Cinema for Peace Awards 2022
The Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year 2022
Winner: CODA
Directed by Sian Heder
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. The film highlights the humanity of those with disabilities, while portraying a nuanced representation of the deaf community.
NOMINEES:
A Hero
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Rahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment from part of the sum. But things don't go as planned due to social media. A film about honesty, honor, and price of freedom, exposing the pitfalls of media manipulation in modern Iran.
The Power of the Dog
Directed by Jane Campion
Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love. The film breaks the stereotype of macho cowboys in a spectacular and refined fashion, as not seen since Brokeback Mountain.
Belfast
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
A semi-autobiographical film which chronicles the life of a working class family and their young son's childhood, during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital.
The Survivor
Directed by Barry Levinson
Post World War II, Harry Haft is a boxer who was forced to fight fellow prisoners in Auschwitz. The film shows the cruelest Nazi measures - with jewish Holocaust victims being forced to fight to death. Haunted by memories and guilt, Haft attempts to use high-profile fights against boxing legends like Rocky Marciano, as a way to find his first love again.
Escape from Mogadishu
Directed by Seung-wan Ryoo
In 1991 war-torn Somalia, the personnel and the families of both the South Korean and the North Korean embassies have the same goal: to escape from Mogadishu. The film portrays possibilities of coexistence among North and South Korea amidst an impending danger.
Munich: The Edge of War
Directed by Christian Schwochow
A British diplomat travels to Munich in the run-up to World War II, where a former classmate of his from Oxford is also en route, but is working for the German government.
Blue Bayou
Directed by Justin Chon
As a Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make a life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past, as he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home. The film provides an in dept glimpse into the ideas of Nationality, Citizenship, and demands justice for adopted immigrants facing deportation.
The Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Documentary of the Year 2022
Winner: Flee
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
NOMINEES:
Ascension
Directed by Jessica Kingdon
The absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the "Chinese Dream." This observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China, that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.
Paper & Glue
Directed by JR
Using unexpected canvasses, JR's intention is to give a global voice to everyday people through a genre-blending combination of public art, photography, and large format spectacle.
The Rescue
Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Follows the story of the Wild Boars youth soccer team, who got trapped and their dramatic 2018 rescue.
The Devil's Drivers
Directed by Daniel Carsenty, Mohammed Abugeth
Chased by the army, two Beduin smuggle Palestinian workers through the Negev desert. A portrait filmed over five years about men living on the edge in one the most fragile regions of the world.
Sabaya
Directed by Hogir Hirori
The Film follows a group into Syria's Al-Hol, a dangerous camp in the Middle East, as they risk their lives to save a women being held by ISIS as abducted sex slaves.
Memory Box: Echoes of 911
Directed by David Belton, Bjorn Johnson
Documentary collects accounts of 9/11, recorded in the months after the attacks, and present-day testimonials from the same eyewitnesses.
Babi Yar. Context
Directed by Sergey Loznitsa
Nazi troops massacre 30,000 Jews over a three-day period in September 1941.
The Cinema for Peace Award for Women’s Empowerment 2022
Winner: Writing with Fire
Directed by Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.
NOMINEES:
Hive
Directed by Blerta Basholli
Fahrije's husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo. She sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision.
Be My Voice
Directed by Nahid Persson
Journalist and activist Masih Alinejad is the voice of millions of Iranian women rebelling against the forced hijab on social media. Leading one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in today’s Iran, Masih uses her freedom in exile to amplify the protest in her home country. The regime tightens its grip to regain control, and Masih’s courage is tested when violence and oppression threaten her own family members.
Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam
Directed by Nefise Özkal Lorentzen
In the 1960s, the hippies championed the idea of a sexual revolution. They received neither Fatwas nor bodyguards. Today, Seyran Ates - a Turkish- German lawyer, feminist, and one of the first female Imams in Europe - is fighting for a sexual revolution within Islam. In return, she was shot, received fatwas and death threats, and now has to live under constant police protection.
The Ballad of a White Cow
Directed by Maryam Moghadam, Behtash Sanaeeha
In Iran, Mina's life is turned upside down when she learns that her husband was innocent of the crime for which he was executed, so she starts a silent battle against a cynical system for her own and her daughter's sake.
L'événement
Directed by Audrey Diwan
An adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s eponymous novel, looking back on her experience with abortion when it was still illegal in France in the 1960s.
The Cinema for Peace Award for the Political Film of the Year 2022
Winner: Not Going Quietly
Directed by Nicholas Bruckman
Ady Barkan's life is upended when he is diagnosed with ALS, but a confrontation with a powerful senator catapults him to national fame and ignites a once-in-a-generation political movement.
Winner: Courage
Directed by Aliaksei Paluyan
An inspiring and encouraging documentary about the peaceful uprising of a nation against injustice and the brutal oppression of their democracy movements.
Winner: The Caviar Connection
Directed by Benoit Bringer
Despite imprisonment, journalist Khadija Ismayilova courageously exposes the intricate corruption tactics of the families ruling Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. Their dictatorships violate multiple human rights and launder public funds. A thrilling investigation on how easily power is bought.
