Last night, the €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award presented at Visions du Réel went to the documentary film project UGANDA, to be directed by Daniel Mann. The project will be co-produced by the French companies La Bête and Acqua Alta.
The jury composed of the French-Moroccan producer Karim Aïtouna (Haut les Mains Productions), the Georgian filmmaker Salomé Jashi (also chairperson of the Documentary Association DOCA in Georgia) and the Dutch Eurimages representative Ilse Ronteltap (Netherlands Film Fund) was impressed by the diversity and the ambition of the selection, which ensured their discussion were both inspiring and challenging.
The jury members chose to distinguish “a project that demonstrates a strong and distinctive artistic vision, combined with a thoughtful and coherent approach to form. The filmmaker shows a confident use of irony and subtle, at times absurd, humour, building a layered narrative within a complex and delicate structure.” They were “especially struck by the project’s ability to engage with historical material in a way that feels both inventive and critically aware. It approaches its subject with sensitivity and precision, while opening up meaningful reflections on how the past continues to resonate in the present.” The jury also wished to highlight the strength of the collaboration behind the project, which brings together a clear and proved creative partnership.
See all awards of the VdR Industry.
The next Eurimages Co-production Development Award will be presented at the closing ceremony of the 2026 edition of Eastern Promises, which will take place during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (3-11 July 2026).
The jury, composed of the producer Eléanor Coleman (BlueSpirit, France), Jaime Comas (Flins y Piniculas, Spain) and Elena Kotova (Czechia) for Eurimages, highly appreciated the “originality of this film’s storytelling, inspired by the director’s experience working with children and their curiosity about the natural world.” The jury also loved the “joyful humour and fantasy of this project as well as its innovative animation production technique which brings its unique handmade characters to life.”
More information in the press release and on the event’s website.
The jury, composed of Pablo Pérez de Lema (Spain) for Eurimages, producer Jonas Dornbach (Komplizen Film, Germany) and sales agent Ioanna Stais (Heretic, Greece), stated:
“The jury has chosen this European co-production that surprised us by reshaping the conventions of a disaster film into a haunting meditation on fear, exile, and shared memory. The award goes to LIBERATIONS.”
A full list of prize winners can be found on the Festival’s website.
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