The Winners of Visions du Réel 2026
For a list all the award-winners, see end of article.
Xisi Sofia Ye Chen's From Dawn to Dawn and Hassen Ferhani's Alea Jacarandas win the two main prizes in the international competitions of Visions du Réel 2026.
Spanish and Chinese director Xisi Sofia Ye Chen took home the Grand Prize in the International Feature Film Competition with From Dawn to Dawn, her first feature-length film. A rare and deeply intimate immersion into a world often reduced to clichés—and more frequently explored through fiction than documentary—the film follows the daily life of the director’s brother, A Wen, a Chinese gangster living in Spain. The Jury's Special Prize was awarded to A Fire There by Marlene Edoyan, while a Special Mention was given to Boubacar Sangaré’s Djeliya, mémoire du Mandé.
Jury statement: “The Grand Jury Prize goes to an astonishing self assured debut. A moving, intimate and complex portrait of the impacts of exile and the struggle to reclaim one’s life. Using poetic personal narration and evocative, at times dream-like cinematography, the film unfolds in layers at once revealing and deepening the question of how migration, economic survival and trauma impact family relations.”
From Dawn to Dawn by Xisi Sofia Ye Chen
The Burning Lights Competition honored Alea Jacarandas by Hassen Ferhani, in which the filmmaker follows in the footsteps of his father, a writer, haunted by the Jacaranda trees of Algiers.
Jury statement: “A film that, on the surface, explores transmission, but beneath opens onto deeper currents. It teaches us how to look—toward beauty, and toward the dream of beauty hovering over the violence of history and the distances between beings. Between father and son, it reflects on what is passed on: a love of storytelling, and a realism at the foundation of art.”
The Special Jury Award was awarded to Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava, the first feature film by Nông Nhât Quang, “a film of individuals striving to affirm themselves within the constraints of family, carried by endearing, complex characters.” The Jury also gave two special mentions: The Case Against Space by Graeme Arnfield and Illusion of Quiet Night by Olga Chernyk.
The jury of the National Competition awarded Nicole Nicole by Lauren Dällenbach, in which Nicole, Lauren’s aunt, begins to explore the possibility of emancipation from a gentle but codependent relationship with her mother.
Jury statement: "This film is deeply human, reflecting the challenges that life can place before us, and the ways in which we face and overcome them—individually and together, as families and as a society. With a delicate balance of humor and tenderness, it offers a perspective that is both grounded and luminous.”
The Jury also praised the work of Sophie Schrago in What Comes From Sitting in Silence?, awarding it the Special Jury Award in the National Competition. The political dimension of the work particularly impressed the jury: “The film addresses a difficult reality with extraordinary empathy for its courageous female protagonists, who strive to preserve their personal integrity.” Der Runde Tisch—a mid-length film co-directed by Juliette Menthonnex and Benjamin Bucher—also leaves Nyon with a special mention.
Alea Jacarandas by Hassen Ferhani
The Audience Award went to Birds of War by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak. Over thirteen years, Birds of War delves into the personal archives of a Lebanese journalist living in London and a Syrian cameraman to tell the story of the liberation of Aleppo and the uprising of the population in Beirut, while a love story unfolds in parallel.
This 57th Visions du Réel was Émilie Bujès’ 9th and final edition as Artistic director. She was warmly thanked and celebrated by her team, as well as by awarded filmmakers, members of the jury and representatives of the town of Nyon.
Visions du Réel continues until Sunday evening, with encores of a selection of award-winning films.
Congratulations to all the award-winning teams !
All award-winners
International Feature Film Competition
Grand Jury Award - From Dawn to Dawn by Xisi Sofia Ye Chen
Special Jury Award - A Fire There by Marlene Edoyan
Special mention - Djeliya, mémoire du Mandé by Boubacar Sangaré
Burning Lights Competition
Jury Prize - Alea Jacarandas by Hassen Ferhani
Special Jury Award - Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava by Nông Nhât Quang
Special mention - The Case Against Space by Graeme Arnfield
Special mention - Illusion of Quiet Night by Olga Chernyk
National Competition
Jury Prize - Nicole Nicole by Lauren Dällenbach
Special Jury Award - What Comes From Sitting in Silence by Sophie Schrago
Special mention - Der Runde Tisch by Juliette Menthonnex & Benjamin Bucher
International Medium Length and Short Film Competition
Jury Prize for the Best Medium Length Film - Ici, ailleurs by Comes Chahbazian
Jury Prize fort the Best Short Film - Visite guidée by Alba Jaramillo
Special Youth Jury Award for a medium length film - The Building Site by Tiziano Locci & Tito Puglielli
Special mention from the Jury - Memories of a Window by Amin Pakparvar & Mehraneh Salimian
Special mention from the Jury - Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon by Bill Morrison
Wide Angle
Audience Award - Birds of War by Janay Boulos & Abd Alkader Habak
International Critics’ Award – FIPRESCI Award - Saudades Eternas by Emma Bofanccuso
Prix Interreligieux - Dentro by Elsa Amiel
Perception Change Award - Good Valley Stories by José Luis Guérin
Photo : Léa Rener
