6TM and ‘Searching for SmarterChild’ Win Ji.hlava Awards — SkimNews
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- 6TM won the New Visions Award for the most promising European project at the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival on Friday; Karim Akalay directed and Walid Bekhti produced the Belgian film.
- 6TM unfolds in three chapters across one family during a scorching summer in Cité Modèle, Brussels’ largest housing project, combining a magic lamp, a soccer tournament and stolen rain with housing and community concerns.
- Searching for SmarterChild won the New Visions Award for the most promising U.S. project, directed by Lindsey Sitz and Zan Gillies and produced by Erin Williams-Weir.
- Searching for SmarterChild revisits the 2003 creation of SmarterChild and users who confided in, insulted and propositioned the chatbot, examining accountability and what it takes to change both the technology people create and themselves.
- UPP donated an in-kind visual post-production grant worth about €15,000, while Soundaquare provided sound mixing and a final master valued at about €5,000, for about €20,000 in combined support tied to the award.
- AmDocs partnered on the most promising U.S. project award, which carried a $7,000 cash prize for ‘Searching for SmarterChild.’
- Signe Byrge Sørensen received the APA World Excellence Award for her contribution to international film production and achievements in world cinema.
Why it matters: Ji.hlava backed its category winners with material support, not just recognition: ‘6TM’ gained about €20,000 in post-production and sound services, while ‘Searching for SmarterChild’ gained $7,000 in cash. The awards give the two projects distinct resources, while the juries spotlight participatory European storytelling and AI accountability.
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