Presenting a special screening of award-winning films from the prestigious Swiss festival Visions du Réel. Stream the films from its pandemic 2020 edition that captivated the festival’s expert juries. Here you'll find a selection of the very best world cinema has to offer.

Year after year, Visions du Réel Festival has proven to be one of the most important events in documentary cinema. And it doesn't matter if it’s held in person in the Swiss town of Nyon, as is the case in 2021, or entirely online, as was the case last year. It also certainly won’t be the last time we hear about these great filmmakers and their impressive films, which promise to remain vital voices for the future. While the majority of last year's entries were made available for viewers in Switzerland only, you now have the unique chance to see the best this festival has to offer entirely online, no matter where you are in the world.

Looking for recommendation? You won’t want to miss the Finnish film, Anerca, Breath of Life, which was screened as part of the international feature-length film competition and follows the indigenous cultures living beyond the Arctic Circle. Packed with singing and dancing, this fascinating, poetic-ethnographic documentary covering the modern-day life of these historically marginalised communities awaits you.

Check out Pyrale, a shining star and festival highlight of the Burning Lights competition section, which presents films bringing something new to the table. Pyrale follows the personal story of a teenage girl name Lou that’s juxtaposed with sci-fi-like phenomena experienced every year by the people of France’s Provence Region as they frantically work to prevent the rampage of parasitic butterflies.

Don’t have a DAFilms subscription yet? Until May 9th you can watch the film On Hold for free after registration (no subscription required). The 20-minute-long entry was awarded under the festival’s Short Film Competition. Finnish filmmaker Laura Rantanen offers a humorous take on generational clashes when she has older, retired men recount anonymous telephone calls made to a helpline for troubled teens who are under 20 years of age.