“SILVER” WINS THREE AWARDS AT JI.HLAVA INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
The multi-award-winning documentary Silver, directed by Natalia Koniarz, has achieved further international success at the 29th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, winning three major prizes in the main Opus Bonum competition: Best Documentary Film 2025, Best Documentary Film in the Visegrad Region, and Best Cinematography.
Recognized as one of the most important documentary film events in Central and Eastern Europe, the Ji.hlava Festival has, for nearly three decades, been a vital meeting point for filmmakers, producers, and critics from around the world, providing a space for reflection on contemporary issues through film. The Opus Bonum section, in which “Silver” was presented, featured 18 feature-length documentaries from across the globe, showcased in world, international, or European premieres. The jury of this section awarded prizes for Best Film, as well as distinctions for cinematography, editing, and sound design.
In its statement accompanying the main award, the jury wrote:
“Some people in our winning film believe that their lives and deaths are governed by a ferocious demon-deity. But they're at the mercy of evils that are of this world too. Somehow, this enormously cinematic documentary makes gigantic issues like colonialism and economic disparity tangible, by telling its strange, sorrowful story — of a place as inhospitable as the surface of the moon — in images and soundscapes that even now remain scorched into our minds. Still practically feeling the grit beneath our fingernails and tasting the mineral dust on our tongues, the jury is honored to unanimously award the Best Documentary Film in the 2025 Opus Bonum Competition to SILVER, directed by Natalia Koniarz”.
The film also received the award for Best Documentary Film in the Visegrad Region and Best Cinematography, credited to Stanisław Cuske.
Winning three awards at one of Europe’s most prestigious documentary film festivals is undoubtedly a remarkable recognition for "Silver" and its creators. The success in Ji.hlava confirms not only Natalia Koniarz’s artistic maturity but also her sensitivity to pressing contemporary issues, which deeply moved the international jury. It represents a significant milestone in the film’s international trajectory, highlighting the strength and visibility of Polish documentary cinema on the global stage.
Immediately following its international premiere in Ji.hlava, the film will embark on a festival tour around the world. At the beginning of November, it will be screened at the prestigious Black Nights International Film Festival in Tallinn, as part of the Best of Docs section. Recently, the film and its creators were featured in the popular New York magazine Variety — the full article can be read here.
The film was produced by Maciej Kubicki (Telemark), with co-producers Torstein Grude Ruwê Yuxinawá (Piraya Film / Norway), Iikka Vehkalahti (IV Films / Finland), Silesia Film, and mx35, and executive producer Paweł Pawlikowski. The film’s international festival agent is KFF Sales & Promotion.
The full list of award-winning films and jury statements can be found here.