International Feature Film Competition
The City of Lisbon Feature Film Grand Prize (15,000 euros) was awarded to On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, by Zambian Rungano Nyoni. The jury, made up of Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva, Marta Simões and Daniel Jonas, emphasised the ‘courageous narrative and impressive cinematography’. Adding: ‘The sensible and sensitive direction makes the film a compelling viewing experience and makes it a breath of fresh air – a refreshing yet profound and powerful analysis. The skilful director shows us a world of complicated family relationships and deep-rooted traditions, moving from a culturally specific narrative to universal themes in an elegant and original way.’
The TVCine Channels Special Jury Prize, which guarantees the acquisition of the film’s rights for Portugal, awarded Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World, by Belgian duo Noëlle Bastin and Baptiste Bogaert. In this case, the jury refers to ‘a village where nothing and everything happens at the same time’. ‘The humour is dry, the pace is deliberate, and the result is an ironic and poignant meditation on the inertia and quiet strangeness of rural life.’
International Short Film Competition
The EMEL Short Film Grand Prize (4000 euros) was awarded to Their Eyes, by Frenchman Nicolas Gourault. The panel of judges (Beatriz de Almeida Rodrigues, Inès Sieulle and Victor Morozov) decided to award this ‘anthropological exploration of the invisible human labour behind the development of AI technology’, highlighting it as ‘a relevant meditation on how technology is shaping our perception of the world.’
Servicio necrológico para usted, by Cuban María Salafranca, and The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp, by Irishman Dennis Harvey, won the Special Jury Prize, which awards 500 euros to each of the films.
National Competition Awards
The MAX Award for Best Feature Film in the National Competition (5000 euros) honoured Hanami, by Denise Fernandes. The film ‘stood out for its formal precision, emotional depth and narrative restraint’. The jury also emphasised ‘its immersive visual language, in which each frame contributes significantly to an atmosphere of silent reflection’.
The Best Feature Film Directing Award (1000 euros) went to Duas Vezes João Liberada, by Paula Tomás Marques. The jury described it as a ‘daring and inventive approach to directing’. The film questions historical and cinematic conventions and hierarchies with intelligence, humour and confidence. The director’s ability to navigate complex themes with formal freedom is indicative of a mature and distinctive artistic voice.’
On the subject of filmmaking, the jury – David Moragas, Mimi Plauché and Ricardo Teixeira – also decided to give a Special Mention to Gods of Stone, by Iván Castiñeiras Gallego. ‘Gods of Stone presents a sensitive and visually layered portrait of a community moulded by time and memory,’ said the jury.
The National Competition Best Short Film Award (2000 euros) was won by Antígona ou a História de Sara Benoliel, by Francisco Mira Godinho. ‘This short film stood out for its sharp writing, tonal balance and captivating narrative voice. It tackles a difficult subject with a combination of humour, precision and emotional intelligence. The jury particularly appreciated the way the film maintains cultural specificity while achieving a wider resonance. By offering a perspective of hope, it invites reflection without moralising,’ he specifies.
Brand New
The Brand New Prize, which awards a prize of 1,000 euros and the promotion and sale of the film in question by Portugal Film, went to In Repair, by Beatriz Machado Oliveira. The jury, made up of Diana Coelho, Carolina Serranito and António Miguel Arenas, mentioned its ‘great social and cultural interest, valuing traditional trades, almost extinct in the contemporary era (…) it promotes cultures often reviled as “invaders”, while reinforcing the importance of the role of all immigrant workers.’
It also awarded two honourable mentions: Winners, by Edgar Gomes Ferreira and Between the Sea and the Island, by José Rodrigo Freitas.
Silvestre
The Honda Silvestre Award for Best Feature Film (1500 euros) is shared by Ariel, by Lois Patiño, and little boy, by James Benning. The jury – Andrei Tănăsescu, Catarina de Sousa and Michelle Gurevich – decided to award both productions the trophy ex-aequo, citing ‘two films that encompass the various roles of cinema: to explore, expand and stimulate the collective imagination – in poetry and politics – two equally important facets of the human condition’.
The Silvestre School of the Arts Award for Best Short Film (1000 euros) honoured Razeh-del, by Maryam Tafakory.
The IndieMusic Award (1000 euros) went to Orlando Pantera, a film by Catarina Alves Costa. Eduardo Morais, Nuno Calado and Vera Marques (Puçanga), the jury of the competition, considered this ‘a documentary without artifice or flattery, which shows the journey of a daughter in search of the influences left by her father to so many generations and cultural universes (…) in an audiovisual portrait that begins as family and ends up being ours.’ Orlando Pantera has an extra screening at IndieLisboa tomorrow, 11 May, at 6.30pm, in the Emílio Rui Vilar Auditorium, Culturgest.
NON OFFICIAL JURIES
The Amnesty International Prize (1500 euros) was awarded once again to On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, by Rungano Nyoni. The jury was made up of Ana Relvas França, Catarina Sobral and Rodrigo Cardoso.
The MUTIM Award (250 euros), which recognises the short film in the Novíssimos section that best contributes to a non-stereotypical cinematic imaginary in Portuguese cinema, was awarded to Amanhã Não Dão Chuva, by Maria Trigo Teixeira. The jury, made up of Ana Vilela da Costa, Nay Araújo and Raquel Freire, also gave an honourable mention to Entre o Mar e a Ilha, by José Rodrigo Freitas.
The Schools Award for Best Short Film went to Antígona ou a História de Sara Benoliel, by Francisco Mira Godinho. The Schools Jury was made up of Gilberto de Pina, Lyana Santos and Estrela Coelho.
The Universities Award for Best Portuguese Feature Film honoured Gods of Stone, by Iván Castiñeiras Gallego. The jury was made up of Maria Carolina Ramos da Silva, Isabela Lopes and Emanuela Kalemba Nsangu.