Silver, directed by Natalia Konialts, has been selected as the winner of the Opus Bonus category at The Flava Documentary Film Festival. The film also won the award for Best Documentary Film in the Visegrad region and the award for Best Cinematography for Stanisław Ciuszke.
“Silver” is executive produced by acclaimed filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski (“Aida,” “Cold War”). “It’s a sensual, poetic experience. It brings us deep images with amazing clarity,” he said, calling the film “brutal, hypnotic and deeply human.”
It depicts Bolivia’s highest silver mine and the local people who live by its brutal rules. Danger is always present, not just underground, and sometimes the only recourse is to pray to the devil who is supposed to keep you safe.
“You live with these people, you make friends with them, you witness their suffering and violence, and you can’t change it or react to it. My reaction to someone else’s suffering can have an impact when I’m no longer there,” Konialts told Variety.
“I have always faced my own beliefs and biases to find an insider’s perspective.”
In the first rights category, Yehudi Zhu’s “So Close, So Far” won the top prize, while Sammy Baloji’s “The Tree of Authenticity” dominated the testimonial category. Fred Moosa won Facinations’ major award for “Land of Barber.” Finally, acclaimed director Vitaly Mansky won the Czech Joy Award for “Time to the Target.” A co-production between Latvia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine, it depicts Mansky’s hometown of Lviv, which is in turmoil due to the war.
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, warmly received by David Borenstein and Pavel “Pasha” Tarankin, won the Audience Award.
Already garnering attention at Sundance, the film was selected by Denmark for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. It shows Tarankin, a teacher in a small town, quietly resisting and filming the propaganda and militarization that flooded his school after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has since fled Russia.
During a Q&A with the audience, Tarankin was elated at the success. “When Denmark decided to submit this film, I got a call from the kids I was teaching. They said, ‘Imagine if the Best Actor award goes to our teacher’!”
“I was born in Russia, I grew up in Russia, I grew up with my eyes open. I knew what was going on. Everything that comes out of Putin’s mouth on TV is a lie. It’s always a lie,” he said.
This year too, we welcomed Mr. Tsai Ming-liang and performed “Night Journey”. Last year, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at Ji.hlava.
“I was immediately drawn to the quiet atmosphere of the small town and the nighttime fog, which gave me the idea to shoot a new ‘Walker’ movie,” he explained. Soon after, he was invited by FAMU to be a visiting professor for the fall semester.
“My producer started planning a new project: to return to Jihlava in a year, shoot with FAMU students before the next festival, complete post-production in Prague, and hold the world premiere in Jihlava.”
“The Walker” series began in 2012 and lasted for 13 years, completing 12 films so far. “Walker in Spain” is still in post-production.
“I believe the series will continue as long as Lee Kang-sheng and I are still here. I look forward to seeing how Lee continues to walk slowly into his 60s and 70s. Future plans include ‘Walker’ in Jeonju (in South Korea) and ‘Walker’ in other cities,” Tsai Myung-liang said.
“If we have invitations and funding, we will do another one.”
“Ji.hlava turned out to be the perfect location for ‘Night Journey’. It provided us with the right timing, strong organizational cooperation and external partnerships. I don’t think a project like this could have been realized so smoothly or so quickly anywhere else, not even in Prague.”
“Time to goal”
Documentary Film Festival Presented by Jihlava International Airport
Full list of winners:
opus bonus
Main award: Natalia Konialts “Silver”
I. Special Award: Jean Boisron-Rajoux “Abyss and Wonder”
II. Special Award: Hilary Powell, Dan Edelstein, “Power Station”
Best Central and Eastern European Documentary Award
Lisa Polster “Burglkopf”
2025 Visegrad Region Best Documentary Film Award
Natalia Konialts “Silver”
Creative initiative award
Diego Hernandez “The Skyless Roof”
Best editing award
Xavier Silven “Abyss and Wonder”
Best Cinematography Award
Stanisław Czuske “Silver”
Best Sound Design Award
Henry Sims “The Beauty of Donkeys”
Student Jury Award
Peter Mettler “While the Grass Grows: A Seven-Part Diary”
first lights
Main award: Yudi Zhu “So Close, So Far”
Special Award: Karel Malkoon “Cats, the Sea, and Everything in Between”
Best Cinematography: Lyudmila Timbrulkova, Maya Pencic “Minimum Love”
Original Approach Award: Raed Al Kour “Taste of Salt”
testimony
Main Award: Sammy Baloji “The Tree of Authenticity”
Special Note: Amber Phares “Coexistion, My Ass!”
Special Award for Best Political Film: Joanna Grudzinska, “Poland vs. History”
Special Award for Best Film on Knowledge: “A Teenage Life Interrupted” by Oos Svenheim Drivnes
charm
Main award: Fred Musa “Land of Barbar”
I. Special Note: Mario Bracona “Transparent Film”
II.Special Notes: Paula Malinowska “Diverging Light and Flickering of Dawn”
Exprmntl.cz
Main award: Neve Motilova “A little film about rape”
I. Special Note: Zbyniek Baradran “Totalitarian Society of Images”
audience award
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
czech joy
Main award: Vitaly Mansky “Time to the Target”
Special Award: Martin Trabalik, “What about Petey?”
Best Editing Award: Michal Böhm, “Father of the Unborn”
Best Sound Design Award: Martin Stýblo “Kapralova”
Best Cinematography: Martin Collard, “Chronicle”
Original Approach Award: Jan Straykowski “Is It Worth It!?”
Student Jury Award: Martin Trabalik “What About Petey?”
virtual reality movies
Best Virtual Reality Film: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinnell, “The Exploding Girl”
Special Award: Sjols Sviastra, Ivanna Kicinska “Shelter”
Special Award: Siuan Yang “Transcomposition”
short joy
Gabriele Neudecker, “wedLOCK tradWIFE”
Contribution to the World Film Awards
Ukamau Foundation
Ji.hlava Industry Winners
Ji.hlava New Visions Award is given to the most promising European project in collaboration with UPP
“Adam’s Teeth” (Georgia, England)
Director: Mariam Chakia, Nick Vogt
Producer: Tecla Machiavariani, Mariam Chakia
Ji.hlava New Visions Award for the most promising European project in collaboration with SoundSquare
“Superhuman” (Austria)
Director: Inna Shevchenko
Producer: Arash T. Riahi
Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2025 recognizes the most promising US project in partnership with AmDocs
“New Building” (USA, Uganda, Switzerland)
Director and Producer: Pissie Hochheim, Tony Oswald
Cannes Document – Marché du Film Award
“Communication for living in the world” (Uruguay, Switzerland, Spain)
Director: Laura Gavai
Producer: Vania Jaikin
DAE Award
“Laura Zahira: Just an Ordinary Muslim” (Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Finland)
Director: Karolina Lahti
Producer: Serge Limma
#Docs Connect Taskovsky Training Award
“Superhumans”
Sheffield Docfest Networking Award
“pylon and lake” (France)
Director: Sylvain Yonnet
Producer: Cecil Lestrade, Elise Hug
Light Docs Award
“Dear You” (USA)
Director: Aurora Blackman
Producer: Kaula Malik, Ro Heimer
Document by the Sea Award
“Drifting with the rhythm of the river” (Cambodia)
Director: Pollen Lee
Producer: Daniel Matz
Meditarents Residency Award
“Momutuki Kamen – The Girls Rock” (Greece)
Director: Maria Sidiropoulou, Chloe Bruhat
Producer: Maria Sidiropoulou
Jacob Burns Film Center Award
“New Building”
