The 22nd Verzió Human Rights Documentary Film Festival has announced its award winners, following eight days of screenings and discussions in Budapest and across Hungary.
In the International Competition, the award for Best Documentary Film went to 9-Month Contract by Georgian director Ketevan Vashagashvili, which explores commercial surrogacy and the pressures of economic precarity. A Special Mention was given to With Hasan in Gaza.
The Youth Jury selected Cutting Through Rocks by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni as Best Human Rights Film, citing its intimate portrait of a woman resisting Iranian patriarchy. The Youth Jury’s Special Mention went to Khartoum, recognised for depicting a population that continues to dream, sing and demand change amid violence.
In the Hungarian Competition, the award for Best Hungarian Documentary went to My Father’s Daughter by Lea Podhradská, a personal investigation into childhood abandonment and survival. The Doc Future Award, dedicated to first- and second-time filmmakers, was presented to Make It Look Real by Danial Shah, while the Doc Future Special Mention went to I Am Here by Zsófi Paczolay and Dorian Rivière for its focus on care and solidarity.
The Audience Award was given to Sári Haragonics’s Don’t Worry, Sári!, which combines contemporary footage, family archives and voice messages to examine intergenerational memory. The creators of the winning films received a €1000 cash prize provided by Blinken OSA Archivum, the festival’s co-organiser.
In the Verzió DocLab industry program, the Hungarian-American project The Grandfather Puzzle received the most recognitions, including the HBO Development Award, post-production support from FocusFox and backing from #MADOKE. Altogether, 60 films screened at this year’s Verzió, with 36 titles available for online rental on Verziótéka until 30 November, and via DocFan Pass until 10 December.
