The 2024 edition of the prestigious Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival culminated on Friday with the announcement of its highly anticipated New Visions Award winners. Celebrating forward-thinking cinematic projects from across the globe, this year’s ceremony underscored the evolving landscape of documentary and hybrid filmmaking. Among the standout honorees were Karim Akalay’s Belgian magic-realist project "6TM" and Lindsey Sitz and Zan Gillies’s U.S.-Canadian retrospective exploration of early artificial intelligence, "Searching for SmarterChild."
Held annually in the historic Czech town of Jihlava, the festival has grown over nearly three decades into one of Central and Eastern Europe’s premier platforms for creative documentary cinema. Beyond screening cutting-edge films, Ji.hlava’s industry program serves as a vital incubator for filmmakers, connecting visionary talent with international producers, financial grants, and vital post-production resources. The announcement of the New Visions Forum winners highlights the festival’s ongoing commitment to pushing the boundaries of non-fiction and hybrid storytelling.
Main Facts and Top Honors
The marquee European project honor went to "6TM," directed by Karim Akalay and produced by Walid Bekhti. Set against the sun-baked backdrop of the Cité Modèle—Brussels’ largest social housing project—the film unfolds across a single scorching summer through three interconnected narratives. The plot weaves together two children hunting for a magical lamp to save their wheelchair-using friend from displacement due to chronic elevator breakdowns, a teenage girl assembling a ragtag soccer squad, and a mother mobilizing her neighbors to discover who stole the rain.
The international jury praised the project for its inventive blend of social relevance and magical realism. "With its imaginative blend of magical realism, humor and social relevance, ‘6TM’ offers a fresh vision of European cinema," the jury noted in their official statement. "Rooted in lived experience and shaped through co-creation, ‘6TM’ challenges conventional representations and opens up new possibilities for who gets to tell stories, whose voices are heard, and who sees themselves reflected on screen."
The film secured crucial material backing through its victory. The award was presented in cooperation with UPP, which contributed an in-kind visual post-production grant valued at approximately €15,000, alongside Soundsquare, which pledged sound mixing and final sound mastering services valued at roughly €5,000.
On the American front, the New Visions Award for the most promising U.S. project was presented to "Searching for SmarterChild," directed by Lindsey Sitz and Zan Gillies, and produced by Erin Williams-Weir. The cross-border U.S.-Canadian project transports viewers back to 2003, tracking the meteoric rise of SmarterChild, an early instant-messaging chatbot that became an unexpected confidant, sounding board, and verbal punching bag for an entire generation of internet users.
Analyzing the broader cultural footprint of early tech interaction, the film asks poignant questions about human nature and accountability as contemporary society grows increasingly dependent on sophisticated AI systems. The project secured a $7,000 cash prize presented in partnership with AmDocs.
The distinguished jury responsible for evaluating the projects comprised Katrine Kiilgaard, managing director of Denmark’s CPH:DOX; Anda Ionescu, managing partner and producer at Romania’s Tangaj Production; and Robert Y. Chang, co-producer of American Documentary at POV in the United States. Their collective expertise ensured rigorous scrutiny of projects designed to define the future trajectory of international cinema.
Chronology of the Ji.hlava Industry Program
The path to Friday’s awards ceremony represents the culmination of months of rigorous industry development. The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum acts as a year-round and festival-week nexus for projects in development, giving creators a platform to pitch to leading financiers, festival programmers, and sales agents.
Beginning with submission windows earlier in the year, a select cohort of international projects is invited to participate in intensive workshops and pitching sessions in Jihlava. Directors and producers refine their artistic visions, tackle structural challenges, and secure vital co-production partnerships. The festival week itself acts as a pressure-test, where teams present their works-in-progress before a panel of international heavyweights.
By the time the Friday awards luncheon arrives, these projects have undergone extensive evaluation not only regarding their artistic merit, but also their financial viability and potential to engage modern audiences across theatrical and digital platforms.
Supporting Data and Comprehensive List of Winners
In addition to the top prizes awarded to "6TM" and "Searching for SmarterChild," the festival recognized a diverse array of international co-productions through various institutional partnerships. Renowned Danish producer Signe Byrge Sørensen was also honored with the APA World Excellence Award, acknowledging her monumental contributions to world cinema and international film production standards.
