‘Only on Earth,' ‘Aliyá, Yeridá' Win Top Cannes Docs-in-Progress Industry Awards

‘Only on Earth,' ‘Aliyá, Yeridá' Win Top Cannes Docs-in-Progress Industry Awards

Danish-Spanish co-production "Only On Earth," by award-winning Danish filmmaker Robin Petré ("Pulse," "From the Wild Sea"), has picked up the top IEFTA Docs-in-Progress Award at Cannes Docs, the Cannes Film Market sidebar dedicated to documentary film.

The film forms part of the Five Nordics Showcase, one of eight showcases presenting a total of 34 docs-in-progress this year. The others include Chile, Scotland, Palestine Circle Women Accelerator, Docs By The Sea, the East Doc Platform, and newcomer Switzerland.

"Only On Earth" is described as a journey deep into southern Galicia in Spain, one of Europe's most vulnerable wildfire zones, during the hottest summer ever measured, where humans and animals alike struggle to cope as inextinguishable fires draw closer.

Composed of POV senior producer Opal H. Bennet, head of documentary at IMS in Copenhagen, Rasmus Steen, and RIDM artistic co-director Ana Alice de Morais, handing out the award the jury stated:

"The project stood out with its exceptional combination of craft, character and topic. We won't soon forget feeling immersed in the story of Spain's fire zones. For its excellent showing of craft and impact potential, the IEFTA Docs-In-Progress Award goes to ‘Only On Earth.'"

At the Showcase presentation, producer Joaquín Echeverría of Brisa Films said they are aiming for a release in the first semester of 2025. The award comes with a €10,000 ($10,800) cash prize and a project follow-up by IEFTA (the International Emerging Film Talent Association).

The Docs-in-Progress Al Jazeera Documentary Award went to Rafael Guendelman's debut feature "Aliyá, Yeridá," part of the Chilean Showcase.

Inspired by the Hebrew words "Aliyah," which literally means ascent or immigration to Israel, and "Yeridah," which means descent or emigration from Israel, the director draws on family archives to try to understand the motivations of his family to emigrate to Israel in the 1970s, and the disappointments that brought them back to Chile a decade later. That rise and fall is contrasted with his own experience in Chile, Israel and Palestine.

"A deeply personal quest is at the core of this project," said the jury. "It addresses a journey story that led a family to abandon everything they knew for good, later pulled back by the experience and their strong connections with their motherland. Through interviews, personal archival footage, and compelling storytelling, the film seeks to uncover the truths of identity, occupation and the meaning of home that resonate with us all and in particular for the Palestinian people."

The prize comes with a minimum co-production contribution of $15,000 (€13.800 ) from Al Jazeera Documentary.

Dubai-based Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel ("A World Not Ours"), whose debut feature "To A Land Unknown" is playing in Cannes Directors' Fortnight sidebar this year, picked up the Hiventy Post-Production Award for his doc-in-progress "My Father's House."

Part of the Palestine Showcase, it follows Fleifel's journey as he returns from years of exile to the small Danish town of Elsinore where he grew up nine years after his father's death, and begins a personal journey of reconciliation.

The jury rewarded the film "for its creative juxtaposition of displacement and the unique power of parental love," describing it as "a mother-son story that looks at the space of memories and seeks to interrogate how we fill the void when we lose a parent and the connection they provided to home."

The prize comes with a €5,000 ($5,400) grant in post-production services.

A second Chilean showcase contender scooped the Rise and Shine Award: "The Stationary Traveler," by Fernando Lavanderos and Sebastián Pereira ("Los Illuminados"), a darkly comic film featuring cult Chilean filmmaker Cristián Sánchez, who is asked to resurrect the characters of his classic works in the form of zombies.

""The Stationary Traveler" opens up a range of deeper reflections on authorship and representation in documentary cinema, while also challenging the conventions of film genre," said the jury, handing out the award.

The award consists of a €3,000 ($3.250) cash prize awarded to the producer of the project.

Docs By The Sea contender "Always" by Chinese director Demin Chen, which tells the story of an exceptionally talented child, tracking his profound psychological evolution through poetry as he transitions from childhood to adolescence, picked up the Alphapanda Award.

It comes with two sessions of marketing consultancy with the European digital marketing agency Alphapanda and the creation of an artwork for the film.

The Think-Film Impact Award went to "Dreamers" by Imam Hasanov, about an ex-footballer and his wife who decide to set up their village's first ever girls' football team, challenging deep-seated traditions in rural Azerbaijan. It was part of the Circle Women Doc Accelerator, a training initiative designed for women and non-binary writers, directors, and producers from around the world.

The award comes with a strategic impact workshop and an impact pitching coaching session provided by the Think-Film Impact Production team.

The DAE Award went to another Circle Showcase project, "Portrait of a Friendship" by Iranian director Faezeh Nikoozad, exiled in Germany, who reconnects with her homeland through her two best friends, both also filmmakers. Featuring archival footage of their final moments together, the film reunites them through cinematic dialogue, exploring the notion of home through the lenses of their cameras.

The award comes with a free one-year membership for each team member to the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), and a rough cut consultation with one of DAE's senior advisors.

Cannes Docs ran as part of the Cannes Film Market from May 16 through May 21.

More from Variety