Cinema for Peace Awards 2021
The Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year 2021
WinnER: QUO VADIS AIDA?
Directed By Jasmila Zbanic
Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Bosnian Serb army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp.
NOMINEES:
DEAR COMRADES
DIRECTED BY AndreY KonchalovskIy
When the communist government raises food prices in 1962, the rebellious workers from the small industrial town of Novocherkassk go on strike. The massacre which then ensues is seen through the eyes of a devout party activist.
THE FATHER
DIRECTED BY FLORIAN ZELLER
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
DIRECTED BY SHAKA KING
Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panther Party per FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Party Chairman Fred Hampton ascends, falling for a fellow revolutionary en route, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul.
THE MAURITANIAN
DIRECTED BY KEVIN MACDONALD
A detainee at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release.
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
DIRECTED BY JASON WOLINER
Follow-up film to the 2006 comedy centering on the real-life adventures of a fictional Kazakh television journalist named Borat.
NOMADLAND
DIRECTED BY CHLOE ZHAO
A woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
DIRECTED BY AARON SORKIN
The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
BROKEN KEYs
DIRECTED BY JIMMY KEYROUZ
A pianist tries to escape his persecuted Middle-eastern town where modern ways of living and music have been banned by an extremist group.
SOUND OF METAL
DIRECTED BY DARIUS MARDER
A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
The Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Documentary of the Year 2021
WINNER: WELCOME TO CHECHNYA
DIRECTED BY DAVID FRANCE
A group of activists risk their lives fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Chechnya.
WINNER: THE MOLE: UNDERCOVER IN NORTH KOREA
DIRECTED BY MADS BRÜGGER
A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.
NOMINEES:
TELEVISION EVENT
DIRECTED BY Jeff Daniels
An archive-based feature documentary viewing the dramatic climax of the Cold War through the lens of the ABC network, as it narrowly succeeds in producing the most watched, most controversial made-for-TV movie, THE DAY AFTER (1983).
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA
DIRECTED BY JEFF ORLOWSKI
The destructive influence of social media and the internet on our lives and society, in a frightening and clear-sighted film.
LOVE, IT WAS NOT
DIRECTED BY MAYA SARFATY
The incredible but true love story between an SS officer and a Jewish girl. A story that starts in Auschwitz but ends in a courthouse in Vienna 30 years later.
APOCALYPSE '45
DIRECTED BY ERIK NELSON
Documentary Presents Never-Before-Seen Footage of the Grisly End of World War II.
RADIOGRAPH OF A FAMILY
DIRECTED BY FIROUZEH KHOSROVANI
Director Firouzeh Khosrovani is the daughter of a secular father and a devout Muslim mother, co-existing under one roof in Tehran. The Islamic Revolution took place in their home, affecting every corner of their family life.
THE NEW CORPORATION: THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL
DIRECTED BY JOEL BAKAN, JENNIFER ABBOTT
Exposes how companies are desperately rebranding as socially responsible - and how that threatens democratic freedoms.
CRIP CAMP
DIRECTED BY NICOLE NEWNHAM, Jim LeBrecht
Down the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement.
The Cinema for Peace Award for Women’s Empowerment 2021
WINNER: NASRIN
DIRECTED BY JEFF KAUFMAN
An immersive portrait of one of the world's most courageous human rights activists and political prisoners, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and of Iran's remarkably resilient women's rights movement.
NOMINEES:
9 DAYS In RAQQA
DIRECTED BY XAVIER DE LAUZANNE
On April 17, 2017, while the 'Anger of the Euphrates' offensive continues to progress to liberate #Raqqa from the black claws of Daesh, a few kilometers away, in Aïn Issa, the Raqqa Civil Council is officially created, co-chaired by an Arab man and a Kurdish woman, engineer by training, Leila Mustapha.
LIFT LIKE A GIRL
DIRECTED BY MAYYE ZAYED
From a scrappy, vacant-lot training site in Alexandria, Egypt to the Olympic Games, 14-year-old Zebiba ("raisin" in Arabic) stands at the precipice between childhood and weightlifting champion - guided only by her dedicated yet relentless coach, Captain Ramadan, and her own competitive edge. Can she make the leap?
STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY
DIRECTED BY APRIL WRIGHT
An action-documentary about the evolution of stunt women from The Perils of Pauline (1914) and beyond.
ATHLETE A
DIRECTED BY BONNI COHEN, JON SHENK
Filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk delve into the world of elite competitive gymnastics and the toxic culture within that allowed sexual abuse to go on for decades unchecked.
SAUDI RUNAWAY
DIRECTED BY SUSANNE REGINA MEURES
A young woman in Saudi Arabia documents her attempt to flee the country before her arranged marriage.
The Cinema for Peace Award for the Political Film of the Year 2021
WINNER: MAYOR
DIRECTED BY DAVID OSIT
At work with the mayor of Ramallah in a beautiful and topical film, which provides a fresh look at Palestine and what it means to run a society.
