The prestigious Silver Eye Award 2025 for the best documentary film from the East Silver Market will be announced during a special ceremony at Kino 35 on March 17 at 17:30 as part of the East Doc Platform & One World Film Festival.
The award recognizes outstanding documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, with the winner receiving a unique trophy and financial support, along with a year-long festival service provided by the East Silver Caravan, valued at €3,500. The purpose of the award is to support directors with innovative approach, authors of films that create social impact, filmmakers, who has the courage to open discussion on serious topics, and creators offering unique point of view.
READ ABOUT THE EAST SILVER MARKET AT THE EAST DOC PLATFORM HERE.
Nominated films:
9 MONTH CONTRACT (dir. Ketevan Vashagashvili, GE, 2025, 90')
In Tbilisi, homeless mother Zhana turns to surrogacy to provide for her teenage daughter, Elene. Hiding her pregnancies, Zhana faces relentless financial struggles and risks her health through multiple childbirths. As her body weakens, Elene matures, confronting her mother’s sacrifices. Through a decade-long bond with the duo, the film delves into their evolving relationship and the limits of a mother’s devotion.
A SONG WITHOUT HOME (dir. Rati Tsiteladze, GE, 2025, 88')
After 11 years of being locked away from the outside world by her parents due to fear of society, Adelina, a transgender woman from a small Georgian village, flees to Europe. Her mother remains behind, facing societal rejection by her family and community for supporting her child. As Adelina navigates an unfamiliar world, the weight of her past psychological scars lingers, complicating her ability to integrate into her new life.
OH, HEART DON'T BE AFRAID (dir. Ana Kvichidze, GE/DE, 2025, 90')
"Dachi is a transgender person (they/them) from a religious place in Georgia, oppressed by the Archbishop, religious society, and even their own family, they find an old witch, taught and empowered with her magic spells, and they begin to change reality.social oppression and to create a reality where they can be themself. As Dachi and Vardo become very close, Vardo helps Dachi overcome pain and find space to explore who they are and who they want to be. Their bond becomes even stronger, as they share stories and practice magic. But Dachi still struggles to empower themself and begins to look for ways to escape Lechkhumi"
WHAT ABOUT PETEY? (dir. Martin Trabalík, CZ/SK, 2025, 85')
After the sudden death of his wife, the main protagonist of the film, Mr. Jochec, must take on the care of his two teenage children: his daughter Vanesa and his son Petr, who have a severe autism spectrum disorder. Mr. Jochec now has to manage the family on his own and keep it together. While many fathers in such circumstances leave their families, Mr. Jochec chooses to face this challenge head-on, engaging in a daily struggle—from devoted care for his childrens and providing financial stability to managing household responsibilities.
BECAUSE I HAVE TO (dir. Jakub Kučera, CZ, 2024, 70')
The documentary Because I Have to delves into the life and art of Miloš Šejn (b. 1947), a visionary artist and former head of the Conceptual Art Department at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts. For nearly 60 years, Šejn’s immersive works have bridged nature, spirituality, and intermedial art. The film offers an intimate look at his intense performances and spiritual philosophy, blending tribal, environmental, and philosophical perspectives.
THE TOWN THAT DROVE AWAY (dir. Grzegorz Piekarski, Natalia Pietsch, PL, 2025, 70')
In Kurdistan, the last residents of the ancient town of Hasankeyf watch helplessly as centuries-old traditions disappear when the Turkish government floods their land. Rengin, a Kurdish shepherd, and Burak, the local barber, are caught in a political game where survival depends on obeying new rules that strip them of their identity.
HUNGRY (dir. Susanne Brandstaetter, AT, 2025, 97')
A mysterious Being in a near future investigates a world devoid of human life using voice recordings retrieved from the past – interviews made by filmmaker Susanne Brandstätter before the elimination events. The Being connects the dots to reveal how an economic system based on exploitation destabilized not only the food system, but also the whole planet. “Hungry” delivers solutions how to prevent this desolate tomorrow from becoming our today.
International jury:
Rohan Berry Crickmar
Producer / festival representative (UK)
Everything Was Decided in Movement Productions / Cork International Film Festival
Rohan Berry Crickmar is a Development Producer with LS Films in Edinburgh and a Documentary Producer for his Edinburgh production company called Everything Was Decided in Movement. He is also a member of the documentary programming team at CorkIFF and Industry Manager with Docs Ireland, Belfast. He also works with UK impact & distribution for Lightdox International Sales. His main focus is on Eastern and Central European documentary, and he is a fan of narratively compelling and formally innovative documentaries.
Marcella Jelic
Sales Agent (HR)
Split Screen
Established Split Screen for festival distribution and film sales in 2022. She is also collaborating with theatrical distributor Restart in Croatia. Previously she worked for Taskovski Films, sh e was festivals and promotion coordinator at Croatian Audiovisual Centre and programming director of film TV channel Klasik TV and documentary TV channel DOX TV. Her background is in journalism and film criticism.
Barbara Orlicz-Szczypuła
Festival representative (PL)
Krakow Film Festival
One of the programmers of the Krakow Film Festival, one of the most important documentary and short film festivals in Poland. She graduated from the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Before joining the festival she had worked in a film distribution company where she was responsible for film events. She is a president of the Krakow Film Foundation and CEO of KFF Sales&Promotion, the sales agency which promotes Polish documentary, animated and short films internationally. She is a member of the Polish FIim Academy.