Michal Pazderka wins the III CESAG Social Documentary Festival

PalmCzech director Michal Pazderka won the 3rd Alberta Giménez Higher Education Center (CESAG) Social Documentary Festival, and Judit Arbona Espejo, a third-year Journalism student, won the 16th Alberta Giménez Journalism Prize. Both awards are supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation through Caixabank. The prizes were presented this Tuesday at a ceremony at the university center.

From 9:30 a.m., a selection of the finalist reports and documentaries were screened in the presence of Journalism, Audiovisual Communication, and Advertising and Public Relations students, as well as nearly one hundred high school students from Sant Josep Obrer School and Bendinat High School. During the ceremony, speeches were given by the Director of Institutional Banking at CaixaBank, Manolo Serra, and the award organizers and Festival directors, Dr. Ángeles Durán and Dr. Ricard Mamblona.

The first prize in the audiovisual category, worth 1,000 euros, was awarded to Head Up to the SunriseThe documentary, directed by Michal Pazderka, a student at the Miroslav Ondricek Film Academy (FAMO) in Písek, Czech Republic, follows the life journey of a young pilgrim who grew up in a children's home in the city of Písek. Through his experience, the film explores the processes of identity formation, the transition to adulthood, and the accompanying social perceptions, incorporating a perspective on racism and the sense of belonging to his community.

The second prize in the audiovisual category, worth 500 euros, was awarded to the documentary An Orphanage | Jamal FoundationThe documentary, directed by Hassam Iqbal, a student at the Lahore Institute of Art and Culture in Pakistan, is set in an orphanage in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, and depicts the daily lives of its residents. Through their personal stories, the film presents the experiences and circumstances of the children living in the institution.

The special mention, which includes a prize of 200 euros, was awarded to the documentary BlueThe documentary, directed by Emmanuel Gonzales Morveli, a Communication student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, recounts Emmanuel's childhood memories and his experience of coming out to his family, exploring how this process influenced his self-perception. The first prize in the written category, worth 500 euros, was awarded to Judit Arbona Espejo for her report. Mediterranean: silent crossing towards the promise of a better futureThe report gives voice, with rigor and sensitivity, to those who risk their lives at sea, combining verified data and direct witnesses who humanize a complex and urgent reality.

This year, 231 works were submitted by communication students from around the world. There are candidates from 61 different countries: Iran (17), Turkey (16), Argentina (15), China and Spain (12), Mexico (10), Egypt (9), and India and Colombia (8). During the 16-year history of the award, more than 1,500 reports and documentaries have been submitted (396 written and 1,155 audiovisual). The jury is made up of the directors of the main media outlets in the Balearic Islands.