Docu Talent From the East Award Goes to ‘A Song Without Home’
The Docu Talent from the East Award was given to Georgian director Rati Tsiteladze’s “A Song Without Home” on Monday at CineLink Industry Days, part of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The film centers on Adelina, a young transgender woman from a Georgian village who flees to Vienna. As she navigates newfound freedom, the scars of her past and the hostility her mother faces back home for supporting her complicate her new life.
The film is produced by Olga Slusareva at ArtWay Film.
The jury said: “Distinctive visuals will entice the audience, who will then find a heartfelt portrayal of a life lived with honesty, despite the danger posed to the protagonist.”
The Avanpost Post-Production Award went to Armenian-Swiss co-production “Flying Cows” by directors Vahagn Khachatryan and Aren Malakyan, produced by Vahagn Khachatryana and Irene Muñoz Martin.
This atypical road movie begins with Apo searching for his cow in a village in Nagorno-Karabakh, against the backdrop of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Amidst the chaos, Apo finds his cow giving birth to a calf, Zemfo. During the evacuation, he sells his cows to Kurdish buyers. Mother and calf are separated, marking the start of Zemfo’s journey.
The jury said: “This engaging, emotive project promises an animal’s journey that is scary, surreal and troubling. ‘Flying Cows’ polarized the jury, eliciting strong responses from all of us; what we agreed on is that it will continue to do so on its journey to audiences.”
The DAFilms.com Distribution Award went to “Land of Fire” by Czech director Nikola Klinger, produced by Kristina Husová.
In the country struck by wildfires, a grieving father’s quest for justice for his murdered daughter intertwines with stories of loss, resilience and spiritual cleansing, as local communities face tragedy through traditional rituals and demolition derby races.
The jury said: “A vibrant cast of characters deserve a broad audience. ‘Land of Fire’ is therefore a deserving recipient of this award, as it takes in a dark North American story with an original European perspective. The combination of the pain of the story and the harshness of the surroundings make for a strong watch.”
During the event, representatives of the Ji.hlava Film Festival revealed the names of the Emerging Producers 2026. The program aims at promoting talented European documentary film producers and provides them with a range of networking, educational and promotional support throughout the year. Seventeen European producers will be accompanied by a producer from Ethiopia, which is the guest country. The program consists of three workshops – taking place in Jihlava in October, during the Berlinale in February, and at a venue yet be announced for the third session in spring.
EMERGING PRODUCERS 2026Dominic Spitaler, AustriaMaarten D’Hollander, BelgiumPavla Klimešová, Czech RepublicJulie Meigniez, FranceEvi Stamou, GreeceAnna Tóth, HungaryAngelo Rocco Troiano, ItalyRingailė Leščinskienė, LithuaniaYann Tonnar, LuxembourgIvana Shekutkoska, North MacedoniaAnita Vedå, NorwayMaria Krauss, PolandBernardo Lopes, PortugalTomáš Gič, SlovakiaCaroline Drab, SwedenAzra Djurdjevic, SwitzerlandEugene Rachkovsky, UkraineNahusenay Dereje, Ethiopia (guest country)
The film centers on Adelina, a young transgender woman from a Georgian village who flees to Vienna. As she navigates newfound freedom, the scars of her past and the hostility her mother faces back home for supporting her complicate her new life.
The film is produced by Olga Slusareva at ArtWay Film.
The jury said: “Distinctive visuals will entice the audience, who will then find a heartfelt portrayal of a life lived with honesty, despite the danger posed to the protagonist.”
The Avanpost Post-Production Award went to Armenian-Swiss co-production “Flying Cows” by directors Vahagn Khachatryan and Aren Malakyan, produced by Vahagn Khachatryana and Irene Muñoz Martin.
This atypical road movie begins with Apo searching for his cow in a village in Nagorno-Karabakh, against the backdrop of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Amidst the chaos, Apo finds his cow giving birth to a calf, Zemfo. During the evacuation, he sells his cows to Kurdish buyers. Mother and calf are separated, marking the start of Zemfo’s journey.
The jury said: “This engaging, emotive project promises an animal’s journey that is scary, surreal and troubling. ‘Flying Cows’ polarized the jury, eliciting strong responses from all of us; what we agreed on is that it will continue to do so on its journey to audiences.”
The DAFilms.com Distribution Award went to “Land of Fire” by Czech director Nikola Klinger, produced by Kristina Husová.
In the country struck by wildfires, a grieving father’s quest for justice for his murdered daughter intertwines with stories of loss, resilience and spiritual cleansing, as local communities face tragedy through traditional rituals and demolition derby races.
The jury said: “A vibrant cast of characters deserve a broad audience. ‘Land of Fire’ is therefore a deserving recipient of this award, as it takes in a dark North American story with an original European perspective. The combination of the pain of the story and the harshness of the surroundings make for a strong watch.”
During the event, representatives of the Ji.hlava Film Festival revealed the names of the Emerging Producers 2026. The program aims at promoting talented European documentary film producers and provides them with a range of networking, educational and promotional support throughout the year. Seventeen European producers will be accompanied by a producer from Ethiopia, which is the guest country. The program consists of three workshops – taking place in Jihlava in October, during the Berlinale in February, and at a venue yet be announced for the third session in spring.
EMERGING PRODUCERS 2026Dominic Spitaler, AustriaMaarten D’Hollander, BelgiumPavla Klimešová, Czech RepublicJulie Meigniez, FranceEvi Stamou, GreeceAnna Tóth, HungaryAngelo Rocco Troiano, ItalyRingailė Leščinskienė, LithuaniaYann Tonnar, LuxembourgIvana Shekutkoska, North MacedoniaAnita Vedå, NorwayMaria Krauss, PolandBernardo Lopes, PortugalTomáš Gič, SlovakiaCaroline Drab, SwedenAzra Djurdjevic, SwitzerlandEugene Rachkovsky, UkraineNahusenay Dereje, Ethiopia (guest country)