Jury Decisions 2025
FEATURE-LENGTH FILM AWARDS
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Water Lilies – Chanho Lee | 118:38 min | Republic of Korea
Jury’s Statement
In a subtle, quiet, and subdued way, the film depicts something that deeply affects the audience: the exploitation of fellow human beings on every level—emotionally, financially, intellectually, and physically. With excellent direction, perfect editing, thoughtful casting, and a well-rounded story.
BEST EUROPEAN FILM
Matti Nykänen – The Legend – Olli Laine | 113:07 min | Finland
Jury’s Statement
The film presents, in an exciting and loving way, the portrait of a legend who respectfully conveys something very human: that the challenge one sets oneself brings out the best sides in people, but also the most pitiful.
BEST AUSTRIAN FILM
The Constant Gardeners – David Hradetzky | 78 min | Austria
Jury’s Statement
A film that defies modern times: told like a family’s diary about their world, like an oasis of kindness, friendship, success, and the small victories that make up life. A feel-good film.
BEST DRAMA FILM
A Walk Along the Borne – Nick Igea | 112 min | Spain
Jury’s Statement
The film has transformed the theme of inspiration and the struggle for true inspiration into a heartfelt story, told with great passion and thus inspiring the viewers as well.
BEST ARTHOUSE FILM
Incinerate – Luis Navarrete | 88 min | Spain
Jury’s Statement
The film conveys, through simple images, what depression is and how it feels: compulsive, incomprehensible, intrusive, and intractable. It’s a story that is a cry for help, one that awakens empathy and touches the viewer’s soul.
BEST COMEDY FILM
A Dinner to Remember – Leonardo Re | 47:03 min | Germany
Jury’s Statement
The film proves that a film is much more than the assembly of all its parts. Unbridled acting, interesting twists, and everyday characters. The result: a great comedy-drama.
SHORT FILM AWARDS
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT - GOLD
Gone People – Junying Kong | 24:09 min | China
Jury’s Statement
In a particularly tranquil, almost meditative atmosphere, the film conveys an important message: that one needn’t fear death. The sophisticated camerawork skillfully conveys the film’s philosophical theme in every frame: that a touch of life and death is always present in every still image.
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT - SILVER
Sea-Heart – Neto Borges, Larissa Malty | 14 min | Portugal
Jury’s Statement
An incredibly uplifting vision of art and life all in one. An inspiring perspective on the eternal cycle, on connections, and everything that makes life worth living. Poetry par excellence.
BEST EUROPEAN SHORT - GOLD
Thirteen Cats – David Gaspar Gaspar | 13 min | Spain
Jury’s Statement
The special value of this film—punctuated with dry humor—lies in the fact that, while the main character displays little emotion, he reveals surprising, satirical, and insightful aspects of a phobia and all those involved in it. A refreshing and thoughtful film.
BEST EUROPEAN SHORT - SILVER
Dormant – Niels Bourgonje | 8:51 min | Netherlands
Jury’s Statement
It’s a pleasure to experience a simple story with a touch of humor and a good dose of suspense, featuring skillful camerawork and sound design. A very good film.
BEST AUSTRIAN SHORT
Endlein – Richard Horn | 23:57 min | Austria
Jury’s Statement
This film, a kind of feminist reconciliation, wonderfully corrects deeply rooted male and female roles. A clear and courageous statement.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
My Shadow – Astra Silver Burke | 6:41 min | USA
Jury’s Statement
The act of attempted awakening and transition from one world to another in this film is a highly imaginative cinematic homage to the films of D. Lynch. The alternating sequences of isolation in the form of images, words, and story elements make the film exciting and interesting.
BEST INSPIRATIONAL SHORT
New Voices in the City – Ekaterina Gardener | 20 min | Belgium
Jury’s Statement
A beautiful and respectful portrayal of migrants for whom a foreign language is an object of love. In an interesting cinematic collage, the filmmaker draws a successful parallel: Just as the actors jointly shape the project of collective improvisational theater, they also shape their lives as a collective, open, and inspiring coexistence.
