‘Uganda,’ ‘Job 1:21,’ ‘Trade’ Among Winners at Visions du Réel Industry Awards
Daniel Mann’s “Uganda” and Samuel Suffren’s “Job 1:21” are among the top winners at VdR-Industry 2026, which runs alongside Switzerland’s leading documentary film festival Visions du Réel in Nyon.
“Uganda,” produced by La Bête and Acqua Alta, which revisits a little-known 1904 expedition tied to the so-called Uganda Plan – when a European envoy was sent to survey land as a potential Jewish settlement – won the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, which comes with €20,000 ($21,500).
The jury, comprised of producer Karim Aïtouna, filmmaker Salomé Jashi and Netherlands Film Fund’s Ilse Ronteltap, declared: “We were particularly drawn to a project that demonstrates a strong and distinctive artistic vision, combined with a thoughtful and coherent approach to form. We were especially struck by the project’s ability to engage with historical material in a way that feels both inventive and critically aware.”
Haiti-set “Job 1:21,” produced by Les Films du Bilboquet and Kit Films, follows a group of former female prisoners in Port-au-Prince staging a play to expose the country’s broken justice system. It picked up the Visions Sud Est Award, worth CHF 10,000 ($11,000).
“Trade” by Hot Docs laureate Todd Chandler (“Bulletproof”), which explores the rituals of buying and selling behind closed doors at U.S. trade shows, stood out with two prizes: the RTS Award – a €10,000 pre-buy ($10,800) – and the Lightdox Award (€3,000, around $3,200).
Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall’s “My Skin and I” won the Party Film Sales Award (€3,000, around $3,200), while Sofie Benoot’s “Hello?!” received the IDA Documentary Culture Award, which includes $2,000.
Other titles among the winners included “Transposition,” “Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature,” “Liberal Arts,” “The People Outside,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “La Linda.”
In total, more than CHF 80,000 ($88,000) in cash and in-kind prizes were handed out across 13 projects.
Marking her first edition as head of industry, Sabine Fayoux Cantillo congratulated the teams, saying the jury decisions “can really have an impact on a project’s trajectory,” pointing to “the depth, breadth and range of projects recognized across this year’s awards. We are excited to see these films move into their next stage with support, confidence and the right collaborators around them.”
A sector under strainThe awards land at a time when the mood across VdR-Industry is noticeably more cautious. Buyers are taking their time, projects are harder to finance, and the sense from conversations in Nyon is that things have tightened. Producers, sales agents and funders all describe a tougher landscape. As the founder of one Amsterdam-based world sales outfit put it, just three years after launching her company, “we are still here” – which, in itself, says a lot about where the market is right now.
A more cautious acquisitions marketThat caution is showing up on the acquisitions side too. Sales companies are more selective, and even films coming out of major festivals are not guaranteed a pickup. As one publicist put it: the bottom line is that the film has to sell.
Co-production as a necessityProjects presented in Nyon reflect an increasingly modular financing logic. If co-production was once a strategy, it has now become a prerequisite for most projects circulating in VdR-Industry. Projects are being built across multiple countries, with producers carefully mapping out which fund to approach, and when.
A European financing backboneThis was a recurring theme in the industry talks, including sessions with Eurimages and Creative Europe MEDIA, and is reflected in the projects themselves. European backing, in many cases, is what makes a film possible: public broadcasters, regional funds and institutional money remain the backbone, particularly in the France-Switzerland ecosystem, which is very present at VdR-Industry.
Roundtables as a competitive edgeWhat continues to set the platform apart is its format: rather than competing with larger markets on volume, VdR-Industry continues to position itself as a precision tool for curated encounters. After the pitches, filmmakers move into a series of roundtable meetings with buyers, commissioners and potential co-producers. It’s in those smaller conversations that projects often click. One senior industry figure said it’s often where directors really “come alive,” away from the pressure of the stage.
A springboard for emerging talentTrue to its reputation, VdR-Industry remains a place where new voices can be heard. First-time filmmakers are well represented, and several of this year’s winners fall into that category – an early boost that can make a real difference when trying to get a project made.
VdR-Industry runs alongside Visions du Réel from April 19 to 22.
The 2026 VdR-Industry Award recipients are:Eurimages Co-production Development Award“Uganda” by Daniel Mann, produced by La Bête and Acqua Alta
Visions Sud Est Award“Job 1:21” by Samuel Suffren, produced by Les Films du Bilboquet and Kit Films
RTS Award“Trade” by Todd Chandler, produced by Spectrascopic, AJNA Films and Breezy Circle
Lightdox Award“Trade” by Todd Chandler, produced by Spectrascopic, AJNA Films and Breezy Circle
The Party Film Sales Award“My Skin and I” by Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall, produced by Mayana Films and Solaris Films
IDA Documentary Culture Award“Hello?!” by Sofie Benoot, produced by Quetzalcoatl, Altitude100, GROM and Guča Films
Unifrance Doc Award (in partnership with TitraFilm)“Transposition” by Vladlena Sandu, produced by Dieptescherpte BV
Tënk Post-Production Award“Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature” by Stefan Pavlovic, produced by Serendipity Films and ArtTrace Foundation
Tënk Opening Scenes Award“Welcome to Set” by Cyan Bae, produced by Pingping Press
Cannes Docs Award“Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature” by Stefan Pavlovic, produced by Serendipity Films and ArtTrace Foundation
DOK Leipzig Award“Liberal Arts” by Pacho Velez, produced by Pachoworks
No Nation Films Fellowship Award“The People Outside” by Jewel Maranan, produced by Cinema Is Incomplete
AIDC Award“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Koval Bhatia, produced by Bellota Films, What Took You So Long and a Little Anarky Films
DAE Encouragement Award“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Koval Bhatia, produced by Bellota Films, What Took You So Long and a Little Anarky Films
Masé Studios & Color Grade Award“My Skin and I” by Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall, produced by Mayana Films and Solaris Films
Raggioverde Subtitling Award“La Linda” by Francina Carbonell, produced by María Una Vez and Gema Films
“Uganda,” produced by La Bête and Acqua Alta, which revisits a little-known 1904 expedition tied to the so-called Uganda Plan – when a European envoy was sent to survey land as a potential Jewish settlement – won the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, which comes with €20,000 ($21,500).
The jury, comprised of producer Karim Aïtouna, filmmaker Salomé Jashi and Netherlands Film Fund’s Ilse Ronteltap, declared: “We were particularly drawn to a project that demonstrates a strong and distinctive artistic vision, combined with a thoughtful and coherent approach to form. We were especially struck by the project’s ability to engage with historical material in a way that feels both inventive and critically aware.”
Haiti-set “Job 1:21,” produced by Les Films du Bilboquet and Kit Films, follows a group of former female prisoners in Port-au-Prince staging a play to expose the country’s broken justice system. It picked up the Visions Sud Est Award, worth CHF 10,000 ($11,000).
“Trade” by Hot Docs laureate Todd Chandler (“Bulletproof”), which explores the rituals of buying and selling behind closed doors at U.S. trade shows, stood out with two prizes: the RTS Award – a €10,000 pre-buy ($10,800) – and the Lightdox Award (€3,000, around $3,200).
Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall’s “My Skin and I” won the Party Film Sales Award (€3,000, around $3,200), while Sofie Benoot’s “Hello?!” received the IDA Documentary Culture Award, which includes $2,000.
Other titles among the winners included “Transposition,” “Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature,” “Liberal Arts,” “The People Outside,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “La Linda.”
In total, more than CHF 80,000 ($88,000) in cash and in-kind prizes were handed out across 13 projects.
Marking her first edition as head of industry, Sabine Fayoux Cantillo congratulated the teams, saying the jury decisions “can really have an impact on a project’s trajectory,” pointing to “the depth, breadth and range of projects recognized across this year’s awards. We are excited to see these films move into their next stage with support, confidence and the right collaborators around them.”
