HACC 2026 объявил победителей, фильм Hijra получил награду за лучшуюfeature

The award-winning documentary 'Paikar' by Dawood Hilmandi will take place at the Hollywood African Cinema Connection (HACC) 2026 event on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 7:30 PM.

The screening will be held in the Robben Island Museum Auditorium at the V&A waterfront in Cape Town.

A Family Torn Apart by Conflict

The film 'Paikar' tells the story of Dawood Hilmandi, a filmmaker born in Afghanistan and living in Amsterdam, who attempts to reconnect with his authoritarian father.

What begins as a personal story evolves into a deep exploration of themes such as displacement, memory, and the sense of belonging. After Hilmandi left Afghanistan and Iran, he built a life in the Netherlands, while his parents and brothers remained scattered across the globe, which is a constant reflection of the impact of war and migration on the family.

Within the documentary, Hilmandi travels back to Afghanistan with his father via Iran. This journey allows for a reexamination of painful memories and a rethinking of their complex relationship, showing a gradual transition from confrontation to understanding. Although Hilmandi's father is initially presented as a restrictive figure, the film reveals him as a complex individual shaped by his own experiences of war and forced displacement.

The Meaning of the Title 'Paikar'

According to IDFA, the film's title is a Persian word meaning 'warrior' or 'war'. It originates from Hilmandi's family nickname and serves as both a source of pride and a burden, illustrating how conflict shapes family identity across generations.

As a documentary, 'Paikar' examines the concept of 'home' not as a fixed location, but as a complex, unstable reality existing abroad.

Event Details

The film 'Paikar' has a running time of 97 minutes. The HACC event is produced by African Film DAO and Holocene Films.

Twelve authors from Minas Gerais have been selected among the finalists of the 2026 Jabuti Award. This literary award, celebrating its 68th edition, is recognized as the most traditional in Brazil and its winners will be announced next Tuesday, the 27th, at Sala São Paulo, located in the capital of São Paulo.

This year, professionals born in Minas Gerais compete in 11 categories out of the 23 established by the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL). The organization distributed these categories into four major thematic axes: Literature, Non-Fiction, Editorial Production, and Brazilian Book Published Abroad. The winners of each of these categories will receive a statuette and a prize worth R$ 5 thousand.

Additionally, the author awarded the title of Book of the Year will receive a prize of R$ 70 thousand and will have the opportunity to participate in an international book fair, whether in London, Bologna, Frankfurt, or Guadalajara, with all costs covered by the CBL.

Meet the Minas Gerais finalists

The representatives from Minas Gerais who advanced to the final phase include:

• Adélia Prado, from Divinópolis, nominated for the work «O jardim das oliveiras» in the Poetry category.
• Bárbara Mançanares, from Alfenas, with «A dança áspera das raízes», also in Poetry.
• Evandro Affonso Ferreira, from Araxá, representing Literary Novel with «Vez em quando, Billie Holiday».
• Fernanda Teixeira Ribeiro, from Uberaba, competing in the Debut Writer – Novel category with «Cantagalo».
• Humberto Werneck, from Belo Horizonte, with «Viagem no país da crônica» in the Chronicle category.
• Júlio Emílio Braz, from Manhumirim, nominated for the Youth category with the book «A escola do fim do mundo».
• Leo Cunha, from Bocaiúva, in partnership with Raquel Matsushita, in the Children's category with «A letra».
• Marcelo Lelis, from Montes Claros, with «Reparações» in the Comics category.
• Mateus Valadares, from Belo Horizonte, whose cover was selected for «O devorador: Zé Celso, vida e arte» in the Cover category.
• Nelson Cruz, from Belo Horizonte, with «Gran Circo» in the Illustration category.
• Ruy Castro, from Caratinga, with «Trincheira tropical: a Segunda Guerra Mundial no Rio» in the Biography and Reportage category.
• Virginia Siqueira Starling, from Belo Horizonte, with «Quem é essa mulher?: uma biografia de Zuzu Angel» in the Biography and Reportage category.

