Visions du Reel 2023 Industry awards

The winners of the professional section of VdR-Industry were revealed at the traditional awards ceremony. Aimed at filmmakers and producers, this platform is a springboard for audiovisual creation, offering support at every stage of production, concrete financing and distribution opportunities, as well as an inspiring networking hub.

Hosted for the first time by Sophie Bourdon, VdR-Industry welcomed 1,600 professionals representing nearly 80 countries, a similar number to the record 2022 edition, and more than 500 individual meetings were held over three days. Sophie Bourdon, the new head of the VdR-Industry programme, had this to say: “For my first edition at the head of VdR-Industry, I am particularly pleased to see that the enthusiasm of industry professionals, as shown last year by a record number of accredited participants, has continued into 2023. With nearly 1,600 professionals, VdR-Industry has confirmed its appeal, encouraging us all to continue developing our various Labs, amongst other things.” Comprising 31 projects from 32 countries, the 2023 programme “reflects our commitment to the diversity of the chosen projects, whether in terms of formats, techniques or countries represented. It is great to see documentary cinema being so vibrant and daring, and to see it resonating with industry players, equally through the wide range of stories, the urgency or depth of the subjects, or the formal proposals exploring the vast field of possibilities within filming reality.”

VdR-Industry Jury:

Daniela Persico - Programmer Locarno Film Festival

John Canciani Artistic - Director Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur

Stefanie Rusterholz - Deputy Head, co-responsible for cinemas and acquisitions Trigon Film.

The Award (CHF 10’000 in cash for the best project from the South (Africa, Latin America and Asia) or from Eastern Europe (excluding EU members) goes to «The Days I Would Like to Forget» by Alina Gorlova, Maksym Nakonechnyi, Simon Mozgovyi, Yelizaveta Smith, Production: Eugene Rachkovsky, Maksym Nakonechnyi and Karina Kostyna (Tabor), Nabil Bellahsene (Les Valseurs), Ralph Wieser (Mischief Films) Ukraine, France, Austria.