Montreal, Saturday, November 30, 2024 - The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) ends tomorrow, Sunday, December 1st. The winners of this 27th edition were revealed during an awards ceremony which took place this evening at the Cinémathèque québécoise. 

GRAND PRIZE FOR INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION 

Republic by Jiang Jin (Singapore, China)

“Republic captures the restless dreams and defiant spirit of Beijing’s youth as they forge a communal utopia within the tiny, vibrant space of their self-declared Republic, challenging the political and social constraints that surround them. The intimate, immersive cinematography brings the viewer directly into the room, transforming the confined setting into a boundless world of collective imagination, resistance and the pursuit of freedom.“ 

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION presented by Vital Distribution

To Our Friends by Adrián Orr (Spain, Portugal)

“By blending fictional storytelling with documentary, To Our Friends offers a nuanced exploration of youth, identity and the complexities of personal growth, effectively capturing the essence of Sara's metamorphosis while employing deliberate techniques that dissolve the boundary between the constructed world of cinema and the reality of its subjects. Through moments where characters subtly acknowledge the camera’s presence and a hybrid narrative that dismantles the divide between fiction and nonfiction, the film creates a meta-cinematic effect, positioning itself as a profound meditation on storytelling and the narratives we construct about ourselves in both art and life.“ 

The jury for the international feature film competition was comprised of Andrea Bussmann (filmmaker), Dominique Dussault (producer) and Beatrice Fiorentino (critic).

GRAND PRIZE FOR NATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION presented by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and PRIM

Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych (Quebec/Canada, France, Ukraine)

“Without losing sight of its intentions, convictions and without losing its edge, this powerful film maintains a rare balance, both formally and thematically. It reveals the brutal consequences of an invasion, as well as the human and social dramas that in wartime are the lot of the majority. Intercepted makes tangible the actual situation in Ukraine, while revealing something about contemporary Russia. We believe it is important not to forget this ongoing conflict, and its impacts.“

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR NATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION presented by Télé-Québec and Post-Moderne
Archéologie de la lumière by Sylvain L'Espérance (Quebec/Canada)

“Radical and minimal, yet sensitive, this film attentive to matter, light and their manifestations, reveals the nature and hypothesis of the human gaze, its potential presence or absence. It is a mysterious work, by a filmmaker who’s searching. We welcomed this opportunity to search, with our eyes and ears, with him.“

The jury for the national feature film competition was comprised of Félix Dufour-Laperrière (filmmaker, screenwriter and producer), Hama Haruka (director of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival) and Wouter Jansen (founder of Square Eyes).

NEW VISIONS AWARD presented by the Société civile des auteurs multimédia (SCAM) 

The Undergrowth by Macu Machín (Spain)

“The Undergrowth finds great depth in a self-contained world and tells a life story through gestures of memory and care. With a volcano as a hovering presence of life, love and death, it maps a land that means much more than its territory.“

A special mention went to Up the River with Acid by Harald Hutter (France, Quebec/Canada)

The jury for the national feature film competition and the New Visions Award was composed of Paula Astorga (artistic director of the Doclisboa International Film Festival), Maximiliano Cruz (artistic director of the UNAM International Film Festival) and Antoine Thirion (programmer at Cinéma du Réel).

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT OR MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM presented by URBANIA

Razeh-del by Maryam Tafakory (Iran, United Kingdom, Italy)

“Razeh-del transforms an archive of oppression into a manifesto of resistance. By appropriating these images, the film turns them into a declaration of love for women, thereby defying those who seek to forbid the love they hold for one another. The care and craft invested in this work deserve special recognition, as does the filmmaker’s ability to assume a dual role: both storyteller and archivist, adeptly navigating between personal and collective traumas. With its rich textuality and texture, the film opens new avenues for reflection, recontextualizing Iranian cinema as a fiery struggle against erasure and annihilation.“

A special mention went to Break no.1 & Break no.2 by Lei Lei (China)

BEST NATIONAL SHORT OR MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM presented by the Coop Vidéo, SLA Location and Cineground

A Stone's Throw by Razan AlSalah (Quebec/Canada, Palestine, Liban)

“A Stone’s Throw courageously claims its own cartographies. Through layered experiments on flat surfaces, the filmmaker confronts the boundaries imposed by her subject; a territory whose lines are drawn by colonizers. Yet, rather than being constrained by these limitations, the film asserts its own space, where Palestinian exile and resistance are given their full dimension. In doing so, it transcends cinema, opening a new realm of possibility. It becomes a force that allows us to trespass forbidden geographies and colonial borders. Finally, through the intimate cartography of its protagonist, the film reveals a history etched into the contours of his body. Amine carries the traces of a land and a people, inviting us to recognize them and stand with them.“

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR NATIONAL SHORT OR MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM presented by Paraloeil

Sous le soleil exactement by Noa Blanche Beschorner (Quebec/Canada, Germany)

“A film that is both playful in its form and language, engaging with the theme of returning home. Each shot is meticulously composed; at times accompanied by the silence of the surroundings, at others by their musicality, harmonizing into a symphony that imbues this seemingly simple theme with depth and vitality.“

A special mention is awarded to Archipelago of Earthen Bones — To Bunya by Malena Szlam (Quebec/Canada, Australia, Chile)

The jury for the short and medium film competitions was comprised of Émilie Serri (filmmaker), Shahab Mihandoust (filmmaker) and Aylin Gökmen (filmmaker).

MAGNUS-ISACSSON AWARD presented with the participation of DOC Québec, ARRQ, Funambules Médias, Cinema Politica and Main Film

Ninan Auassat: We, the Children by Kim O'Bomsawin (Canada)

“Committed documentary is often defined as a genre that gives voice to the dispossessed, to those who have been silenced and made invisible in the dominant culture, despite the great injustices and abuses they have endured. In Ninan Auassat: We, the Children, those voices are surprising, diverse and plural. They speak different languages and of the importance of their language; of the centrality of culture in breaking the cycle of abuse and loss, in changing perceptions, in creating a renaissance.“

A special mention is awarded to At All Kosts by Joseph Hillel (Quebec/Canada, Haiti)

The Magnus-Isacsson jury was comprised of Helgi Piccinin (DOC Québec), Marie-France Laval (ARRQ), Adèle Foglia (Funambules Médias), Ryan Aller-Bishop (Cinema Politica), Vincent Toi (Main Film) and Jocelyne Clarke (producer, filmmaker and editor).

STUDENT JURY AWARD presented by the Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal

Billy by Lawrence Côté-Collins (Quebec/Canada)

“Billy moved us by the strength of its editing, the originality of its shape and by its aspects, which are painfully human.“

The student prize jury was made up of Victoria Brisebois from Cégep du Vieux-Montréal, Thomas Brousseau from Cégep Marie-Victorin, Gosha Laiter from Cégep André-Laurendeau, Justine Lavallée from Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Vincent Montesinos from Cégep du Collège Ahuntsic.

WOMEN INMATE JURY AWARD made possible thanks to the support of the City of Montreal and the Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec

Wilfred Buck by Lisa Jackson (Canada)

“A luminous film that makes you want to hold on to something stronger than yourself and that celebrates perseverance. A film that shows us that despite the obstacles, it's always possible to grow and find your way back. It's also a film that taught us a lot about the indigenous community and its important place in our history. Wilfred Buck shines as brightly as his stars and the northern lights.“

The Women Inmate jury is comprised of six residents from the Joliette Institution for Women, the only federal women’s penitentiary in Quebec. They selected their favourite documentary from among five films of the 2024 edition of RIDM. This initiative was implemented by RIDM in 2011.

SOIRÉE DE LA RELÈVE RADIO-CANADA AWARD presented by Radio-Canada 

Emboîter leurs pas by Manuel Orhy Pirón (Quebec/Canada)

“A documentary that skilfully tells the little story of colourful characters throughout Quebec’s long history. Emboîter leurs pas touched us by the strength and relevance of the archives, combined with the mastery of present-day interviews.“

The Soirée de la relève Radio-Canada jury is composed of Alexis De Lancer (journalist, columnist and anchor at ICI RDI), Juliette Balthazar (winner of the 2023 Soirée de la relève Radio-Canada), Julia Lauzon (documentary director at Radio-Canada), Karyne Tremblay (partnerships delegate at Radio-Canada) and Karine Dubois (producer at Picbois Productions).

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 

No Other Land by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal (Palestine, Norway)

THANKS TO THE RIDM PARTNERS

RIDM wishes to acknowledge the support of the institutional and main partners who have contributed to the success of this 27th edition. Thanks to the Government of Québec, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, SODEC, the Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Montreal, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, Tourisme Québec, the Centre des Services aux Entreprises - Intégration en emploi (Emploi-Québec), the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation, Télé-Québec, the Canada Media Fund, Radio-Canada, Crave, the Cinémathèque québécoise, Post-Moderne, Rodeo FX, PRIM, as well as Benoît Parent and Arthur Gaumont-Marchand.