2025 Grand Prize Winner and Finalists
Grand Prize Winner
Film Still credit: Amaan Shaikh & Vinay Shukla.
WHILE WE WATCHED
Director: Vinay Shukla
Producers: Vinay Shukla, Luke W Moody, and Khushboo Ranka
Logline: A timely depiction of a newsroom in crisis, WHILE WE WATCHED follows tormented journalist Ravish Kumar for two years as he battles a barrage of fake news, falling ratings and the resulting cutbacks.
WHERE TO WATCH
The film is available to stream on PBS
Finalists
Film still credit: Tanit Films.
FOUR DAUGHTERS
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Producer: Nadim Cheikhrouha
Logline: FOUR DAUGHTERS is a compelling portrait of five women and a unique and ambitious work of nonfiction cinema that pushes against the conventional boundaries of the documentary form to explore the nature of memory, rebellion, and the ties that bind mothers and daughters.
WHERE TO WATCH
The film is released by Kino Lorber and is currently available to stream:
Film still credit: Ibrahim Nash’at.
HOLLYWOODGATE
Director: Ibrahim Nash’at
Producers: Talal Derki, Odessa Rae, and Shane Boris
Logline: After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, HOLLYWOODGATE follows the Taliban as they enter an American base loaded with billions of dollars of weapons left behind; the film tracks the fundamentalist militia’s transformation into a military regime, showcasing their use of Hollywood-style propaganda.
WHERE TO WATCH
In the United States, their streaming partner is jolt.film and the film will be available soon on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Other territories:
Spain: Filmin
Portugal: Filmin
Sweden: SVT
Norway: VG TV
Poland: Canal+
Middle East: OSN+
New Zealand and Australia: DOCPLAY
India: Book My Show
The film will be available soon in France with Mediawan Rights.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Coratia, Slovenia, Kosovo with Beldocs, Denmark, Finland and Iceland with Edge Entertainment. Singapore with Anticipate Media, Hong Kong & Macao with PCCW, Italy with IWonder Pictures, Taiwan on PTS, and other locations to be announced soon.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Serbia, the film is available in selected theaters.
Film still credit: Greenwich Entertainment.
QUEENDOM
Director: Agniia Galdanova
Producers: Igor Myakotin and Agniia Galdanova
Logline: In defiance of Putin’s regime, a queer, twenty-one-year-old artist risks her life performing in surreal costumes throughout Moscow. Jenna Marvin’s radical public performances blend artistry and activism—and put her life in danger.
WHERE TO WATCH
In the United States and Canada the film can be streamed on:
In the U.K., the film can be found on: BBC Storyville
In Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia: BBC Russian via YouTube
For more information and screenings, please visit HERE.
Film still credit: From footage originally captured by Suha Khamis.
THREE PROMISES
Director: Yousef Srouji
Producer: Marielle Olentine
Logline: A mother films her family’s life while sheltering from Israel’s attacks during the Second Intifada in the West Bank. Her son revisits the past through this footage, delivering a heart-breaking portrait of the anguish of parents forced to choose between their children’s safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home.
WHERE TO WATCH
Watermelon Pictures is set to release the film on streaming platforms on June 10th, 2025. For more information about the film and upcoming screenings, please visit HERE.
Honorable Mentions
Film still credit: © Ajimati Films.
COCONUT HEAD GENERATION
Director: Alain Kassanda
Producers: Emilie Guitard, Alain Kassanda
Logline: Every Thursday, a group of students from the University of Ibadan, the oldest university in Nigeria, organizes a film club, transforming a small amphitheater into a political agora where they refine their vision and develop a critical voice.
WHERE TO WATCH
The film is currently available to watch on demand:
Film still credit: Lianain Films.
IF WE BURN
Directors and Producers: James Leong & Lynn Lee
Logline: An urgent, immersive journey into Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy protests, and a meditation on what it means to resist.
Click here for the full announcement.