At the 28th edition of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, held within the Thessaloniki International Film Festival from March 8–12, the International Emerging Film Talent Fund proudly presented the IEFTF Best Doc in Development Award to Nava Mamă (Romania/France). The award was received by director Ana Vijdea and co-producer Louis Beaudemont.
The award, which includes a €10,000 cash prize, recognises outstanding emerging documentary projects at the development stage.
It was presented during the forum by Lianne Llewellyn, Director of IEFTF, alongside Gary Springer.
Nava Mama
SYNOPSIS
Nava Mamă follows Denis, a 15-year-old boy navigating the quiet complexities of village life. Sensitive to the subtle rhythms of his surroundings, Denis embarks on a journey through his community, where he encounters three women whose stories echo his own search for identity, resilience, and belonging.
Through these intertwined narratives, the film delicately explores coexistence, inherited pain, and the fragile emergence of hope—offering a poetic and deeply human portrait of connection and self-discovery.
Ana Vijdea
DIRECTOR
Director Ana Vijdea brings a rich and internationally recognised background in documentary storytelling. A graduate of the prestigious DocNomads programme, she also holds an MFA from Syracuse University as a Fulbright scholar, and a BA from Babeș-Bolyai University.
Her previous works—including short films and a VR project—have screened at leading festivals such as IDFA, True/False Film Fest, Visions du Réel, and MoMA Doc Fortnight. In recognition of her emerging voice, she was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”
Louis Beaudemont
CO-PRODUCER
After studying public administration in France and the United Kingdom, Louis Beaudemont began his career as a cultural project manager at the French Embassy in Moscow. He later founded Les Steppes Productions with Nikolaï Yarochenko in order to devote himself to the production of author-driven documentaries, with the aim of making the format a laboratory of forms for a wide audience, while supporting filmmakers who seek to convey an artistic, social, and/or political message. In parallel, he works as a journalist in Ukraine.
A Note of Gratitude
Receiving the award, Ana Vijdea shared:
“Thank you again for this generous award. I cannot express how much this means to us and, most importantly, to the development of the film.”