IDA Awards Nomination

Songs of Slow Burning Earth by Olha Zhurba has been nominated for the IDA Awards in two categories: Best Feature Documentary and Best Director.

The IDA Documentary Awards is an annual prize presented by the International Documentary Association (IDA), which brings together around 2,800 members from 50 countries. This year, the IDA received more than 550 submissions across all categories from 85 countries. Only five films made it to the list of nominees in both Best Feature Documentary and Best Director, selected by a jury composed of dozens of documentary professionals from around the world.

Last year, No Other Land won Best Feature Documentary at the IDA Awards before going on to receive the Academy Award.

If you are an IDA member, you can watch our film and vote for it from November 19 to December 2. The 41st IDA Documentary Awards will be presented on December 6 in Los Angeles, California.

Full list of nominees: IDA Announces Nominees for 41st Documentary Awards | International Documentary Association

EFA Nomination

We are very proud to share that 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗛 is in the running for the 2026 European Film Awards for Best European Documentary and Best European Film.

From 15 December 2025 until 8 January 2026 the Academy members will then vote for the winners to be revealed at the 38^th European Film Awards ceremony on Saturday, 17 January 2026 in Berlin.

Thank you all academy members!

Filmotor secured international distribution and sales rights to ‘Silent Flood’ by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk. The film is set to world premiere in the International Competition at this year’s International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), taking place November 13-23, 2025.

About the film: A closed religious community in Ukraine has chosen to live in a beautiful landscape, where the front lines of both World War I and World War II once passed. It’s a sunny village filled with the laughter of children from large families. Yet, the community’s peaceful life is frequently disrupted by floods and war — two points serving as moments of reckoning in their memory. Nature and war are both relentless forces that take lives. The community comes together to overcome the aftermath of floods. The flood alters community life, just as the country is reshaped by war. Together with the community, we observe transformations, where the current war intertwines with the past ones, but the feeling of home can never be taken away from anyone.

‘I’ve always been drawn to the invisible connections between people and the places they inhabit,’ Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk says. ‘Silent Flood grew out of that fascination — with a secluded riverside community that lives in deep harmony with nature, yet always at the mercy of its forces. I first discovered this hidden village years ago during my river expeditions, and it felt like returning to my own childhood, to a time that had somehow stopped. The people there welcomed me with such openness and sincerity that I kept coming back. Their world, shaped by floods and now by war, reflects how fragile and cyclical life can be — a reminder that nothing truly stays untouched.”

“We have been following the SILENT FLOOD project since 2022, while in the development stage, attracted by subtle allegory behind the story, and the result is far beyond expected. It is a fascinating cinematic feast with a unique storyline and pace. We are honoured to collaborate with Dmytro as one of the most promising Ukrainian directors as well as with Tabor Ltd production behind already timeless pieces like Militantropos and Pamfir.” Petar Mitric, Filmotor‘Silent Flood’ is produced by Karina Kostyna and Eugene Rachkovsky for Ukraine’s TABOR LTD, with co-production by Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer for Germany’s Elemag Pictures. In co-production with MDR Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk in collaboration with ARTE.

Full News: ‘Silent Flood’ Boarded by Filmotor Ahead of IDFA Premiere

Songs of Slow Burning Earth offers a mosaic portrait of life in Ukraine during the first two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The film traces the transformations of a society moving beyond the initial panic of the early weeks of the big war and learning to live amid death and destruction that have become a tragic norm for Ukrainians.

The author of the film, Olha Zhurba, is a Ukrainian film director, editor, and screenwriter. This is her second feature-length documentary. In September 2025, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, Third Class awarded to women for outstanding achievements in state, public, cultural, and other social fields.

According to Zhurba, the European Film Academy awards hold particular significance because the nominees and winners are chosen by the members of the Academy. These film professionals and artists have first-hand knowledge of the intricacies of filmmaking and recognize the impact of art.

“The main goal of screening this film internationally is to dismantle the romanticized image of Russia that remains deeply rooted in the minds of many people around the world,” says Zhurba.

The world premiere of Olha Zhurba’s documentary Songs of Slow Burning Earth took place as part of the main program of the 81st Venice International Film Festival in 2024. Since then, the film has received numerous prestigious awards at major international festivals. It was named Best Film at the Riga International Film Festival (Latvia), Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (USA), One World International Documentary Film Festival in Prague (Czech Republic), and Docville International Film Festival (Belgium). At the Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival (Hungary), it received the Doc Future Award, and at Docudays UA, it was recognized as the Best Film in the national competition. At the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival in Warsaw, the film received the Amnesty International Award, the First Appearance Award, and a Special Mention for Best Cinematography.

