BEST FILM
The M Word | Australia | 2023 | 20’
Director: Shane Poss Crosland
Writer: Shane Poss Crosland
Producers: Agustina Maruca, Kimberley Kimberley Vecsei
Cast: Michael Tam
Synopsis: A nihilistic bartender cynically leads the viewer through his atypical lifestyle.
BEST DIRECTOR
The M Word | Australia | 2023 | 20’
Director: Shane Poss Crosland
Writer: Shane Poss Crosland
Producers: Agustina Maruca, Kimberley Kimberley Vecsei
Cast: Michael Tam
Synopsis: A nihilistic bartender cynically leads the viewer through his atypical lifestyle.
BEST SCREENPLAY
S.O.S. | Portugal | 2022 | 27’
Director: Bruno Soares
Writer: Bruno Soares
Producer: José Mazeda
Cast: Joel Branco, Carmen Santos, Marco Costa
Synopsis: In the midst of robbing a house in Lisbon, Jaime is caught by the owner Alberto, who mistakes him for his son. As Alberto and his wife Madalena take him in, Jaime gradually forgets about the robbery.
BEST LEADING ACTRESS
The Intermission | Germany | 2022 | 18’
Actress: Lise Risom Olsen
Director: Ben von Grafenstein
Writer: Ben von Grafenstein
Producers: Lise Risom Olsen, Ben von Grafenstein, Chris McKissick
Cast: Lise Risom Olsen, Tilman Strauss, Andreas Schröders, Sebastian Schneider
Synopsis: Berlin, after a radical political change. During an intermission in a performance of Hedda Gabler, the star, Liv Hallström, gets an unexpected visitor. A prosecuted journalist hides in her dressing room. Within the 10 minutes break the actress will make a life changing decision.
BEST LEADING ACTOR
The M Word | Australia | 2023 | 20’
Actor: Michael Tam
Director: Shane Poss Crosland
Writer: Shane Poss Crosland
Producers: Agustina Maruca, Kimberley Kimberley Vecsei
Cast: Michael Tam
Synopsis: A nihilistic bartender cynically leads the viewer through his atypical lifestyle.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The End of Something | Russian Federation | 2023 | 18’
Director: Orkhan Abulov
Writers: Elena Butenko-Raykina, Orkhan Abulov
Producer: Elena Butenko-Raykina
Cast: Daniil Pugaev, Sofia Shcherbakova
Synopsis: A man and a woman are fishing on a remote lake, unaware of how their fishing trip will end. When the sun sets, the inevitable will happen.
BEST EDITING
Bang Bang | Canada | 2023 | 13’
Editor: Andrea Novoa
Director: Piotr Skowronski
Producer: Piotr Skowronski, Zara Jestadt, Alino Giraldi, Andrea Novoa
Cast: Zara Jestadt, Alino Giraldi
Synopsis: Passion, jealousy and betrayal. Bang Bang, is a head on tour-de-force of love and hate. Two romantics tangled up in a torrid relationship plot murder against each other.
BEST NARRATIVE
One Good Horse | Spain | 2023 | 14’
Director: Kolya-Alvaro Dam de nogales
Writer: Edwin Dam
Producer: Kolya-Alvaro Dam de Nogales
Cast: Mojmir Pukl, Petra Lustigova
Synopsis: To celebrate sixty years of union, an aging man decides to take his bed-ridden and semi-commotose wife on a physically and emotionally challenging trip to the summit where he first proposed.
BEST COMEDY
Beat ’em up | 16’
Director: Egor Soldatenkov
Writer: Egor Soldatenkov
Producers: Lisa Basin, Egor Soldatenkov, Evgeny Vershinin, Nikita Zadykhin
Cast: Kristina Yakimenko, Vlad Terskikh, Elena Lebedeva, Nikita Khrushchev, Alexey Desyatov, Pavel Sklyar, Ekaterina Finevich, Alina Tsibizova
Synopsis: Nastya is a video games fan and also a victim of abusive relationship. Her boyfriend-tyrant is beating her up while his friends only jibe at that. But one day she decides to stand up to him. She is sick and tired of being a victim and now she longs for vengeance!
