

FINALISTS | SHORTLIST: R · T · D | 2026 COMPETITION
Valery Marinov (BNT, Bulgaria), Sophie Bégin (CBC/SRC, Canada), Petr Hauzírek (ČT, Czech Republic), Pernille Munk Esmark Skydsgaard (DR, Denmark), Toni Mekhael (ART, Egypt), Eric Morfaux (ARTE G.E.I.E., France), Maik Platzen (ZDF, Germany), Sabrina Fiorito (TV2000, Italy), Carlos Maio (RTP, Portugal), Alona Holiakova (SUSPILNE UKRAINE, Ukraine), Nawfal Faizullah (BBC, United Kingdom).
The President: Sophie Bégin (CBC/SRC, Canada).
L'affaire Laura Stern (Laura's Treatments)
Authors: Marie Kremer, Frédéric Krivine. Direction: Akim Isker. Actors: Valérie Bonneton, Samir Guesmi, Pauline Parigot, Rym Foglia, Pascal Rénéric, Yannick Renier, Marie-Sophie Ferdane, Eva Huault, Darren Muselet, Catherine Amé. Sound Track: Eric Neveux. Producers: Emmanuel Daucé, Léa Gabrié (Tetra), Frédéric Krivine (Torcello). Producing Organisations: France Télévisions, Tetra Media Fiction, Torcello
Laura, a pharmacist and a mother, has devoted her life to helping victims of domestic violence, founding the organisation "Women Standing Tall". But when she witnesses the shocking murder of one of the organisation's members, her world is shattered. Tormented by the femicide and outraged by the indifference of the police and justice system, Laura decides to take matters into her own hands. How far will she go to protect the women around her?
Presented by: Akim Isker, Director
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Akim Isker is a director and screenwriter. Notably, he directed Laura's treatments, broadcast this year on FTV and HBO Max. After taking on a few film and television roles in his youth (such as in Nadir Moknèche's Viva Algeria), he pursued his true passion early on, directing his first feature film in 2011: The Hideout. This action-comedy was produced by Luc Besson and a young collective of actors, writers, and directors of which Akim Isker was a member. Since 2012, he has directed numerous television series and films - including Ben, No Limit, Captain Sharif, Visions, Copy Cat, The Crimson Rivers, Everybody lies, consistently placing human relationships and societal issues at the heart of his storytelling. In 2021, his TV movie Nobody's Child (adapted from the life story of Lyes Louffok, a former ward of the state) won multiple awards in France and internationally. In 2023, he directed À l'épreuve, which follows the journey of the first woman to join an "emergency sanitation" squad; the film won two awards at the 2024 La Rochelle Fiction Festival (Best Film and the Foreign Press Award). In 2025, his series Laura's treatments won the award for Best Drama Series at the La Rochelle Fiction Festival. |
M – Il figlio del secolo (M – The Son of the Century)
Screenplay: Stefano Bises, Davide Serino. Adapted from: "M. Il figlio del secolo" by Antonio Scurati. Direction: Joe Wright. Actors: Luca Marinelli, Barbara Chichiarelli, Francesco Russo, Benedetta Cimatti, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Paolo Pierobon, Maurizio Lombardi. Sound Track: Tom Rowlands. Photography: Seamus McGarvey. Producing Organisation: The Apartment Pictures (Fremantle)
"M – The Son of the Century" recounts the political rise of Mussolini and his creation: fascism. First a movement, then a party that Mussolini leads to the apex of Italian government, only to subvert democracy and establish a dictatorship. Through contemporary language – Mussolini breaks the fourth wall and addresses us directly to reveal his most unspeakable thoughts and comment on the turning points of history – the series offers an original portrait, pop and at times full of dark humour, of the man who – though he betrayed ideals, people and institutions and committed acts of unprecedented violence – made all of Italy fall in love with him and became its undisputed Duce.
Presented by: Stefano Bises, Headwriter
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Stefano Bises is an Italian screenwriter based in Rome, working across film, television, and podcasts. He came to screenwriting from journalism, and over his career has written around thirty films and television series. His recent work includes M. Il figlio del secolo, alongside credits such as Gomorra, The Young Pope, and Marco Bellocchio's Esterno Notte and Portobello. |
The Man Who Carried the Voices of August
Author: Ito Akihiko. Screenplay: Ikehata Shunsaku. Adapted from: A Will from the Future: The Story of One Hibakusha's Experience. Direction: Shibata Takeshi. Actors: Motoki Masahiro, Ishibashi Shizuka, Ito Aoi, Kino Hana, Kunihiro Tomiyuki, Ono Machiko, Tanaka Tetsushi, Abe Sadawo. Sound Track: Shimizu Yasuaki. Executive Producers: Kamo Yoshitaka, Osaki Hirokazu, Kumano Noritoki. Producers: Matsumoto Taichi, Morii Atsushi. Coproducing Organisation: WOWOW
Based on a true story, a journalist travels across Japan in the 1970s, conducting interviews with hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in this drama broadcast 80 years after the end of the Pacific War. The man devotes his life to the task, with the goal of collecting the "voices of August" of 1,000 hibakusha to preserve the story of their struggles for posterity. He lugs a heavy tape recorder on the road, working in isolation as those around him during Japan's post-war economic boom show little understanding of his efforts. Then he encounters one hibakusha whose vivid memories of his exposure to the bomb as a child in Nagasaki and his long recovery move the journalist deeply and renew his commitment to his project. However, those stories turn out to be steeped in mystery…
Presented by: Shibata Takeshi, Director
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Takeshi Shibata joined NHK in 1982 and went on to direct a wide range of acclaimed drama productions, recognized for their emotional depth and narrative strength. Since 2024, he has worked as an independent director. His honors include major awards at the Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA) National Arts Festival, the Hoso Bunka Foundation, the All Japan TV Program Production Companies (ATP) Awards, and the Broadcast Creators Association of Japan for works such as Natsume Soseki's Wife (2016), An Invisible Cradle (2018), How to be Likable in a Crisis (2021), Whispers of a Child of God (2023). In 2026, The Man Who Carried the Voices of August received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for broadcasting (one of Japan's most prestigious national honors in the arts and culture) and the Galaxy Awards Grand Prix in the television category. His other notable works include Clouds Above the Slope (2009–2011), the year-long historical drama series Taira No Kiyomori (2012), and The Farewell Hospital (2024, 2026). |