Visions du Réel returns in 2025 for its 56th edition, reaffirming its status as one of the world’s most important documentary film festivals. With a program featuring 154 films from a record-breaking 57 countries, this year’s selection showcases the diversity and richness of non-fiction cinema. Among the most anticipated premieres is The Prince of Nanawa, the new film by Argentine director Clarisa Navas, which will have its world premiere at the festival. Also featured in the Burning Lights competition is El mundo al revés, co-directed by Argentine Agostina Di Luciano and Swiss filmmaker Leon Schwitter.

A Record-Breaking Edition and a Space for Auteur Cinema

The festival, taking place from April 4 to 13 in Nyon, Switzerland, will present 129 new productions, including 88 world premieres and 12 international premieres. In addition, 58 debut films will be screened, including 28 first features, reinforcing the event’s commitment to discovering emerging talent.

Among the selected titles, The Prince of Nanawa by Clarisa Navas stands out as one of the festival’s highlights. The film follows the metamorphosis of Ángel, a boy growing up between Paraguay and Argentina, over a span of ten years. With a running time of three and a half hours, it aligns with the observational and identity-exploring cinema that characterizes Navas’ body of work.

A Festival with a Global Vision

Visions du Réel 2025 marks a historic milestone by including films from 57 different countries. The programming embraces diverse approaches to portraying reality and challenges conventional documentary categories. The International Feature Film Competition includes works from Mongolia, Australia, Slovenia, Cameroon, and Argentina, while the Burning Lights section features films from China, Lebanon, Canada, Poland, and more.

The festival will also welcome major figures from the world of documentary and auteur cinema. Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck will receive the Honorary Award and offer a masterclass in collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and ECAL University of Art and Design Lausanne. Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania) and Cláudia Varejão (Portugal) will be honored with retrospectives of their work.

A Commitment to Culture and Documentary Cinema

In the lead-up to his final edition as festival president, Raymond Loretan emphasized the importance of culture in a global context marked by political tensions and disinformation. “Visions du Réel has become an essential event, attracting a broader and more diverse audience each year. In the face of the threats culture is facing, the festival strives to offer a space for dialogue, listening, and questioning,” said Loretan.

Artistic director Emilie Bujès highlighted the creative freedom of contemporary documentary cinema and the festival’s role as a platform for new voices. “We are thrilled that our selection continues to reflect our openness to the world and our dedication to auteur cinema. The participation of both established and emerging filmmakers speaks to the dynamism of the festival,” she stated.

A Competition Featuring Notable Names

The jury for the International Feature Film Competition will include Hama Haruka, director of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival; Eliza Hittman, American filmmaker best known for Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Silver Bear at Berlinale 2020); and Athiná-Rachél Tsangári, director of Harvest and Chevalier.

Among the standout films in competition are Anamocot by Marie Voignier, which follows the search for a mysterious animal by a zoo; Shifting Baselines by Julien Elie, a striking black-and-white film set around the SpaceX launch site; Little, Big and Far by Jem Cohen, a metaphysical journey led by a veteran astronomer; and Aurora by João Vieira Torres, a surreal diary that blends queer manifesto with a structural analysis of violence against women.