Anna Jackova

Films nominated for the award Another Gaze

The Student Award Another Gaze celebrates unconventional documentary filmmaking. Its aim is to recognize the most formally intriguing film of the year, emphasizing originality and innovation in style and storytelling. The films in this category are selected and evaluated by a jury composed of students from the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts.

Find out who will receive the A Second Look Award on October 20, 2025, on our One World social media channels — stay tuned!
These three nominated films can be seen during One World Slovakia, taking place in Bratislava from October 21 to 26.

Militantropos 26.10 at 6 PM

The film Militantropos (2025) captures one of the ongoing tragedies in modern human history. The essence and significance of this documentary don’t lie in talking heads and confessions, but in raw and honest shots of destroyed, dirty buildings and war-torn Ukrainian countryside. The mosaic-like micro stories of the inhabitants create a unified story of a nation. The film has an organic and unstaged feel to it, showing us that war has more than just one face. The directorial trio of Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi, and Yelizaveta Smith don’t need many words or grand pathos to show what they want to express – the context itself is enough.

The Propagandist 23.10. at 6:30 PM

In his chilling documentary film The Propagandist (2024), director Luuk Bouwman uses previously unpublished interviews and footage from family archives, and propaganda films by Jan Teunissen, a filmmaker and the head of the film department of the Dutch Nazi party and SS during World War II. The documentary constantly raises questions about moral values and what can and cannot be forgiven and glossed over with such phrases as “I did it to make films” and “I only did what I was told.” Historians Rolf Schuursma and Egbert Barten appear here as liaison officers between historical reality and today’s (frustrated) viewers. The film serves as a warning, an extremely powerful one in today’s political climate, against the power of the media, which can be misused, and the dangers of art becoming an instrument of power.

Far from Being Lipizzans 22.10. at 8:15 PM

Documentary film Far from Being Lipizzans (Noch lange keine Lipizzaner, 2025) is an authorial project of the director Olga Kosanović, based on her own experience of obtaining Austrian citizenship. However, she doesn’t limit the topic to herself; through “talking heads” and authentic footage of people trying to obtain Austrian citizenship, she broadens the perspective to encompass the system itself. Her documentary skilfully and precisely intertwines national issues and concepts and applies them to Austrian identity, only to bring it to its knees. Thanks to the film’s humour and levity, the audience can enter the dialogue without the film feeling ponderous. The director employs bold colours and short dramatic sketches, as well as statements from Austrian experts on the issue. The film forces the audience to think about what defines our citizenship and how someone can be a mere stray cat when even the Lipizzan is not purebred.