James Longley's ‘Mohabat’ Wins Opus Bonum at Ji.hlava Documentary Festival

The film follows a 12‑year‑old boy orphaned after his father's death in a drone strike.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:50:10 GMT

What happened

James Longley's documentary “Mohabat” won the Opus Bonum section at the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival on Saturday, Variety reported.

The film, produced by Mohammad Sharif Hotan, director James Longley and Oscar‑winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, follows a 12‑year‑old boy whose father is killed in a drone strike and who is placed in a city orphanage.

What the reports add

Elvis A‑Liang Lu’s “Songs From Within” received a special mention and an award for editing.
Nona Giunashvili’s “Sacred Songs” was named Best Central and Eastern European Documentary.
Filip Remunda’s “Love Exposed,” Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez’s “Life Is There,” Ania Winiarska’s “Good Girls,” and Diana Martínez’s “19th Floor” were also recognized.
Brydie O’Connor’s “Barbara Forever,” about artist Barbara Hammer, won the Testimonies award.
In the First Lights section, Philipp Fröhlich won the main award for “After the Rehearsal.”
Dominika Kováčová triumphed with “Elusiveness of Today,” praised for its visual storytelling.
Martin Páv received Czech Joy’s main award for “Glowing.”
Klára Trsková and Anežka Horová won the Exprmntl.cz award for “On the Peaks of All the Beech Mountains.”
Vietnamese‑American filmmaker Trinh T. Minh‑ha was honored with the Contribution to World Cinema Award and discussed her upcoming film “The Undying Desert.”

What was said

“By patiently observing the boy’s interactions with his two older brothers and the routines and rhythms of life in his village school, the film creates a complex and sympathetic portrait of an individual, a family and a community, stripping away the customary clichés,” the jury said, calling the film “meticulously researched and exquisitely crafted.” – Variety

“Connecting with others through art was really at the core of her practice. It’s also why she loved teaching. I definitely try to take at least a page out of Barbara’s book in that regard,” O’Connor told Variety about “Barbara Forever.”

“After one screening, a woman came up to me. She said: ‘I’ve never heard of Barbara Hammer. I’m from Texas and I’m not queer. But I was so moved because my father is at the very end of his life… After seeing this movie, I finally understand what he’s saying.’” – O’Connor, Variety

“You set up the rules for yourself. I’m very glad that I was able to stick with the path I chose and not be intimidated by all these oppressive regulations,” Trinh T. Minh‑ha said about her filmmaking philosophy.

“Cinema is not just an experience for the eyes. It’s an experience for the whole body… In East Asia, the senses are not that separate. They overlap. A painter is also a musician and a poet. I think it’s the same with film.” – Trinh T. Minh‑ha, Variety

How it came about

The Opus Bonum award is the festival’s main competition prize, presented after a jury review of the selected documentaries. The jury’s statement highlighted the film’s methodical observation of daily life in a war‑torn Afghan village, which set the stage for its win.

Key facts

“Mohabat” won the Opus Bonum award at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival. (variety.com)
The film was produced by Mohammad Sharif Hotak, James Longley and Alex Gibney. (variety.com)
The jury described the film as “meticulously researched and exquisitely crafted.” (variety.com)