{"id":39336,"date":"2025-11-18T09:54:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T08:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/?p=39336"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:06:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:06:09","slug":"impact-lab-2026-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/pro\/news\/impact-lab-2026-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Lab 2026 selection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The FIFDH programme for professionals returns for an 8th edition! Impact Days is made up of inspiring public events \u2013 both online and in person in Geneva \u2013 and an annual Impact Lab training programme for international film projects. We are excited to announce next year\u2019s 12 selected projects!<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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The FIFDH section for professionals, Impact Days<\/a>, features an intense and international annual training programme: the Impact Lab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year we select compelling documentary projects from around the world and, over several months, train the filmmaking teams to craft an impact strategy. When the teams come to Geneva in March, we connect them with dozens of NGOs, international organisations and philanthropists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This year we received almost 200 submissions from 70 countries – with all 5 continents represented. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Tough choices were made by the selection committee, who you can meet right right here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Palestinian<\/strong> amputee cyclists trying to represent their country on the world stage, to Mexican<\/strong> avocado communities pushing back in the face of global demand; from the protection of indigenous cultural heritage in India<\/strong>, to the promotion of HIV patients\u2019 rights in Albania<\/strong>; from a new Burmese<\/strong> generation fighting to rebuild the country without weapons, to Ukrainian<\/strong> children processing their memories after escaping Russian re-education camps, through to white supremacist groups in rural USA<\/strong> and more, our selection goes around the world to report and impact upon urgent issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details below and on our<\/em> online catalogue<\/em><\/a>, designed for NGOs, international organisations and impact funders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 12 selected projects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Quatre <\/div>

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Gaza Sunbirds<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
<\/em>by Flavia Cappellini (Italy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a young amputee cyclist and his underdog team of bike racers chase their dream of representing Palestine on the world stage, their six-year mission becomes a matter of life or death as bombs descend on Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Un <\/div>

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Green Gold<\/strong><\/em><\/strong>
<\/a>by Selim Benzeghia (France) and Ivonne Serna (Mexico)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mexico, the world\u2019s avocado capital, land defenders and local producers confront cartel violence, deforestation, and each other\u2019s choices, as global demand pushes their communities to the brink.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Une <\/div> <\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Green Is the Fire\u2019s Tint<\/a><\/em><\/strong>
by Arya Rothe (India), Isabella Rinaldi (Italy) and Cristina Hanes (Romania)

Through the personal struggle of Somi, an ex Maoist rebel, the film calls for collective action to protect the land, quality of life, and the living cultural heritage of indigenous communities in central India.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Un <\/div>

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Olimbi – Mother Courage<\/strong><\/em><\/strong>
<\/a>by Karlo Mlinar (Croatia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2003, Olimbi Hoxhaj discovered that she and her children were HIV positive in Albania. No treatment was available. Facing stigma, institutional neglect and patriarchal silence, today she has become a leading voice for HIV patients\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n \"Un

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Confidential Project<\/a><\/strong>
<\/em>by an Afghan filmmaking collective<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This character-driven documentary captures the underground scenes of women\u2019s historic resistance in occupied Kabul.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Un <\/div>

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The Blue Sweater With a Yellow Hole<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>
by Tetiana Khodakivska (Ukraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With unparalleled access to Ukrainian children who escaped Russian re-education camps, this film shows them processing and drawing their traumatic memories. Their sketches transform into animations that help them, and us, understand indoctrination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Un <\/div>

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The Quiet Part<\/strong><\/strong>
<\/a><\/em>by Rachel Lauren Mueller (United States)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a pagan white supremacist group takes root in a quiet American farming town, it sparks an intense struggle over who has the right to belong – offering a disturbing warning about the normalization of extremism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Une <\/div>

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This Is Not a Civil War<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
<\/em>by Oliver Petrie (France)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hnin, a Burmese activist who took refuge in Thailand after the 2021 coup, returns clandestinely to Myanmar. In the jungle, she meets young people who, without weapons, heal, educate, and inform to rebuild a democratic society.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n \"C'est

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UFO<\/a><\/em><\/strong>
by Anonymous<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is confidential; as such we cannot currently publicly disclose more information. We will contact pertinent organisations and foundations to organise direct meetings with the project team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Une <\/div>

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War on Women<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
<\/em>by Maris Salumets (Estonia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she discovers her mother\u2019s allegiance to a far-right movement, director Maris Salumets embarks on a global quest to expose an international network that is dismantling democracy and gender rights under the guise of \u201ctraditional family values.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Vue <\/div> <\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Water Is Coming<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
<\/em>by Lansana Mansaray (Sierra Leone)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is confidential; as such we cannot currently publicly disclose more information. We will contact pertinent organisations and foundations to organise direct meetings with the project team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Trois <\/div>

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Women and War<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
<\/em>by Elwira Niewiera (Poland)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Ukrainian women, survivors of captivity and war-related violence, undergo therapy for war trauma. A powerful female story of resilience, strength, and determination to reclaim life from the scars of war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n \n Impact Days catalogue<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The FIFDH section for professionals, Impact Days, features an intense and international annual training programme: the Impact Lab.  Every year we select compelling documentary projects from around the world and, over several months, train the filmmaking teams to craft an impact strategy. When the teams come to Geneva in March, we connect them with dozens […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,26],"class_list":["post-39336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifdh","category-pro"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39336"}],"version-history":[{"count":67,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39995,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39336\/revisions\/39995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}