NOMINEES:
THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW
DIRECTED BY YORUBA RICHEN
While the country was embroiled in a divisive election with racial tensions flaring, civil rights activist Harry Belafonte guest hosted The Tonight Show for one week in 1968 transforming it into a multicultural political experience.
KINGDOM OF SILENCE
DIRECTED BY RICK ROWLEY
An in-depth look at Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's life, work, and murder. Featuring interviews and footage that explore his personal and professional relationships with Saudi rulers, jihadists, and fellow global journalists.
THE DISSIDENT
DIRECTED BY BRYAN FOGEL
When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world piece together the clues to a murder and expose a global cover-up.
COCKROACH
DIRECTED BY AI WEIWEI
COCKROACH is a work about the Hong Kong uprising in 2019. The year-long protests were sparked by the proposal of a bill that allowed for the extradition of criminal suspects to China. Many in the semi-autonomous city felt the bill would erode what was left of the freedoms promised under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework.
SOFTIE
DIRECTED BY SAM SOKO
Political activist Boniface "Softie" Mwangi runs for office in a regional Kenyan election, which puts pressure on his young family and his convictions.
The Cinema for Peace Award for Justice 2021
WINNER: THE DISSIDENT
DIRECTED BY BRYAN FOGEL
When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world piece together the clues to a murder and expose a global cover up.
NOMINEES:
COLLECTIVE
DIRECTED BY ALEXANDER NANAU
Director Alexander Nanau follows a crack team of investigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast healthcare fraud that enriched moguls and politicians and led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
STATELESS
DIRECTED BY MICHELE STEPHENSON
In 2013, the Dominican Republic stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents, rendering over 200,000 people without nationality, identity, or homeland. Stateless explores this complex history and politics through one young woman’s fight to protect the right to citizenship for all people.
COCKROACH
DIRECTED BY AI WEIWEI
COCKROACH is a work about the Hong Kong uprising in 2019. The year-long protests were sparked by the proposal of a bill that allowed for the extradition of criminal suspects to China. Many in the semi-autonomous city felt the bill would erode what was left of the freedoms promised under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework.
AGGIE
DIRECTED BY CATHRINE GUND SARFATY
A documentary that tackles the ideological conflicts surrounding the December 21 election in the United States, to the push for sovereignty and subsequent parliamentary declaration of independence and the aftermath.
TRUTH TO POWER
DIRECTED BY GARIN HOVANNISIAN
The Grammy-winning lead singer of System of a Down, Serj Tankian helps to awaken a political revolution on the other side of the world, inspiring Armenia's struggle for democracy through his music and message.
The International Green Film Award 2021
WINNER: DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: A LIFE ON OUR PLANET
DIRECTED BY ALASTAIR FOTHERGILL, JONNIE HUGHES, KEITH SCHOLEY
One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.
NOMINEES:
ARICA
DIRECTED BY LARS EDMAN, WILLIAM JOHANSSON KALEN
In the mid-80's the Swedish mining giant Boliden dumped 20000 tonnes of hazardous waste in Arica in Northern Chile. Thousands of 'Ariqenos' were affected with cancers and other serious illnesses. Now a group of survivors are seeking justice.
THE COST OF SILENCE
DIRECTED BY MARK MANNING
An industry insider exposes the devastating consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, uncovering coordinated efforts by government and industry to silence the victims of a growing public health disaster.
KISS THE GROUND
DIRECTED BY JOSH TICKELL, REBECCA TICKELL
A revolutionary group of activists, scientists, farmers, and politicians band together in a global movement of “Regenerative Agriculture” that could balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world, narrated by Woody Harrelson.
JOZI GOLD
DIRECTED BY FREDRIK GERTTEN, Sylvia Vollenhoven
Grandmother and environmental activist Mariette Liefferink is up against the richest mining corporations in Africa. The golden era has left 1,6 million people living on radioactive grounds, but she is on a mission to force the gold industry to clean up.
SEASPIRACY
DIRECTED BY ALI TABRIZI
Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species - and uncovers alarming global corruption.
MY OCTOPUS TEACHER
DIRECTED BY PIPPA EHRLICH, JAMES REED
A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.
GRETA THUNBERG: A YEAR TO CHANGE THE WORLD
DIRECTED BY JOE MYERSCOUGH
The 17-year-old's environmental campaigning and her journey into adulthood.
The Cinema for Peace Award on Global Health 2021
WINNER: Coronation
DIRECTED BY AI WEIWEI
A team directed by Activist and artist Ai Weiwei films inside the hospitals, homes, and quarantine sites of Wuhan, the first city hit in the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Nominees:
Totally Under Control
DIRECTED BY OPELIA HARUTYUNYAN, SUZANNE HILLINGER, ALEX GIBNEY
An in-depth look at how the United States government handled the response to the COVID-19 outbreak during the early months of the pandemic.
Wuhan Wuhan
DIRECTED BY YUNG CHANG
In a time when the world needs greater cross-cultural understanding, WUHAN WUHAN is an invaluable depiction of a metropolis joining together to overcome a crisis.
76 Days
DIRECTED BY WU HAO AND WEIXI CHEN
Raw and intimate, this documentary captures the struggles of patients and frontline medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan.