The first of which features car mechanic-turned-actor Abou Sangaré who took home both a César Award and the European Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Souleymane in the feature film Souleymane's Story. This film follows a Parisian food courier on his race against time to obtain the documents needed to apply for asylum. This is one of the few feature films in the Searching for Freedom category; the majority of the submissions are documentaries dealing with the difficult topic of oppression.

The second winner from last year’s festival was The Sky Above Zenica, a film that celebrates how ordinary citizens from a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina became environmental activists in the fight against industrial pollution. It is one of the many documentaries in the Ecosystems category that highlights the alarming state of our planet. Of the new documentaries this year, another standout in this category is The White House Effect which uses archival footage to illustrate how climate change became a political issue in US. During his time in office, then US President George Bush Sr presented climate data as being apolitical and objective and something that required the unification of opposing ideological camps to solve. However, corporate lobbyists transformed it into a political issue to meet their own short-term needs.

The documentary Doctor on a Trip, in the Czech Competition category, follows a group of scientists as they explore whether alternate treatments, such as the use of psychedelics, can be used to effectively treat mental illness. To test this, the team travels to the Amazon rainforest and spends time with the Huni Kui tribe. Finally, the documentary The Other One tells the story of “glass children” -- the healthy siblings of children living with a medical condition. The film follows the story of Johana whose sister Róza has autism and requires constant attention. The film follows Johana as her high school graduation approaches and shows her inner dilemmas and daily struggles.