Results of OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival

This year, the OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival brought together two countries and five cities: Kiev, Bolhrad, Sofia, Kamyanets-Podilsky, and Odesa, creating a unique platform for cultural exchange. The sixth edition of the festival showcased 95 films in 24 languages from 52 countries across five continents.

In the capital of Bulgaria, at the City Mark Art Center, esteemed guests, including filmmakers, cultural researchers, and cinema enthusiasts gathered to celebrate the festival's achievements and announce the winners of the films that explore human stories and traditions.

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 Youssef 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).

The Jury also awarded a special mention 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 from the jury went to the film “I Died in Irpin”, directed by Anastasia Falileeva (Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic) for its poignant storytelling.

Best films based on audience voting:

• Ukrainian Edition Audience Grand Prize - “Search Trilogy: Separation”, directed by Sofia Hiera (Ukraine);
• Ukrainian Online Edition Audience Grand Prize — “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, directed by Franz Bjoem (United Kingdom);
• Bolhrad City Council Audience Prize for Favorite Bulgarian Film — “Spirit of Masquerade Games”, directed by Rositsa Lazarova Sbarali (Italy, Bulgaria);
• Bulgarian Edition Audience Grand Prize — “2000 Meters to Andriivka”, directed by Mystislav Chernov (Ukraine, USA).