Film Award Global Perspectives 2026

Images: IMMORTALS – BAGDADS JUGEND ERHEBT IHRE STIMME / W-film

The Global Perspectives Film Award is awarded in three categories

A jury composed of filmmakers and experts awards directors in the following categories:

Best Documentary Film

Best TV Documentary

The nominated films should compellingly draw attention to everyday realities in the countries of the Global South and enable audiences to gain new perspectives.

 

Nominations for Best Documentary Film:

AMANTES EN EL CIELO (LOVERS IN THE SKY)

AR/DE 2025, Director: Fermin de la Serna
Production: Brightside, CLIMAX, Rio Azul Films, Autentika Films

ELEPHANTS & SQUIRRELS 

LK/CH 2025, Director: Gregor Braendli
Production: soap factory GmbH, SRF

KALARI KID – SHE HITS BACK 

IN/CH 2026, Directors: Maria Kaur Bedi, Satindar Singh Bedi
Production: First Hand Films, Spirited Heroine, SRF, SRG SSR, ARTE G.E.I.E.

MATERIA PRIMA 

BO/DE 2026, Director: Jens Schanze
Production: Mascha Film GbR, Filmtank GmbH, ZDF/3sat, Deutsche Welle

NIGHT OF THE COYOTES

MX/AT/DE 2024, Director: Clara Trischler
Production: Horse & Fruits Filmproduktion, Filmuniversität Babelsberg, RBB

ON THE BORDER

NE/AT/CH/DE 2024, Directors: Gerald Igor Hauzenberger, Gabriela Schild
Production: CORSO Film, Mira Film GmbH, Framelab Filmproduktion, ORF, SRF, ZDF/3sat

WHISTLEBLOWER

DE 2026, Director: Marc Bauder
Production: Bauderfilm, ZDF/3sat, rbb

 

Nominations for Best TV-Documentary:

RÉFUGIÉS CLIMATIQUE: SANS TOIT, SANS DROITS (KLIMAVERTRIEBENE: OHNE HEIM, OHNE RECHTE)

BD/CO/FR 2025, Director: François-Xavier Trégan
Production: ARTE GEIE, BABEL DOC

EL SILENCIO DE LA TIERRA (LEBENSGEFAHR: UMWELTSCHÜTZER IM VISIER)

BR/HN/MX/FR/ESP 2025, Director: Frank Gutiérrez
Production: Diagonal, Crescenco Media Films, Agent Double, ARTE GEIE, RTVE, 3Cat

SUDAN: A HOSPITAL IN THE SHADOW OF WAR ( SUDAN: EIN KRANKENHAUS IM SCHATTEN DES KRIEGES)

SD/DE 2025, Directors: Carl Gierstorfer, Laura Salm-Reifferscheidt
Production: Docdays Productions, ZDF/ARTE, Deutsche Welle 

 

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Best Cinema Film

Additionally, a distribution company will be awarded by a BJF Youth Film Jury for its commitment. Nominated are feature-length productions (fiction and documentary films) for commercial cinema release. The films should enable young people aged 16 and older to engage in global learning in a compelling and artistically convincing way. Films with a rating below 16 are also nominated, provided they meet the competition’s requirements.

 

Nominations:

GHOST SCHOOL

PK/DE 2025, Director: Seemab Gul
Production: Cinelava, Red Balloon Film
Distribution: jip film & verleih

IMMORTALS 

IQ/CH 2025, Director: Maja Tschumi
Production: Filmgerberei GmbH, SRF, Rola Productions
Distribution: W-Film

CACTUS FRUITS

IN/GB/CA 2025, Director: Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
Production: Lotus Visual Productions, Dark Stories, Taran Tantra Telefilms, Mohamed Khaki, Moonweave Films, Bridge Postworks
Distribution: Salzgeber

NAWI – DEAR FUTURE ME

KE/DE 2024, Directors: Toby & Kevin Schmutzler, Val Chelluget, Apuu Mourine
Production: FilmCrew Media GmbH, Startup Lions Assets Kenya Ltd. & Baobab Pictures GmbH
Distribution: Filmperlen

NIÑXS 

MX/DE 2025, Director: Kani Lapuerta
Production: La Sandia Digital, Ko-Prod: Sparrows on Rooftops, MartFilms
Distribution: MissingFILMs

WHERE THE WIND TAKES US

TN/FR 2025, Director: Amel Guellaty
Production: Haut les Mains Productions, Atlas Vision Productions
Distribution: Kairos

 

In cooperation with: