"For its powerful portrayal of restoring dignity, respect, and understanding to those who are abandoned, stigmatized, and isolated, thereby reaffirming humanity and fostering a profound appreciation for the complexities of life, the FIPRESCI Award for a Greek film is bestowed to Sculpted Souls by Stavros Psillakis."

"For highlighting the imperative of sustained resistance against a judicial system that is not only unjust but also corrupt, particularly in its neglect of marginalized lives and minority communities, the FIPRESCI award in the International Competition is bestowed to Free Leonard Peltier by Jesse Short Bull and David France."

"For its compelling portrayal of a case that illuminates the blatant violation of indigenous rights in America through the story of Leonard Peltier, who remains imprisoned for more than 50 years despite international calls for justice. With rich archival footage and powerful testimonies, the film highlights not only the personal ordeal of an activist, but also the tenacious struggle of Native Americans for justice, freedom and restoration of historical truth."

"Golden Alexander Award goes to a film that is a true labor of love. A sharp and funny meditation on "a film within a film", on family community and shared culture. It's a celebration of the soundtrack of the everyday life that takes us inside a world that is rarely accessed without condescension. An original contribution to a character-led documentary. The award goes to Endless Cookie by Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver."

"This is a powerful documentary about one of the most divisive, painful and enduring conflicts in the world today, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Its main protagonist is the Jewish comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi, who is equally fluent in Arabic and Hebrew. Her upbringing in the only community in modern Israel where Palestinians and Jews have lived together as neighbors and friends since 1970, "Oasis of Peace", gives her a unique perspective on genuine co-existence in a society where peace and mutual understanding feels like a pipe dream. With a compellingly constructed narrative and a fearless challenge to every taboo in the region, Noam's disarming voice and humor invite the audience to a deeper understanding as we laugh and cry with her, and reconsider our biases with open minds and hearts."

"This is a story of how individual conviction can challenge corruption, outdated systems, and political inertia to build community and reclaim a space of knowledge. With passion, the filmmakers expose the lasting imprints of colonialism while celebrating activism and the fight of two female friends for truly accessible public spaces; places where people can engage with their own narratives and histories. At a time when libraries around the world face ideological battles and funding shortages, this film is a reminder that knowledge must be defended!"

"For its humane depiction of people from different walks of life, desperate for change, we present the Mermaid award to the Italian film GEN_, for portraying a doctor, dedicated to providing them with a glimmer of hope in challenging times."

"The Silver Alexander Award goes to a film that traverses several documentary conventions, successfully deploying a form of "poethics" without losing precision, social and historical markers and a sense of collective art making that takes us inside the profound resilience of black culture. The award goes to Meanwhile by Catherine Gund."

"This investigative documentary delves into the case of the Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who, at the beginning of the film, has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years. Through incredible archival footage, skillfully crafted into an unfolding political thriller, the film exposes how the original court case relied on false testimony and omitted crucial evidence. Despite this injustice, relentless pressure from the FBI prevented Peltier from accessing parole for decades. It is an urgent and highly relevant story, with up to the minute coverage, of how the younger generation of Native American leaders continues to fight for Peltier's release. This powerful film speaks to the history of human rights abuses against the Native Americans, and their multi-generational resistance, while highlighting the ongoing struggle over their sovereign nation land rights and resources."

The jury was moved by the warm heart and rebellious spirit of this film, which despite giving us a local story, reminds the audience about the healing and connecting qualities that art, in this case music, can have for people across generations and borders.

"For the intensive research into a largely unknown archive and the attempt to create a visual language that corresponds to the subject matter."

"We want to give a special mention to Child of Dust. This intimate and moving film follows Sang, the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American soldier, in his search for his American father and their troubled reunification. It is a beautifully shot cinèma vèritè portrait that tells a universal story about the generational consequences of war and the longing for paternal love."

"This is a film about loneliness, the need to find a lost self through the connection with the most primitive version of nature. It also raises moral dilemmas and makes us see with its beautiful cinematography the problems of the civilized and supposedly progressive world we live in."

"The film is a direct protest against the violation of a series of fundamental human rights, such as the right to life and liberty and the right to equality. It also brings out the pivotal importance freedom of expression plays in any democracy and for the mental health of people within it. An important part of the committee's decision has to do with the way in which an intractable, traumatic, complex, and long-standing conflict is approached through the art of comedy. The film uses humour bravely, in a way that perhaps alludes to Aristophanes' satirizing the ills of ancient Athenian democracy. And this is not only due to its obviously charismatic protagonist, stand-up comedienne Noam Sushter-Eliassi, but also to the filmmaker herself, Amber Fares, who located her subject, and, through a persistent, sober observation that went on for years, offered her not only a generous platform for expression, but also had the talent of organising and pacing the filmed material in an excellent manner. In conclusion, this is an observational documentary that cleverly combines satire with the deeply unnerving personal experiences of its protagonist in order to speak of a conflict that touches the very core of its protagonist's identity and the identity of her country, recording key moments of intimacy, anxiety, confrontation and despair, but also perseverance, strength and hope - with tenderness and humour, always. For all these reasons, we unanimously believe that Coexistence, My Ass! deserves this year's TIDF "Human Rights in Motion" award."

"In Alpha Bank we place great emphasis on the right of every individual to take part as equally as possible in the cultural life of our country. We have committed ourselves to contributing, in any possible way and with every given chance, in the eradication of stereotypes, prejudice and obstacles that deprive people with disabilities of their fundamental right to be a part of and rejoice art and culture in physical spaces. Within this framework, we have joined forces with the Festival ever since 2019 in the hosting of universally accessible screenings. In 2022, we launched the Alpha Bank Accessibility Award that awards films that foreground accessibility issues in arts. This year, we were delighted to bestow the Alpha Bank Accessibility Award to Viktor, a gripping documentary of the acclaimed French artist and war correspondent Olivier Sarbil. The film director records Viktor, a deaf young man from Kharkiv, as he experienced the first days of the invasion against Ukraine. As his efforts to enlist are repeatedly turned down, he sets out on a mission to find his place and voice in a deafened world."