“The selection of Songs of Slow Burning Earth for the European Film Academy’s shortlist is already a major recognition of the work of the entire team,” says producer Darya Bassel.

The film is available on www.europeanfilmawards.eu for all EFA members across Europe starting October 14. Voting is open from October 22 to November 5 for all members of the European Film Academy, The nominations for the European Film Awards will be announced on November 18, 2025.

Filmotor has acquired worldwide rights (excluding Switzerland) to ELEPHANTS & SQUIRRELS, the debut feature documentary by Swiss
filmmaker Gregor Brändli.
The film will world premiere in International Competition at DOK Leipzig on October 27, before screening in the Best of Fests section at IDFA 2025.
Produced by soap factory GmbH and co-produced by SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, Elephants & Squirrels is distributed in Switzerland by Royal Film (Basel). A 52-minute TV version is currently in post- production and slated for completion in November 2025.

The documentary follows Sri Lankan artist Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige and Uru Warige WannilaAththo, chief of the Indigenous Wanniyala-Aetto community, as they collaborate to reclaim ancestral remains and cultural artifacts held in Swiss museums. The objects were originally collected in the early
20th century by naturalists Paul and Fritz Sarasin, whose expeditions combined scientific curiosity with colonial violence.
Through this journey, Brändli explores Switzerland’s overlooked colonial entanglements and the broader struggle for cultural restitution and historical accountability.

“We are honored to be working on this film, which meticulously exposes the global colonial structures that persist even in countries without colonial histories, like Switzerland” said Michaela Cajková, head of Filmotor. “It’s a complex, vital work that contributes meaningfully to today’s conversations on
restitution and scientific supremacy.”
“We’re excited to collaborate with Filmotor,” added Frank Matter of soap factory GmbH. “If we look at their catalogue and the amazing work they do for their films, we think it’s a perfect fit.”
In addition to Elephants & Squirrels, Filmotor will also present two other titles at DOK Leipzig’s industry market: Wider than the Sky by Valerio Jalongo, exploring the philosophical dimensions of AI, and Better Go Mad in the Wild by Miro Remo, winner at Karlovy Vary IFF, which screens in the Audience Competition as its German premiere.

Michaela will be attending the festival 27-30 October.

Anyone who saw the film and is willing to help, here are the banking details given by Adnane:

The account dedicated to the earthquake help via bank Al Maghrib is the official bank account created by the Moroccan government. The collected funds will go directly for the reconstruction process in the affected areas:

IBAN du bénéficiaire: MA64 001 810 00 780 002 011 062 03 18

– Name of the bank account holder: Trésorier ministériel auprès du ministère de l’Economie et des Finances

– Bank of the account holder: Bank Al-Maghrib

– SWIFT: BKAMMAMR

– Object of the bank transfer: contribution au fonds spécial N° 126

It is important to mention the object of the transfer which is the last line: contribution au fonds spécial N° 126

Reference: Le Matin

Organisations and festivals that are part of the initiative:

Afrika Film Festival Cologne, 19 September 2023

MIZNA Arab Twin Cities Film Festival, Minessota, USA, US premiere

MOVE It! Film Festival, Dresden

Comptoir du Doc, Rennes, France, November

PriMed Marseille, France

The film is directed by duo Juliana Gutweniger and Florian Kofler, born in Meran (Italy) but both residents of Linz, Austria.

The film was produced by Eutopia (Austria) and Albolina Films (Italy). It was co-produced by ORF, Austrian public broadcaster. The Austrian rights are handled by Filmladen and its theatrical distribution is planned in Austria for spring 2024.

After the successful start in Locarno Semaine de la Critique the film will be further presented at festivals.

Quote from co-producer of the film Roberto Cavallini,Albolina Film:

“The teams at Eutopiafilm and Albolina are really proud of the collaboration to support Julia and Florian’s authorial vision. We are now very excited for the film long journey ahead to reach a diverse audience as part of Filmotor’s inspiring film slate”.

