This year, AJB DOC was host to hundreds of foreign and local guests and many renowned documentary filmmakers and industry professionals, who recognized the vast potential for promoting and distributing documentary films in this festival, the organizers inform.

Following the seventh AJB DOC video retrospective, Festival director Edhem Fočo addressed the large audience at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC), emphasizing that this year's edition exceeded expectations.

"I was hoping we would repeat last year's success, but this edition surpassed all the previous ones. Almost all the screenings sold out days in advance, the audience requested an extra ticket for most of them, and we brought in extra chairs, not wanting to leave anyone without the opportunity to watch the film at our festival," Fočo said.

"From the beginning, our mission has been to bring high-quality, interesting and educational documentary films and give the audience impressive stories about ordinary people. And the audience recognized that," added Fočo.

The international five-member jury decided on the best film of the Seventh AJB DOC Film Festival: Deborah London-Harrington, a documentary filmmaker and Head of Production Management at Dogwoof; Namik Kabil, a film director and writer; Mila Turajlić, a documentary filmmaker; Francesco Montagner, a documentary filmmaker; and Myriam Francois, a journalist and documentary filmmaker.

The award for the best film (AJB DOC Main Award) went to "Smiling Georgia" by Luka Beradze. The film tells a story about the costs of the half-truth politicians tell and the false promises they make to retain power.

"This film deals with the subject of justice in an artistic, cinematic and poetic way. Through the beauty of a toothless smile, the author tells a universal story about ordinary people, abandoned and forgotten by politicians who do not care about their troubles. That is happening in a world which considers healthcare a privilege for most people," the jury added, explaining its decision.

The Al Jazeera Balkans Program Jury Award, deliberated by Lejla Dedić, Sead Kreševljaković and Đani Hasečić, went to José Carlos Soares, Tanju Şahin and Aslıhan Eker Çakmak for their film " Holy Redemption", which uncovers Israel's strategies to systematically steal or "seize" private Palestinian land and displace Palestinians.

"Without any pretension for artistic expression and made more in the form of a journalistic investigative TV documentary, this film directly confronts us with the truth from the perspective of radical Israelis. It is revealing terrifying hatred and exposing perhaps the most important element in understanding the treacherous colonial policy or apartheid, and showing the real reasons behind the unspeakable crimes against the people of Palestine, happening right in front of the whole world", the members of the jury explained.

The Audience Award will be announced in a few days once the counting of the votes for all the films screened at this year's AJB DOC is over.