Zojuist zijn in het Compagnietheater in Amsterdam tijdens de prijsuitreiking van het 25e IDFA de winnaars bekendgemaakt van de verschillende competitieprogramma’s. Esther Hertog ontving voor Soldier on the Roof zowel de prijs voor het beste debuut als de Dioraphte IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary.
Het juryrapport voor de IDFA Award for First Appearance ( € 5.000): 'In a conflict that unfortunately is more current than ever, the filmmaker takes a unique, seemingly innocent and lighthearted path to talk about the daily life of Jewish settlers, and their belief system, which in turn sheds light on the lives of the Palestinians surrounding them.'
Esther Hertog won eveneens de Dioraphte IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary (€ 5.000). De jury van die categorie zei het volgende over de film: 'A reflective portrait of a small community of Israeli settlers in Hebron, where they are outnumbered by Palestinian residents. Both communities believe that they have the historical rights to the same city. The film captures the absurdity of choices where logic and reality are overtaken by dogma and entrenched hatred. A debut film: Soldier on the Roof.'