The Awards

ONION MAIN AWARD – Between Revolutions by Vlad Petri

We would like to give the main Onion award to a documentary, which author and co-writers go beyond revolutions and civil unrest to uncover voices of women of a long-gone era. However, their hopes and wishes, love and friendship bring some extraordinary emotion to us, modern audience, here and now.

We also believe that the film has the most cinematic sequence in this MakeDox selection. It has dance and fire meeting in double exposure.

So the award goes to romanian director Vlad Petri and his documentary Between Revolutions.

ONION AWARD SPECIAL MENTION – We Will Not Fade Away by Alisa Kovalenko

There is also a film we would like to award with the special mention. It is a coming-of-age documentary, which persuades us that even in the hard times of war and uncertainty, the future still exists, and is worth to pursue. The special mention goes to Ukrainian director Alisa Kovalenko and his documentary We Will Not Fade Away.

MORAL APPROACH AWARD – On The Adamant by Nicolas Philibert

The Moral Approach Award goes by unanimity ON THE ADAMANT by Nicolas Philibert.

YOUNG ONION AWARD  – The Magic Mountain by Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt

Memories are fragile and this films shows how both personal and historical memory can be shattered. It offers a fresh and unique approach to explore and excavate personal trauma / horrors. The filmmakers weaves the personal, political and physical in a visually, almost claustrophobic experience of what has been in the past and present, while gesturing to the contemporary.

YOUNG ONION AWARD SPECIAL MENTION – The House of Wandering Souls by Pablo Lago Dantas

The special mention we want to give is not to a newcomer to the filmmaking community, but is a newcomer as a director. We any time acknowledge and encourage him on this new path. 

SLICED ONION AWARD – Haulout by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev

On a remote Arctic coast in a shabby hut, a lonely man spends his days waiting for something.

And when that happens, the images of an almost surreal Arctic World with hundreds of thousands of walruses on the shore suddenly reveal striking consequences of climate change.

Visually stunning and masterfully directed, the best short documentary at Makedox is HAULOUT by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev.

SLICED ONION AWARD EX AEQUO SPECIAL MENTION – At The Water’s Edge by María Elorza and Iñigo Salaberria

A personal contemplative story about the creative process and the passage of time told in a thoughtful structure, using archival footage documenting man-made changes to the landscape over time.

A special mention goes to the dreamlike short documentary – AT THE WATER’S EDGE by María Elorza and Iñigo Salaberria.

ONION SEED AWARD – Achewiq, The Song Of The Brave Women by Elina Kastler

The main prize goes to a film that deals with the topic of healing and grief in an unpretentious and meticulous way. This film is a testament to the strength and resilience of women and also a sensitive and poetic exploration of unity and the power of music to heal and transform.  

ONION SEED AWARD SPECIAL MENTION – Budapest Silo by Zsófia Paczolay

The jury was impressed by this film’s nuanced portrayal of the main protagonist. The film does not shy away from the harsh realities of his hard work, but it also shows the human side of it, persistence and determination. Refusing to give up on his dream of a better life, it is a powerful and moving testament to the human spirit.