BEST DRAMA
Butter | Georgia | 2023 | 15’
Director: George Barbakadze
Writer: George Barbakadze
Producers: Scott Gustetter, Tsiako Abesadze
Cast: Demetre Ghuchashvili, Givi Khutsishvili
Synopsis: In Soviet Georgia, a seven year old boy attempts to win over his best friend’s father with a ration of butter.
BEST HORROR
This Land | United Kingdom | 2023 | 20’
Director: Nicholas Jones
Cast: Christopher Patrick Nolan, Veronica Henley
Synopsis: Roisin stands alone in the rugged Irish countryside, a guardian of the mystical land that has been in her family for generations. As a greedy relative seeks to exploit the earth beneath her feet, Roisin’s unwavering will and deep-rooted connection to the land propel her to fight back, unyielding in her defence of the magic that lies at the heart of the landscape.
BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI
Stay Home Stay Safe | Czech Republic | 2023 | 20’
Director: Martin Bystriansky
Writers: Martin Bystriansky, Radovan Majer
Producer: Tomáš Mokroluský
Cast: Dušan Cinkota, Leona Skleničková
Synopsis: The story is centered in the intimate space of the shelter, where artificial intelligence creates inspiring virtual simulations for the writer. In the virtual world, the writer meets his muse, but she is not real enough. He therefore decides to leave the shelter. However, the artificial intelligence has a duty to keep the writer safe from reality and, above all, from himself.
BEST STUDENT
Boy of Wood | Netherlands | 2022 | 25’
Director: Eva Oosterveld
Writer: Eva Oosterveld
Producers: Hannah van Helden, Myrthe Laarakker
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Stijn flew off the handle a year ago and ended up in a difficult period. A period of uncertainty in which he quit school and broke off contact with his mother out of shame. Now Stijn is in a learning program at a sheltered workshop where he learns to work with wood and metal. In the workshop he has heartfelt conversations with his counselor Duco about his life, his uncertainties and his future. Stijn hopes to go back to school soon. He attempts to improve his life and to make make peace with his mother and himself. To achieve this he will have to resist the patterns of his past.
BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR
Passengers | Turkey | 2023 | 15’
Director: Buğra Mert Alkayalar
Writer: Buğra Mert Alkayalar
Producers: Buğra Mert Alkayalar
Cast: İpek Sobutay, Ümit Erlim
Synopsis: Every life is a journey with intersections at certain stops. One autumn night, a group of people awaits a train at a station, one of these stops. However, they’ve all forgotten one truth. When a young man delves into the eerie night to find his fiancée, he will remember and remind the others.
BEST ANIMATION
Tom Thumb | Russian Federation | 2023 | 26’
Directors: Nikolay Lichtenfeld, Ivan Kostiurin
Writers: Nikolay Lichtenfeld, Ivan Kostiurin
Synopsis: Tom is gathering bits of glass in a ditch among burdocks and grass. Tom is looking through a bit of glass at insects buzzing all around him. No, it’s not that. Tom got lost in a forest. Tom came to the house where a cannibal Ogre lives. Tom is about to be eaten up for dinner. But no. Tom has managed to escape. He is running away through forests and fields. The Ogre in a long black coat is after him. Or rather the whole Small World, in which he is running, is trying to catch him. The Small World fits easily inside the belly of the mantis at which Tom is looking through a bit of green glass, the bit of green glass he has found in the ditch near his house among burdocks and grass.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
No Pain No Game | Netherlands | 2023 | 09’
Director: Louis Gambardella
Writer: Louis Gambardella
Producers: Louis Gambardella, Andrea Papa
Cast: Matt Payne
Synopsis: Immerse yourself in the world of virtual cycling, and how one experimented cyclist transitioned to compete and cycle in his living room. Dive in the new hype of cycling.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
I’m Leaving | Germany | 2023 | 04’
Director: Michelle Brand
Producer: Célestine Gonzalez
Synopsis: As the night comes, the journey begins. Running rushing, racing. Unbound from time and swept away by the night’s surreal cascade of lights, we leave day-life behind.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Anund Payl (Marine Manasian) | Russian Federation | 2022 | 04’
Director: Anna Golikova
Writer: Anna Golikova
Producers: Anna Golikova, Ekaterina Korobeynikova
Cast: Lidia Gurianova, Alexsandr Mickevich
Synopsis: Man and woman don’t communicate. They could meet each other with love only in his dream. But that’s not enought.