A sector under strainThe awards land at a time when the mood across VdR-Industry is noticeably more cautious. Buyers are taking their time, projects are harder to finance, and the sense from conversations in Nyon is that things have tightened. Producers, sales agents and funders all describe a tougher landscape. As the founder of one Amsterdam-based world sales outfit put it, just three years after launching her company, “we are still here” – which, in itself, says a lot about where the market is right now.
A more cautious acquisitions marketThat caution is showing up on the acquisitions side too. Sales companies are more selective, and even films coming out of major festivals are not guaranteed a pickup. As one publicist put it: the bottom line is that the film has to sell.
Co-production as a necessityProjects presented in Nyon reflect an increasingly modular financing logic. If co-production was once a strategy, it has now become a prerequisite for most projects circulating in VdR-Industry. Projects are being built across multiple countries, with producers carefully mapping out which fund to approach, and when.
A European financing backboneThis was a recurring theme in the industry talks, including sessions with Eurimages and Creative Europe MEDIA, and is reflected in the projects themselves. European backing, in many cases, is what makes a film possible: public broadcasters, regional funds and institutional money remain the backbone, particularly in the France-Switzerland ecosystem, which is very present at VdR-Industry.
Roundtables as a competitive edgeWhat continues to set the platform apart is its format: rather than competing with larger markets on volume, VdR-Industry continues to position itself as a precision tool for curated encounters. After the pitches, filmmakers move into a series of roundtable meetings with buyers, commissioners and potential co-producers. It’s in those smaller conversations that projects often click. One senior industry figure said it’s often where directors really “come alive,” away from the pressure of the stage.
A springboard for emerging talentTrue to its reputation, VdR-Industry remains a place where new voices can be heard. First-time filmmakers are well represented, and several of this year’s winners fall into that category – an early boost that can make a real difference when trying to get a project made.
VdR-Industry runs alongside Visions du Réel from April 19 to 22.
The 2026 VdR-Industry Award recipients are:Eurimages Co-production Development Award“Uganda” by Daniel Mann, produced by La Bête and Acqua Alta
Visions Sud Est Award“Job 1:21” by Samuel Suffren, produced by Les Films du Bilboquet and Kit Films
RTS Award“Trade” by Todd Chandler, produced by Spectrascopic, AJNA Films and Breezy Circle
Lightdox Award“Trade” by Todd Chandler, produced by Spectrascopic, AJNA Films and Breezy Circle
The Party Film Sales Award“My Skin and I” by Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall, produced by Mayana Films and Solaris Films
IDA Documentary Culture Award“Hello?!” by Sofie Benoot, produced by Quetzalcoatl, Altitude100, GROM and Guča Films
Unifrance Doc Award (in partnership with TitraFilm)“Transposition” by Vladlena Sandu, produced by Dieptescherpte BV
Tënk Post-Production Award“Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature” by Stefan Pavlovic, produced by Serendipity Films and ArtTrace Foundation
Tënk Opening Scenes Award“Welcome to Set” by Cyan Bae, produced by Pingping Press
Cannes Docs Award“Stuttering Fluidity – How My Father Became a Sea Creature” by Stefan Pavlovic, produced by Serendipity Films and ArtTrace Foundation
DOK Leipzig Award“Liberal Arts” by Pacho Velez, produced by Pachoworks
No Nation Films Fellowship Award“The People Outside” by Jewel Maranan, produced by Cinema Is Incomplete
AIDC Award“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Koval Bhatia, produced by Bellota Films, What Took You So Long and a Little Anarky Films
DAE Encouragement Award“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Koval Bhatia, produced by Bellota Films, What Took You So Long and a Little Anarky Films
Masé Studios & Color Grade Award“My Skin and I” by Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall, produced by Mayana Films and Solaris Films
Raggioverde Subtitling Award“La Linda” by Francina Carbonell, produced by María Una Vez and Gema Films