Michaela Cajkova, the head of Filmotor on the new acquisition and the distribution strategy:

“ Vista Mare is a powerful observational documentary that shows the world hidden to tourists eyes in the Adriatic cost famous for its big resorts that we can find anywhere in the world from Caribbean to South East Asia. And I think it is relevant for many countries that have problems with mass tourism. The film is funny in some moments and perfectly composed images are pleasant to watch. I believe the film will well resonate to festival audiences, possibly in Europe to the audience in cinemas as well. We will carefully focus on VOD and educational as for most of our films. I would love to explore the possibilities to offer the films to airlines that bring tourists to their final destinations… I love the idea of directors to present it at tourists’ spots and would like to focus on that when it comes to special screenings.”

Other recent Filmotor titles are Berlinale debut “A Golden Life” from Burkina Faso now coming to Camden IFF, top winner of Documentary competition at Shanghai IFF – Lebanese debut “Anxious in Beirut”. The company recently acquired 2 unfinished docs from directors that they previously worked with: Swiss “2G” by Karim Sayad and “Terra Incognita” by Enrico Masi that are planned to premiere in the next year.

The film started the moment Zakaria began filming the 2019 Lebanese revolution on a daily basis. Jumana, a Jordanian producer then suggested taking his documentation to another level by producing a documentary. They joined forces, wrote the initial script, and applied for Al Jazeera documentary fund, where they successfully received a coproduction grant.
Subsequently, Al Jazeera English joined and commissioned the film for their Witness strand. 15L, a Spanish production house then joined as minor producers, providing essential assistance. The film was also pitched at the MEDIMED Market, where it gained significant recognition. Lastly, Filmotor, a distribution and sales company from Prague has adopted the film and came on board to manage the distribution of the film worldwide and to provide the festival services.

“We are incredibly honored and grateful to receive this esteemed recognition. This award is a testament to the power of documentary filmmaking” said Zakaria Jaber, expressing his gratitude for the award.

After captivating audiences at the film national premiere during “Ecran Du Reel” film festival in Beirut and receiving Goblet Award at its international premiere, the films’ next stop will be for its North American premiere at “Maine International Film Festival”.

The observational documentary by Adela Komrzy (Winner of Czech Lion for her previous film “Internsive Life Unit”) and Tomas Bojar (Filmotor represents his previous film “Off Sides“) was so far sold to North America (Film Movement), Slovakia (Film Expanded) and released in Czech Republic. It was recently acquired by the Swiss public broadcaster SRF. The TV cut of 52 min. is available. A Witty, Wiseman-esque doc about art school staff and their aspiring students” won 2 awards in Karlovy Vary IFF and is currently presented at True/False film festival in Columbia, Missouri.

Soy Libre by Laure Portier won a Magritte Award – an accolade presented by the Academie Andre Dalvaux of Belgium in the category of the Best Documentary. The award is presented to recognise the cinematic achievement in the film industry and it is considered as Belgium equivalent of Academy Awards in the USA. The feature debut is produced by Perspective Films. It is distributed in France by Les Alchimistes Films and in Belgium by Avila.

Shortly after the success in Karlovy Vary, the film was acquired for the North American rights by Film Movement, New York based distribution company founded in 2003 that is well known for distributing independent and foreign films. “Art Talent Show” is available on educational market and the theatrical release in planned.

The domestic Czech theatrical release is scheduled with Aero Films shortly after the distribution Czech premiere in October.

Slovak theatrical release is planned in spring 2023 with Film Expanded, a boutique distribution company based in Bratislava.

The film follows the entrance exams to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and focuses on finding the talents that will be accepted to the school. “Art Talent Show” could speak to many young people and art lovers. It takes us to the wider concept of individualism in the western society.

Michaela Cajkova, head of Filmotor comments on the acquisition:

“It is a great pleasure to start working with Art Talent Show. We have been following the film for a year and are in a close relation with the filmmakers. We represent Tomas Bojar´s previous film “Off Sides” (2019). Adela is my schoolmate from FAMU and she is one of the main talents in the documentary industry. Her previous film Intensive Life Unit won the Czech national film award – Czech Lion. And the team behind the production company GPO Platform are good friends and we have known each other for many years. Therefore we will work with a special care on this title.”

Art Talent Show was produced by GPO Platform and co-produced by Czech Television.

Variety article: Karlovy Vary Prizewinner ‘Art Talent Show’ Picked Up by Filmotor (EXCLUSIVE)

Michaela was invited to the podcast where she discussed her job, taste for the cinema and the company.