Understand how the Jabuti Award works

Founded in 1958, the Jabuti Award aims to recognize not only authors but also the professionals involved in literary production and initiatives aimed at encouraging reading. The 23 categories are structured into four main axes:

• Literature: Includes ten categories, including Short Story, Chronicle, Debut Writer – Poetry, Debut Writer – Novel, Comics, Children's, Youth, Poetry, Entertainment Novel, and Literary Novel.
• Non-Fiction: Covers six areas, such as Arts, Biography and Reportage, Creative Economy, Education, Business, and Health and Wellness.
• Editorial Production: Recognizes work in Cover, Illustration, Graphic Design, and Translation, totaling four categories.
• Innovation: Composed of three categories, it includes Reading Promotion – Project, Brazilian Book Published Abroad, and Reading Promotion – Digital Culture, the latter being a new addition this edition.

In addition to the awardees in these categories, the ceremony will feature the announcement of the Book of the Year, which represents the highest honor of the award.

Award news

In this edition, there have been significant changes: the winners of the Debut Writer – Poetry and Debut Writer – Novel categories will now also compete for Book of the Year. Furthermore, the Reading Promotion – Digital Culture category has been established, intended to honor projects that use digital platforms to connect readers and books, fostering reading communities.

In a parallel context, Atlético Mineiro player Gustavo Scarpa was invited to present one of the awards. He recently started publishing reviews on YouTube. After commenting on Leo Tolstoy's work «The Death of Ivan Ilyich», this book achieved high sales volume on Amazon Brazil. The athlete's dedication also served as inspiration for the creation of «Galeitura», a book club founded by an Atlético supporter, which already has over 120 thousand followers on social media.

The Hollywood African Cinema Connection (HACC) 2026 film festival will gather a jury with extensive experience in filmmaking, post-production, screenwriting, criticism, law, and immersive media.

This year's lineup includes specialists such as Luisa Vanjiku, a cinematographer from Kenya; Jerry Chiemeke, a writer and lawyer born in Nigeria; and Evette Vargas, a writer, director, and producer from the USA.

Luisa Vanjiku

Vanjiku is a film and post-production specialist with over fifteen years of experience working on feature films, television projects, documentaries, and commercials. She worked on the editing of 'Kati Kati,' which represented Kenya at the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. This film won the FIPRESCI prize in the Discovery section at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016.

Her other work as an editor includes 'Country Queen,' shot for Netflix and ARTE, as well as 'Sketchy Africans' and 'Bufis,' which was screened at the Warsaw International Film Festival. Vanjiku graduated from the directing class of the African Creative TV Fellowship program. Additionally, she is a partner and Director of Technical Affairs and Partnerships at the NBO Film Festival, and is a member of the editorial board of the Kenya Film Editors Association.

Jerry Chiemeke

Chiemeke is a writer, journalist, film critic, lawyer, and marketing communications specialist, born in Nigeria and residing in the UK. His works have been published in publications such as Die Welt, The i Paper, The British Blacklist, The Africa Report, Afrocritik, The Johannesburg Review of Books, Olongo Africa, The Lagos Review, and Culture Custodian.

His literary works have been nominated for various awards, including the Pushcart Prize, Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize, Diana Woods Memorial Award for Creative Nonfiction, Best Small Fictions, and Quramo Writers Prize. He is the author of the short story collection 'Dreaming of Ways to Understand You' (2020) and the poetry collection 'Notes for Nnedimma' (2019).

Evette Vargas

Vargas works as a writer, director, producer, and entrepreneur, covering the fields of cinema, television, and immersive media. She co-founded the production company Indigo Reign Films, which produces films, series, and podcasts. She has been recognized as an artist to watch by The New York Times, and her work has been featured in Forbes.

Vargas wrote, directed, and produced the short film 'Confessions,' which won the audience award at the Cannes Film Festival. She sold her drama series 'Muses' to TNT and developed projects for MGM, eOne, and Shout!. She also served as executive producer, screenwriter, and director of the digital series 'Dark Prophet' starring Henry Rollins.

Vargas holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from UCLA. The festival will present ten selected feature films, four of which were directed by women. Information about the festival is available on the HACC website, and screenings will take place in the Robben Island Museum Amphitheater.