The complete roster of New Visions Forum Award winners highlights the remarkable geographic and thematic breadth of this year’s selected projects:
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Cannes Docs – Marché du Film Award: "Iridescence"
Directors: Dominika Kovácsová, Kilhan Wittock
Producers: Matej Sotník, Klára Tasovská
Countries: Slovakia, Belgium, Italy -
DAE Award: "Monument of Revolution"
Director: Mladen Ivanović
Producer: Tamara Puizina
Countries: Montenegro, Croatia -
Docs Connect Taskovski Training Award: "Planet A"
Director: Emelie Mahdavian
Producer: Charlotte Hailstone
Country: United Kingdom -
Docs by the Sea Award: "Daughters of the Pit"
Director: Anshul Chauhan
Producers: Mina Moteki, Anshul Chauhan
Country: Japan -
Eurodoc Award: "If Only the Pines Could Speak"
Director: Yelyzaveta Myshkalenko
Producer: Diana Nazaruk
Country: Ukraine -
Jacob Burns Film Center Award: "Planet A"
Director: Emelie Mahdavian
Producer: Charlotte Hailstone
Country: United Kingdom -
Lightdox Award: "Male Fantasies"
Director: Max Bowens
Producers: Ryan Krivoshey, Sam Hewison
Country: United States -
Meditalents Residency Award: "The 13th Fish"
Director: Sara Stijović
Producers: Sara Stijović, Marija Vlahović
Country: Montenegro -
Sheffield DocFest Networking Award: "A Spectre Is Haunting Europe"
Director: Robo Mihály
Producers: Anna Mach Rumanová, Alena Kapinajová
Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic -
Raff Residency Award: "Words We Never Say"
Director: Agnieszka Zwiefka
Producers: Agnieszka Zwiefka, Iza Igel
Countries: Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain -
Bratislava Industry Days Award: "If Only the Pines Could Speak"
Director: Yelyzaveta Myshkalenko
Producer: Diana Nazaruk
Country: Ukraine
Official Responses and Jury Perspectives
The central theme uniting this year’s recognized projects is a shared urgency to challenge traditional power dynamics in filmmaking and confront pressing contemporary anxieties. Jurors repeatedly emphasized the necessity of inclusive storytelling and participatory cinematic practices.
Reflecting on "6TM," the jury underscored how community-rooted narratives can revolutionize European cinema. By placing marginalized urban spaces and collaborative creation at the forefront, the project demonstrates that authentic representation requires deep community engagement. The inclusion of co-creation methodologies ensures that local residents are not merely subjects of documentation, but active authors of their own cinematic narratives.
Similarly, the recognition of "Searching for SmarterChild" highlights a growing industry-wide fascination with the psychological and sociological ramifications of digital evolution. The project’s creators leverage archival internet history not out of mere nostalgia, but to interrogate contemporary ethical dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence. As algorithms increasingly govern human communication, the film serves as a timely reminder of humanity’s historical treatment of nascent digital entities, prompting audiences to re-evaluate their relationship with modern technology.
Broader Industry Impact and Future Implications
The financial and operational backing provided by Ji.hlava’s partners—ranging from post-production grants by UPP and Soundsquare to cash infusions from AmDocs and specialized residency slots—plays a critical role in the lifecycle of independent cinema. For emerging filmmakers, securing these accolades translates directly into enhanced marketability, reduced overhead costs during the arduous post-production phase, and accelerated pathways to international distribution.
Furthermore, the prevalence of cross-border co-productions among the 2024 winners illustrates the continued integration of the European and global film markets. Projects spanning multiple nations—such as "Iridescence" connecting Slovakia, Belgium, and Italy, and "Words We Never Say" linking Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, and Spain—demonstrate how transnational funding models and collaborative creative teams are becoming the gold standard for independent non-fiction storytelling.
As the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival concludes another successful iteration, its industry platform has once again proven indispensable for spotting the trends and talents that will define the cinematic landscape of tomorrow. By championing projects that blend formal innovation with acute social and technological awareness, the festival ensures that documentary and hybrid cinema remains a vital mirror for an increasingly complex world.
