Visions du Réel

Visions du Réel (Visions of Reality) is an internationally renowned documentary film festival held in April each year in Nyon, Switzerland. Established in 1969 as the Nyon International Documentary Film Festival, the event adopted its current name in 1995 and is the largest Swiss documentary festival.
At its inception, the festival promoted Swiss films and films that were otherwise inaccessible — that is, those created in the Eastern Bloc countries behind the Iron Curtain. Now open to worldwide entries, the week-long festival has been directed by film critic Jean Perret since 1995.
The festival was founded by Moritz de Hadeln (who later headed the Locarno International Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival and the short-lived New Montreal FilmFest of 2005) and his wife Erika de Hadeln:
Moritz de Hadeln directed the festival until 1979, and he assisted Erika when she took over as head of the festival from 1980 to 1993.
During the early years of the Nyon International Documentary Film Festival, Erika de Hadeln negotiated with the film authorities in East Europe and Russia — and worked with documentary filmmakers including Joris Ivens, Roman Karmen, Georges Rouquier, Basil Wright, and Henri Storck. The event served as a template for film festivals that followed, including those in Amsterdam and Munich.
Each year, the festival invites and pays tribute to a guest of honor who has made significant contributions in the field of documentary and/or fiction films. The honoree is awarded the prestigious Honorary Award (previously the “Prix Maître du Réel”). Past recipients include Claire Denis, Werner Herzog, Claire Simon, Peter Greenaway, Alain Cavalier, Barbet Schroeder, and Richard Dindo.
Visions du Réel is part of the Doc Alliance – a creative partnership between seven European documentary film festivals.
Sections
International Feature Film Competition
Burning Lights International Competition
National Competition
International Medium Length and Short Film Competition
Opening Scenes
Grand Angle
Latitudes
Awards
International Feature Film Competition
Sesterce d’or — Best feature film
Jury Prize — Most innovative feature film
Special Mention
Interreligious Award
Burning Lights International Competition
Sesterce d’or — Best medium length or feature film
Jury Prize — Most innovative medium length or feature film
Special Mention
National Competition
Sesterce d’or — Best medium length or feature film
Jury Prize — Most innovative feature film
Special Mention
International Medium Length & Short Film Competition
Sesterce d’or — Best medium length film
Jury Prize — Most innovative medium length film
Special Mention
Sesterce d’argent — Best short film
Youth Jury Prize — Most innovative short film
Grand Angle
Sesterce d’argent Prix du Public — Best feature film
Festival team
Presidents
1969-1973: Bernard Glasson
1974-1981: Maurice Ruey
1982: Denys Gilliéron
1983-1991: Armand Forel
1992-1997: Gaston Nicole
1998-2001: Jérôme Bontron
2002-2003: Peter Tschopp
2004-2009: Jean Schmutz
2009-2019: Claude Ruey
since 2019: Raymond Loretan
Directors
1969-1979: Moritz de Hadeln
1980-1994: Erika de Hadeln
1994-2010: Jean Perret
2010-2017: Luciano Barisone
since 2018: Emilie Bujès
References
External links
(in French, German and English)
Film festivals established in 1995
Film festivals in Switzerland
Documentary film festivals in Switzerland
Nyon
1969 establishments in Switzerland
Spring (season) events in Switzerland