BEST MINI SHORT
Immortal Mind | United States | 2023 | 02’
Director: Roku Jingwen Long
Writer: Roku Jingwen Long
Producers: Roku Jingwen Long, Ling Qu
Cast: Mya Faith, Brenda Mutoni
Synopsis: In a future world where brain-computer interface (BCI) surgery is ubiquitous, individuals face a choice: upload their consciousness to the cloud for immortality, or preserve their physical bodies in a body archive and upload their consciousness for future resurrection. For those who choose the latter, the promise of reawakening in a tangible form brings new opportunities and challenges as they navigate a world that has advanced far beyond their previous lives.
BEST NO/LOW BUDGET
Everything Here Holds Its Inverse | France | 2023 | 05’
Director: Oscar d’Angeac
Synopsis: Set in a Burkina Faso weaving cooperative, a cacophonous cotton-spinning apparatus eats, digests, and takes a breather. Threads become the organs of a whirling, burping, guzzling machine animated by hands, looms, vats, cogs, and feet.
BEST STOP-MOTION/TIME-LAPSE
The Magic Violet Rabbit | Japan | 2023 | 14’
Director: Kotoko Nakamura
Writer: Kotoko Nakamura
Producer: Kotoko Nakamura
Synopsis: To escape from his dull life, a man wishes to become a wizard. He wants to be a “real” wizard, not a “fake” one.
BEST COMMERCIAL/AD/TVC
Operation 4 | Croatia | 2023 | 04’
Director: Danijel Bolić
Writer: Srđan Laterza, Danijel Bolić
Producer: Petra Bartulović
Cast: Sara Zeljko, Nik Puhan, Ivana Giove Župa, Boris Mimica
Synopsis: “Operation 4” is a gripping tale that takes us through the narrow alleys and picturesque beaches of the small Dalmatian town of Omis. The main characters are two children, the playful Mate and the charming Mila, who live their everyday lives in this tranquil place. One day, a famous footballer, originally from Omis, unexpectedly appears in the town. Time stands still for this small community, and the entire town buzzes with excitement about the arrival of their famous fellow citizen. Baba Marta is the first to notice the famous footballer and immediately informs Mate and Mila. Filled with excitement, the boy and girl embark on an exciting quest to find him. Working together, they explore every corner of the town, checking every alley, tower, and beach, hoping for a chance to see their football hero. After a series of futile attempts, exhausted but not disheartened, Mate and Mila sit on the steps below the Mirabela tower. However, their sadness is interrupted by an unexpected encounter—none other than Ivan Perišić. The joy radiating from their eyes as they meet him is indescribable. Touched by their passion and enthusiasm, Ivan invites them to join him in a game of football at the nearby playground. They all spend an unforgettable time together, playing, talking, and sharing laughter. In the end, Ivan takes selfies with Mate and Mila, leaving them with unforgettable memories that they will cherish for a lifetime. The short film “Operation 4″ is not just a story of the search for a famous footballer but also a tale of unity, the enchanting beauty of a small town, and the innocence of childhood dreams coming true. The film reminds us that great dreams can emerge from small places, and fame can blossom from the simplicity of life. This heartwarming story also highlights the beauty of the Dalmatian town of Omis, enticing visitors to discover this magical corner of the Adriatic coast.”
BEST TRAILER
Trailer Mystique No. 4 | United States | 2022 | 02’
Director: Sydney Sagehorn
Synopsis: A woman must decide what to do after inheriting a painting of her great grandmother by a famous artist.
