BFM documentary film master's student won two awards at Short Pitch Program 2026
On May 10, the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Industry Award Ceremony took place, where "Bell Boy" — Akseli Leppänen’s graduation film — emerged as the evening’s biggest winner.
BFM documentary film MA student and Finnish filmmaker Akseli Leppänen received both the East Doc Award and the Polish Filmmakers Association Award for his film “Bell Boy” at the 2026 Short Pitch program.
Held in Warsaw, the Short Pitch program is part of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity documentary film festival and is co-organized by the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF). The program is aimed at emerging documentary filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe.
“Bell Boy” was one of seven projects selected for the program. In addition to a 5,000 PLN prize, Leppänen will receive professional consultancy for developing the film’s rough cut as well as a personalized festival distribution strategy to support the film’s further development and international circulation.
“Bell Boy” (20 min; dir. Akseli Leppänen, prod. Akseli Leppänen) follows 27-year-old Supavit Nummelin, a young man living alone in rural Finland with more than 1,800 church bells. Church bells have been his greatest passion since childhood, a fascination that began over 20 years ago. Now, he is preparing to fulfill his long-held dreams by attempting to play church bells from a hot air balloon and perform the organ at a church concert. “Bell Boy” is scheduled to premiere in June 2026.