BEST HISTORICAL SHORT
Gott – Igor Botur | 14 min | Austria / Germany
Jury’s Statement
The historical arthouse drama about Joseph of Cupertino, known as the “Flying Saint,” shines with its imaginative editing, which particularly impressively portrays his inner turmoil, longing, and desire for redemption. A rhythm that is well-suited to the subject matter and the visuals rounds out the story and leaves a lasting impression.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Dobrina – Hannes Rall | 5 min | Germany
Jury’s Statement
A subtle and surprising visual combination of animation, music, and a unique cinematic atmosphere. A perfectly chosen, simple story makes the animation elements even more entertaining and captivating.
BEST FAMILY SHORT
Shelter – Jaro Jääskeläinen | 3:20 min | Finland
Jury’s Statement
The evocative voices and atmospheric images in this film beautifully capture the theme of H.C. Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Match Girl.” A simply told story without any obvious heroes, suitable for the whole family.
BEST Sci-Fi SHORT
Dreamer – Julian Schnizer, Elis Zuleger | 25 min | Austria
Jury’s Statement
You can tell that the filmmakers put a lot of thought into every aspect of the film and put a great deal of love and dedication into it. A simple story has been adapted to the standards of highly stylized filmmaking, offering an engaging experience.
Special Awards
Emerging Director Award
A Film by Roland Wehap – Roland Wehap | 29:30 min | Austria
Jury’s Statement
An extraordinary directorial concept of an amusing rock ‘n’ roll version of witty film satire, self-criticism and world critique. With fiery sharpness, a cinematic blend of everything that exists—like life itself.
Remarkable Screenplay Award
Uniquely Blessed – Kiril Kirkov | 29:49 min | USA
Jury’s Statement
The film successfully conveys an almost utopian story: life as harmony with oneself and with others, personal expression as modus vivendi, and creative, mutually supportive work.
Remarkable Screenplay Award
Stand by Me – Yang Lu | 27:48 min | China
Jury’s Statement
Emotional and uncompromising, the film depicts everything that is important to a young person. A clear story that dismantles the myth of parents and reassembles it as an image of a human being.
Cinematography Art Award
In the Rolling Waves – Lin Mu | 10:15 min | China
Jury’s Statement
Clear film images, which not only complement the film’s theme as a visual subtext but also function as a clear level in the film due to their aesthetics, enrich the film in a particularly valuable way.
Acting Art Award
Stand by Me – Yang Lu | 27:48 min | China | Actress Cheng Yue
Jury’s Statement
By choosing Cheng Yue for the lead role, the director made a perfect choice: the actress brilliantly mastered a depressive yet angry character, which is not easy to play.
Acting Art Award
Gulag – Timothy Lott | 4:41 min | USA | Actress Joanna Kay
Jury’s Statement
It’s always exciting to immerse oneself in an actress’s minimalist performance. It fits the story perfectly and is conveyed with an almost tangible tenderness and fragility.
Honorable Mention
Cut & Run – Shuning Zhao | 14:38 min | China
Jury’s Statement
In a playful and amusing way, the film shows how clichés are dismantled from different perspectives and how this deconstruction shapes our lives. Entertaining and engaging.
Honorable Mention
The Reach – Luca Caserta | 28 min | Italy
Jury’s Statement
A subtle cinematic metaphor for boundaries and everything connected with them—life and death, memory and forgetting, love and ignorance, courage and cowardice, reality and the afterlife.
Status Awards
Finalist
We Will Find You – Judson Vaughan | 20 min | Spain
Semi-Finalist
Punch – Timothy S. Lott | 10:55 min | USA
Quarter-Finalist
Vera – Hanna Sulima | 11 min | Belarus
Official Selection
Where is Wind Stranded – Ushio | 21 min | China
Scarecrow – Daniel Ecker | 6:21 min | Austria
Searching for Li Baiyin – Matthew Peng, Ellen Ma | 18 min | China
Congratulations to all filmmakers and their teams!