The 17th edition of the Movies that Matter Festival held its awards ceremony at Theater aan het Spui in The Hague, where the festival’s top accolades were presented to standout films in both documentary and fiction categories.
The Grand Jury Documentary Award, accompanied by a €5,000 prize, went to Facing War by Tommy Gulliksen. The film follows NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during his final year in office and has now become eligible for an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.
The Grand Jury Fiction Award, also worth €5,000, was awarded to Manas by Brazilian-Portuguese director Marianna Brennand. Set in the Amazon, the film follows 13-year-old Tielle as she confronts the harsh realities of life in a world marked by exploitation.
In the Activist Lens programme, Black Snow by Alina Simone won the main award. The documentary centres on Siberian activist Natalia Zubkova, who risks everything to expose environmental pollution in her hometown.
The Justice Frame award went to Kamay, directed by Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaran. It tells the story of a Hazara family seeking justice after their daughter’s mysterious death at Kabul University.
The Dutch Focus award was presented to Home Game by Lidija Zelovic, a deeply personal chronicle of her displaced family’s life in the Netherlands since fleeing Sarajevo in 1993.
Miranda Pennell’s Man Number 4 received the Best Short Award (€1,500). Set in Gaza in December 2023, the film explores the ethics of viewing images of war.
Finally, the Education Award went to Dutch filmmaker Sammy Shefa Idris for King Ridwan, a short documentary about a 20-year-old TikTokker with an intellectual disability striving to become a rapper. The award recognises films that raise social awareness among younger audiences.
