CHF 5,000 (€5,500) and presented by the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, went to Letters from Wolf Street [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Arjun Talwar, in which the Indian filmmaker builds relationships with neighbours in Warsaw while exploring everyday racism, and the barriers faced by migrants and long-standing minorities in Poland.

In the Fiction Competition, the jury composed of writer Adania Shibli, director Elie Grappe, programmer Jenny Billeter and Thierry Oppikofer, representing the Hélène and Victor Barbour Foundation, presented the Fiction Grand Award, valued at CHF 10,000, to Cotton Queen [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Suzannah Mirghani. The Sudanese-set film portrays its characters with delicacy and ambiguity, combining tenderness and humour while reflecting on colonial histories, feminism and the relationship between environmental and human rights. The jury also handed Special Mentions to Lost Land [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Akio Fujimoto, for its depiction of play as a means of resisting despair, and to Between Dreams and Hope by Farnoosh Samadi, for its exploration of non-normative love as a force against social constraints.

The Youth Jury Prize – Fiction went to Laundry [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Zamo Mkhwanazi. The jury highlighted the film’s powerful portrayal of repression under South Africa’s apartheid regime, praising its use of music, and the performances that bring nuance and emotional depth to the narrative.

Finally, the Vision for Human Rights Award, valued at CHF 5,000 and presented by the Focus jury – comprising Judith Fiss (Amnesty International Switzerland), Elise Golay (International Service for Human Rights), Spring Gombe (Policy/Strategy Group), Kibrom Mehari (HEKS/EPER) and Sharon Oseku-Frainier (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands) – was awarded to Yurlu | Country by Yaara Bou Melhem. The documentary examines the devastating legacy of the asbestos mine at Wittenoom in Australia and its impact on the Banjima Aboriginal community, highlighting the intersection of environmental destruction, corporate impunity and colonial exploitation.

Here is the full list of award winners at the 24th FIFDH:

International Documentary Competition

Geneva Grand Award
A Fox Under a Pink Moon – Soraya Akhlaghi, Mehrdad Oskouei (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark)

FIFDH Gilda Vieira de Mello Award
Letters from Wolf Street [+lee también:
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Youth Jury Prize – Documentary
A Fox Under a Pink Moon – Soraya Akhlaghi, Mehrdad Oskouei

Fiction Competition

Fiction Grand Award
Cotton Queen [+lee también:
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Special Mentions
Lost Land [+lee también:
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Between Dreams and Hope – Farnoosh Samadi (Iran)

Youth Jury Prize – Fiction
Laundry [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] – Zamo Mkhwanazi (Switzerland/South Africa)

Focus Competition

Vision for Human Rights Award
Yurlu | Country – Yaara Bou Melhem (Australia)

Convergences Award
Niñxs [+lee también:
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Special Jury – in Correctional Facilities/Champ-Dollon Jury Award and La Brenaz Jury Award
Avant il n’y avait rien – Yvann Yagchi (Switzerland)