Best Italian Feature Film Award Visioni dal Mondo 2026
SULLE ALI DELL’AMICIZIA, directed by Andrea Andolina
Jury citation: this documentary is not merely the story of twenty years of life and adventures shared by a group of friends with a passion for high-altitude hiking (in the Apuan Alps); above all, it offers a starting point for a much deeper reflection on disability. At a time when slogans against inclusion are spreading with evident ferocity, the director’s work draws a clear line between light and darkness. The film is therefore something precious that, today, we cannot afford to ignore.
Special mention by the official jury
NON SUCCEDERÀ PIÙ, directed by Arianna Proietti Mancini
Jury citation: a special mention for taking on a story that, moving from the intimate to the public sphere, observes militant activism and the courage of solidarity in Quarticciolo, on the outskirts of Rome. By shifting the focus throughout the filming and placing the relationship between the author and protagonist at the centre, the close-up presence within the neighbourhood makes the film a portrait of contemporary life and brings to light complex lives that have now disappeared from mainstream news coverage.
GRIDARE AGLI ANNI LUCE, directed by Andrea Damato
Jury citation: a cosmically probing exploration of the hows and whys of the many lives and professional orbits of Mino Damato, war correspondent, television presenter and populariser, and an indignant special correspondent without rhetoric. His nephew creates this complex, unconventional biography using archives, testimonies and memories. A documentary about the relationship between reality and the unknown, which pays tribute to a man who, fittingly, has an asteroid named after him: “Asteroid 121019 Minodamato”.
GKSD Group New Talent Short Docs Award Visioni dal Mondo 2026
ANOMALI FENOMENI CELESTI, directed by Chiara Guastella
Jury citation: we decided to award this short documentary for the original and respectful way in which it addresses a subject of popular culture that is usually ridiculed. We often hear these stories set in faraway countries, without realising how closely they are in fact connected to our own territory. We were impressed by the attention to detail in the editing choices, as well as by the use of sound and archival footage.
Special Mention of the student jury
NON SUCCEDERÀ PIÙ, directed by Arianna Proietti Mancini
for the Italian Competition – Feature Films category. Jury citation: a special mention for taking on a story that, moving from the intimate to the public sphere, observes militant activism and the courage of solidarity in Quarticciolo, on the outskirts of Rome. By shifting the focus throughout the filming and placing the relationship between the author and protagonist at the centre, the close-up presence within the neighbourhood makes the film a portrait of contemporary life and brings to light complex lives that have now disappeared from mainstream news coverage.
PERCHÉ TUTTO BRUCI, directed by Giacomo Venturato
for the New Talent First Opera category. Jury citation: for the courage to tell an urgent social issue that is too often left in the shadows through the intimate perspective of a private story intertwined with the struggle to keep one’s job.
Rai Cinema Award dedicated to Franco Scaglia
C’ERA UNA STATUA DI LENIN – RITRATTO SCOMPOSTO DELLA MOLDAVIA, directed by Vincenzo Campisi
Jury citation: for transforming a journey into memory into an original and human portrait of a former Soviet Union country. By stepping away from the conventions of traditional reportage and constructing an ironic narrative suspended between the Soviet legacy and the search for a new identity.
Special mention from Rai Cinema
GRIDARE AGLI ANNI LUCE, directed by Andrea Damato
Jury citation: for portraying with genuine emotion the many facets of a figure who left his mark as a journalist, writer and philanthropist at a time when HIV positivity was taboo. An exclusive portrait weaving together archives, memory and family.
Best International Feature Documentary Visioni dal Mondo 2026 Award
MY DEAR THÉO, directed by Alisa Kovalenko
Jury citation: a deeply personal yet universal film that intertwines the lightness and brutality of war through the letters of a mother, wife, soldier, and filmmaker to her young son. A work about resistance, love, camaraderie, and survival, never sentimental, carried by a restrained soundscape, a subtle score, and magnificent long takes. A film about waiting and hoping for a future of peace, justice, solidarity, and humanity.
Special mention of the international jury
YO (LOVE IS A REBELLIOUS BIRD), directed by Anna Fitch e Banker White
Jury citation: a singular, inventive, and eccentric documentary—a true formal tour de force. Through the reconstruction of a dollhouse, it becomes a portrait of a free-spirited, unconventional friend and a reflection on old age, friendship, and grief. A film about memory and the importance of objects as traces of a life. A joyful and liberating experience, reminding us that art can challenge death.
Audience Award for Best International Documentary 2026
KALARI KID, directed by Maria Kaur Bedi e Satindar Singh Bedi.
Jury citation: for the variety of themes it explores, combining female empowerment, martial arts and the enduring fascination of India; for the dynamism of a compelling film of great social value, which elevates its very young protagonists to the status of dancing goddesses of an ancient self-defence practice, making them symbols of the advancement of women’s rights in a deeply patriarchal society.
Visioni VR 2026 Award - People's Choice Award
LESS THAN 5gr OF SAFFRON, directed by Négar Motevalymeidanshah
Visioni VR Contest - Press special mention and Content creators special mention
LESS THAN 5gr OF SAFFRON, directed by Négar Motevalymeidanshah
Jury citation: for the originality and strength of an immersive narrative capable of combining visual refinement and emotion. For addressing a highly topical issue with intelligence and sensitivity, intertwining personal experience and a universal dimension. A poetic and incisive work that engages and leaves a lasting impression.