NOMINEES:
President
Directed by Camilla Nielsson
Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The leader of the opposition MDC party, Nelson Chamisa, challenges the old guard ZANU-PF led by Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as "The Crocodile." The election tests both the ruling party and the opposition.
Behind the Headlines
Directed by Daniel Andreas Sager
While filming a documentary about the murdered journalist, Daphne Caruana Galicia, investigative journalists Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier are contacted by an informant with information that could bring down a government.
Revolution of Our Times
Directed by Kiwi Chow
Due to political restrictions in Hong Kong, this documentary following protestors since 2019, is broken into pieces, each containing interviews and historical context of the conflict.
The Cinema for Peace Award for Justice 2022
Winner: Navalny
Directed by Daniel Roher
Follows the man who survived an assassination attempt by poisoning with a lethal nerve agent in August 2020. During his months-long recovery he makes shocking discoveries about the attempt on his life and decides to return home.
NOMINEES:
Attica
Directed by Stanley Nelson
This unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising from Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
Judges Under Pressure
Directed by Kacper Lisowski
In Poland, judicial independence is under serious pressure from the right-wing government: judges are being vilified, fired, or arrested. Judge Igor Tuleya becomes the face of the protest movement and fears for his job and his life.
The Chocolate War
Directed By Miki Mistrati
American human rights lawyer, Terrence Collingsworth has worked tirelessly for 13 years to hold Nestlé and Cargill accountable for their crimes against children in Africa, who are subject to trafficking and slavery, in order to provide the cheapest cocoa possible.
The Case
Directed by Nina Guseva
Lawyer Maria Eismont works to get the wrongly convicted activist Konstantiv Kotov released. All her media appearances come to nothing, and each appeal is rejected - until Putin suddenly appears on the scene.
The First Step
Directed by Brandon Kramer
In a divided America, Van Jones attempts to pass a landmark criminal justice bill - and finds himself under fire from all sides.
The International Green Film Award 2022
Winner: Milked
Directed by Amy Taylor
A young change-maker goes deep into dairy land and takes on the giants of New Zealand's most powerful industry, exposing the whitewash and searching for solutions.
Winner: Eating Our Way to Extinction
Directed by Ludo Brockway, Otto Brockway
Starring globally renowned figures and the world's leading scientists, changing the way people look at their food or the food industry.
NOMINEES:
Don't Look Up
Directed by Adam McKay
Kate Dibiasky, an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy make an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system. The problem — it's on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem? No one really seems to care.
Becoming Cousteau
Directed by Liz Garbus
Focusing on the inventor-explorer-environmentalist-filmmaker revolution, giving mankind the resources to explore the ocean with the Aqua Lung, calling attention to ocean pollution, and his longtime collaboration.
Burning
Directed by Eva Orner
Looks at the deadly Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known as 'Black Summer'. An exploration of what happened as told from the perspective of victims of the fires, activists and scientists.
Who We Were
Directed by Marc Bauder
A group of charismatic free-thinkers, including an astronaut, a deep-sea researcher, a Buddhist monk, a philosopher, a humanist, and an economist, searches for practical ways to save the world.
Fin
Directed by Eli Roth
Some scientists, researchers and activists sail around the globe to unveil the truth behind the death of millions of sharks, exposing the criminal enterprise that is impacting the extinction of the misunderstood creatures.
Meat Me Halfway
Directed by Brian Kateman, Journey Wade-Hak
The path to going plant-based has obvious upsides, but can also be isolating and difficult. Shouldn't there be some middle ground for people looking to make a change without totally upending their lives? Leader of the Reducetarian Movement, Brian Kateman explores this issue through the lens of his own personal decision to reduce eating meat. Grappling with how to sort through conflicting advice, Brian seeks a practical path forward.
River's End: California's Latest Water War
Directed by Jacob Morrison
A documentary that reveals California's struggle over who gets fresh water, and how moneyed interests game the system. Battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis - not just in California, but around the world.
The Cinema for Peace Award on Global Health 2022
Winner: Introducing, Selma Blair
Directed by Rachel Fleit
A deeply intimate and raw portrait of Selma Blair after she is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and tries to slow the progression of her disease.
Nominees:
The First Wave
Directed by Matthew Heineman
A documentary following nurses, doctors, and administrators as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In The Same breath
Directed by Nanfu Wang
How did the Chinese government turn pandemic cover ups in Wuhan into a triumph for the Communist party?
White Coat Rebels
Directed by Greg Barker
In this probing look inside the medical profession, the film examines the corrupting influence of Big Pharma and the courageous "white coat rebels" fighting back against the status quo.
Fauci
Directed by John Hoffman, Janet Tobias
A glimpse into infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci who has led the U.S. fight against every epidemic the country has faced from AIDS to SARS to Ebola, and COVID-19.
The Brain
Directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron
A documentary about the future of humanity, that is both deeply political and philosophical, and where discoveries are so advanced they could be science-fiction. By the director of Cleveland vs. Wall Street (Cannes 2010 Director’s Fortnight) and The Paris Opera.