THE PROGRAMMERS AND FILM EVALUATION CRITERIA

The group of Selectors are of different ages and nationalities, authors, filmmakers or experts in the field view over the course of two quarters around 700 films from the Faito Doc Calls for Proposals, proposals or suggestions from a group of advisors and experts from different countries, from discoveries made by the selectors themselves during other International Documentary Festivals. They then select up to 50 creative documentary films (feature, short and ultra-short films) from around 27 countries, by filmmakers whose visions of reality inspire a variety of evasions in us spectators. 

The diverse origins and professionalism of the selectors, their critical sense and in-depth look at particular realities, allow for intense debates and comparisons before providing a final selection of high quality. The poetic and human qualities of the films are always favoured over the quantity of works submitted.

Twice a month, the selectors meet in the house of artistic directors Nathalie Rossetti and Turi Finocchiaro (in presence and in visioconference) and discuss auteur documentary films from direct to experimental cinema, from intimist films to animated documentaries. Both the director’s point of view and the form and originality of the work are taken into consideration, as well as the theme and its multi-senses.

The debates mainly revolve around certain evaluation criteria.

ENRICA SCARAMELLA (IT)
I am a student of anthropology and development, fascinated by the potential of cinema of the real in telling stories that are necessary, intriguing and deeply human. I am honoured to be part of the selection team: a learning opportunity and a wonderful experience of Community! On the subject of this year’s theme, I care deeply about Faito, Faito Doc and the people who create and organise it every year. Together they create a unique atmosphere of curiosity and encounters, bringing light and celebrating a mountain that deserves to be protected. Enjoy the screenings, and one last thing: don’t be afraid to have a conversation!

DAVID ÁLVAREZ (CL)
Director, editor, photographer. My relationship with images stems from deep observation and constant reflection. Contributing to the creation of an aesthetic is, for me, a form of thought. Participating in the selection was an experience of listening and discovering the multiplicity of visions of reality. Contact—the most essential element of what it means to be human—was the key to accessing complex realities that often resist a single interpretation.

ELENA LE GOVIC (FR)
I grew up between France and Italy, with a constant passion for cinema and everything related to images. I have completed several projects in this field, particularly sensitive to reality-based cinema. My experience as a selector was a deeply warm and enriching adventure, conducive to the expression of everyone’s emotions and perspectives on these beautiful films.

MARIE VISCOGLIOSI (FR)
As an educational coordinator in Brussels for an association that combats school dropout, she accompanies young people with dedication and curiosity. Passionate about cinema, she has worked in festival organization and is part of selection committees in Belgium and France. She sees in images a language capable of creating connections. The theme of contact resonates with her as an invitation to explore.

FERDINAND GARCEAU (FR)
After working in various roles on film sets and elsewhere, I began making short films a few years ago. In 2025 I discovered the Faito Doc Festival, during a year spent in Italy. I am happy to be part of this selection committee, where different perspectives meet and engage with one another in championing a cinema that is somewhat off the beaten track. This year’s theme, Community, invites us to turn our gaze together towards human groups of every size, towards diverse, multifaceted and colourful collectives.

MARIA HERMOSILLO (MEX)
Passionate about Art and Cinema, Maria Hermosillo—of Mexican origin—has lived in Belgium for ten years. She works as a production manager and collaborates as an organizer and selector for various film festivals, including Festival en Ville and KinoLatino in Brussels. “I hope you will be receptive to the program we have created: a selection of feature films and short films with diverse flavors, all united by a special ingredient: ‘Contact’.”

FLORIAN FANIELLE (BE)
I am a young Belgian director and am currently working on several projects, including a feature-length documentary. I had the privilege of being a selector for the 2024 edition and am honored to be so again, especially for such a suggestive theme. Contact is, in a sense, the raison d’être of cinema: a film without contact is a film without an audience. I hope our selection can “touch” the heart of every festival participant.

NINA LANGLET (FR)
After several experiences at the International Film Festival of Amiens and the International Film Festival of Education in Évreux, where I now work in programming, distribution and event coordination, I continue a journey nourished by a passion for images and storytelling. I pay close attention to contemporary forms of documentary and short film writing, and to films that question our relationship with the world and with others, as well as to questions of transmission, cultural mediation and the circulation of works across different horizons and audiences. Come with me on this journey through perspectives, languages and emotions.

 

Evaluation criteria :

  • The director’s point of view: the original gaze that the director places on reality, his vision ;
  • The director’s empathy with the people he films and who become his characters ;
  • The cinematographic language: the way of telling, the original way of staging the story told through authentic and surprising shots at the service of the story and which never settle for a simple “reportage”, through personal visual and sound editing, the sense of rhythm and the art of mixing; a poetic, sensitive and original language ;
  • Taking into account the theme of the edition ;
  • Finally, the need to show, through cinema, visions of the historical reality of the human being and the world in which we live, thus choosing films that provoke reflexion, positive “conflicts”, to enrich knowledge and encourage the life journey of each spectator, attentive to both social and environmental issues by retracing the past in the present and in anticipation of the future.