Press release

11° International Documentary Festival Visioni dal Mondo

The award winners of the Industry section Visioni Incontra 2025

Shane, directed by Francesco Cannavà, wins the

Visioni Incontra Award for Best Documentary Project 2025

Shane is also awarded the Lo Scrittoio Subtitling Award

Bengal’s Darkest Hour – the Famine and Churchill’s War, directed by Diego D’Innocenzo, and The encounter, directed by Fabrizio Galatea, win the Archivio Documentario Luce Award

To The Encounter, also goes the La Compagnia Award and the Wanted Cinema Award

Bio to B Award to Sereti. A Search for Love, directed by Carlotta Piccinini

Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival Award to Women of Peace: a journey into the war, directed by Keren Shayo

The Golden Swan, directed by Anette Ostrø, wins the Visioni Incontra 2025 Honorable Mention

Milan, September 13, 2025 – The 2025 edition of Visioni Incontra, the Industry section of the Visioni dal Mondo International Documentary Festival, curated by Cinzia Masòtina, Head of Industry, concluded successfully yesterday with an extraordinary presence of industry professionals. The event took place on September 11 and 12 at the Teatro Litta.

A jury composed of national and international industry professionals selected the winners from among 17 documentary projects in competition, both Italian and international. These included Work in Progress projects, those already in production or post-production, and Final Development projects, which are fully developed and have either just started or will start production in the coming months.

The winners of Visioni Incontra 2025:

The Visioni Incontra Best Documentary Project 2025 Award goes to Shane, directed by Francesco Cannavà produced by Zenit Arti Audiovisive, producer Massimo Arvat, with the following motivation: for having found an original approach and for keeping the spotlight on an extremely urgent issue where the female body and mind remain a taboo subject to be punished.

The Archivio Documentario Luce Award goes to Bengal’s Darkest Hour – the Famine and Churchill’s War, directed by Diego D’Innocenzo, produced by TERRA Srl, producer Diego D’Innocenzo, with the following motivation: abbiamo il dovere di portare alla luce una storia dolorosa, rimossa, mai raccontata e che attraverso le voci degli ultimi sopravvissuti possiamo ancora ascoltare; and to The Encounter, directed by Fabrizio Galatea produced by Zenit Arti Audiovisive, producer Massimo Arvat, with the following motivation: a necessary story in a difficult historical period, in which embarking on a path to overcome conflict and hatred seems impossible.

The Encounter also wins the La Compagnia Award with the motivation: recognizing the strength and urgency of its storytelling. Through the personal story of Giorgio Bazzega, the film promises to address with an intimate and rigorous gaze the still open wounds of the Years of Lead, showcasing the transformative power of restorative justice: a process of listening and mutual recognition capable of turning pain and conflict into dialogue. This award also expresses the hope that the project will complete its production journey and soon reach the big screen, offering the audience a work of high civil and emotional value. The same project also wins the Wanted Cinema Award, with the following motivation: this documentary fully embodies the spirit of the Wanted Cinema manifesto, which promotes cinema that interrogates the present, stimulates critical thinking, and fosters dialogue in theaters. Courageously tackling the theme of restorative justice and the memory of the Years of Lead, the film tells an authentic and transformative path of reconciliation. It is a necessary work that speaks to the heart of our time and invites viewers to reflect on the profound meaning of listening, responsibility, and humanity.

The Bio to B Award goes to Sereti. A Search for Love, directed by Carlotta Piccinini, produced by Sayonara Film, producer Olga Torrico, with the following motivation: for the strength and urgency with which it addresses the theme of female genital mutilation, transforming it into a story of empowerment, care, and resistance. A work that centers on the body and voice of women, created by professionals who choose the female perspective as a tool of freedom and sisterhood, offering a contribution of extraordinary civil and cultural significance.

Women of Peace: a journey into the war, directed by Keren Shayo, produced by Les Films du Sillage, Alma Films e Clin d’oeil Films, producers Sylvie Brenet, Arik Berstein, Talia Berstein, Hanne Flypo, is awarded the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival Award with the motivation: in times of uncertainty, chaos, war, and genocide, we need heroes of peace. For this reason, the protagonists portrayed in the project can bring about change and show the tragedy from another perspective, this time one filled with hope.

The Golden Swan, directed by Anette Ostrø, produced by Fri Film, produced by Beathe Hofseth, wins the Visioni Incontra 2025 Honorable Mention, with the motivation: for bringing us into the intimacy of personal and family pain while still maintaining the necessary distance to engage a universal audience. The loss of a family member is always a sorrow. Therefore, we thank Annette Ostrø for sharing it with us.

The 11th Visioni dal Mondo International Documentary Festival, conceived and directed by Francesco Bizzarri, with artistic direction by Maurizio Nichetti, will conclude tomorrow, Sunday, September 14, with a public awards ceremony at 8:00 PM at Teatro Litta.

Partners e sponsors 2025

The 11th Visioni dal Mondo International Documentary Festival is organized by Frankieshowbiz. Main sponsor: GKSD Investment Holding Group; sponsors: Pirelli and Fundstore.

The Festival receives support from the Municipality of Milan and is endorsed by the Lombardy Region, Rai Documentari, the Association of Film and TV Authors 100autori, and CNA Cinema & Audiovisual Lombardia.

With the support of Rai Cinema, the Festival’s media partners are Rai Cultura (media partner), Radio24 (radio media partner), and Taxi Drivers (web media partner).

The Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology serves as cultural partner, with support from Image Building Società Benefit and collaboration with Cinecittà, Lombardia Film Commission, Doc/it – Italian Documentary Association, MYmovies.it, Cineteca Milano Arlecchino, AIR3 / Italian Directors Association, and the Regional Directorate of National Museums Lombardy. The Festival is a member of AFIC – Association of Italian Film Festivals.

11° International Documentary Festival Visioni dal Mondo
Milan, September 11-14
www.visionidalmondo.it

Download pdf