The film is a joint Serbian, French, Luxembourg, Bulgarian and Lithuanian production and is inspired by a Serbian medieval epic poem. African migrants take the place of Serbian national heroes in the reimagining that tackles issues of identity, tradition and race.

The film’s lead actor, Ibrahim Koma, won best actor and cinematographer Jelena Stankovic received a special jury mention. This is in addition to the Europa Cinemas Label award for best film and the Ecumenical Jury prize.

The Grand Prix worth $25,000 will be shared between the film’s director, Stefan Arsenijevic, and producer Miroslav Mogorovich.

The Crystal Globe jury included Danish documentarian Eva Mulvad, Polish actor Marta Nieradkiewicz, Greek director Christos Nikou and Christoph Terhechte, head of German festival DOK Leipzig.

“I spoke with a lot of migrants before starting the film and realised a lot of them are completely like me,” Arsenijevic said in a after winning the award. “The media was talking about it only in numbers and analysis,” he said of the refugee crisis. “I wanted to make a human face of it, so I invented a love story. I thought this is the easiest way so we can actually identify and feel how it is to lose your home and be a refugee or migrant.”

Koma plays a 22-year-old Ghanaian refugee trying to integrate in Serbia, but he is on a much bigger quest to win back the woman he loves.

The Luxembourg production partner was Les Films Fauves.