Al Jazeera Balkans Award at Beldocs 2025
The Al Jazeera Balkans Best Project in Progress Award was presented by Nejra Kozarić to the authors of the project Sentence from Birth.
Within the Beldocs Pitching Forum, the industry platform of Beldocs Industry Days, the Al Jazeera Balkans Best Project in Progress Award was presented during a ceremony led by Andrijana Sofranić Šućur, Head of Beldocs Industry, on 24 May 2025.
The forum took place from 22 to 25 May as part of the 18th edition of Beldocs – the Belgrade International Documentary Film Festival. According to organizers, this year’s event once again brought together “a vibrant community of regional and international documentary professionals for four days of pitching, networking, and creative exchange.”
The jury consisted of Carmen L. Vicencio (Supervising Producer and Programmer at POV), Jasmin Bašić (Programmer at Visions du Réel), and Diana Karklin (Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Rise and Shine World Sales). The Al Jazeera Balkans Best Project in Progress Award was presented by Nejra Kozarić, Executive Producer of the AJB DOC Film Festival, to the project Sentence from Birth by Diana Vlas and Daniela Miron (Republic of Moldova).
According to the jury, "this film offers a unique window to an otherwise universal experience. Despite what looks like the impossible situation of becoming a mother while incarcerated, what we are shown instead is resilience and courage anchored on unconditional love for one’s child.”
Sentence from Birth - About the Project
You can lose your freedom, but not your right to be a mother. “Sentence from Birth” documentary follows four women from different social backgrounds, all incarcerated and living in the House of Mother and Child at Penitentiary No. 16. Despite their diverse stories—ranging from embezzlement to human trafficking – they share one bond: each is a young mother, raising a child who will serve their sentence until the age of three.
The seemingly ordinary family-style setting is a unique space where women, some with little education and others with high school diplomas, care for their children in the prison system. After the child turns three, with the mother’s consent and the approval of the guardianship authority, the child is placed with a designated caregiver or specialised institution.
In addition to the Al Jazeera Balkans Best Project in Progress Award, cooperation with Beldocs is furthered through the Balkan Young Talents initiative. Jointly developed by the Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC) and the Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival and, this program enables eight young filmmaking talents from the Western Balkans to take part in an intensive educational program. Participants develop their short documentary film projects and engage with both Festivals.
The Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival runs from May 21 to 27 with diverse and carefully curated program, featuring both competition and non-competition sections, including more than 80 films and also offering a rich program for film professionals.