International Ethnographic Film Festival 'OKO': Winners and Highlights
This year, the International Ethnographic Film Festival 'OKO' brought together multiple cities, including Kiev, Bolhrad, Sofia, Kamianets-Podilskyi, and Odesa, creating a cultural exchange platform. The sixth edition showcased 95 films from 52 countries, highlighting the diversity of global cinema.
In the capital of Bulgaria, at the City Mark Art Center, prominent figures gathered — from state officials to filmmakers — to summarize the festival results, announce the winners, and celebrate the best films that unveil human stories.
Winners of OKO GLOBAL FICTION:
- Jury Grand Prize — 'Reed', directed by Cemil Aadjikoglu (Turkey, Bulgaria);
- Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation — 'Banzo', directed by Margarida Cardoso (Portugal, France, Netherlands);
- Jury Special Mention — 'Id', directed by Yousef Abo Madegham (Israel).
Winners of OKO GLOBAL NON-FICTION:
- Jury Grand Prize — 'To the West. To Zapata', directed by David Beam (Cuba, Spain);
- Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation — 'Silent Observers', directed by Eliza Petkova (Bulgaria, Germany);
- Jury Special Mention — 'Mashtat', directed by Sonia Ben Slama (France, Lebanon, Tunisia).
Winners of NASHE OKO:
- Jury Grand Prize — 'Father's Lullaby', directed by Lesya Dyak (Ukraine, Romania, Croatia);
- Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation — 'A Little Foreign', directed by Svitlana Lishchynska (Ukraine, Germany, Sweden).
A special jury mention was awarded to the film 'Checkpoint Zoo', directed by Joshua Zeman (USA, Ukraine) — for its truthful portrayal of Russian crimes against people and animals.
Additionally, the special jury prize for the best Ukrainian film was awarded to 'My Morning Routine', directed by Vadym Adamov (Ukraine).
A special mention went to the film 'I Died in Irpin', directed by Anastasia Falileyeva (Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic) — for its ability to beautifully tell painful stories.
Best films based on audience voting:
- Audience Grand Prize for the Ukrainian Edition — 'Search Trilogy: Separation', directed by Sofia Héra (Ukraine);
- Audience Grand Prize for the Ukrainian Online Edition — 'Rock, Paper, Scissors', directed by Franz Böhm (United Kingdom);
- Bolhrad City Council Audience Prize — 'Spirit of Masquerade Games', directed by Rositsa Lazarova Sbarali (Italy, Bulgaria);
- Audience Grand Prize for the Bulgarian Edition — '2000 Meters to Andriivka', directed by Mytsislav Chernov (Ukraine, USA).
