THE 2026 INDUSTRY AWARDS WERE PRESENTED AT THE 30TH JI.HLAVA IDFF

Thirteen industry awards were presented today to the most promising projects participating in the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum 2026. In total, 29 projects from Europe, United States and East & Southeast Asia were presented at the Forum. The projects in development, production and post-production were among those presented. The winners received numerous cash and in-kind awards accorded in cooperation with the partners of Ji.hlava IDFF. See the list of all winners.

The industry jury was composed of Katrine Kiilgaard, Managing Director of CPH:DOX (Denmark); Anda Ionescu, Managing Partner and Producer at Tangaj Production (Romania); and Robert Y. Chang, Co-Producer of American Documentary | POV (USA).

The festival also accorded the APA World Excellence Award 2026 to renowned Danish producer Signe Byrge Sørensen. The award honours her outstanding contribution to international film production and her remarkable achievements in world cinema.

Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2026 for the most promising European project in cooperation with UPP (in-kind grant for visual post-production in the estimated value of 15,000 EUR) and Soundsquare (sound mixing and a final sound master in the estimated value of 5,000 EUR)

The winner is: 6TM

·         Director: Karim Akalay

·         Producer: Walid Bekhti

·         Country: Belgium

Jury statement: "With its imaginative blend of magical realism, humour and social relevance, 6TM offers a fresh vision of European cinema. Rooted in lived experience and shaped through co-creation, 6TM challenges conventional representations and opens up new possibilities for who gets to tell stories, whose voices are heard, and who sees themselves reflected on screen. We believe this approach holds extraordinary promise for the next generation of both audiences and filmmakers, demonstrating how cinema can become more inclusive and participatory."

Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2026 for the most promising U.S. project in partnership with AmDocs will receive 7,000 USD cash award. 

The winner is: Searching for SmarterChild

·         Director: Lindsey Sitz, Zan Gillies

·         Producer: Erin Williams-Weir

·         Country: United States, Canada

Jury statement: "Searching for SmarterChild takes us back to the early days of the internet to confront one of the most pressing questions of our time: what does our relationship with artificial intelligence reveal about ourselves? By revisiting their interactions with one of the earliest chatbots of their childhoods, the filmmakers offer a perspective on today's fascination with AI, challenging us to reflect not only on the technologies we create, but also on how we treat them and each other. The jury wishes to recognise the project's promise to engage audiences through an original, entertaining and thought-provoking approach to a subject that will profoundly shape our collective future."

Please see the list of all Ji.hlava New Visions Forum Awards 2026. 

More information at www.ji-hlava.com and on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram profiles. Email contact: pressservice@ji-hlava.cz.