23/09/2026
📽️ This year, we had an amazing selection of short films, and the members of the jury (Ilinca Prisăcariu, Mădălina Stoica & Vladx Dumitrescu) had quite a challenging task. After careful deliberation, they awarded two mentions, which went to: Samidoun: the steadfast women of Palestine, directed by Mariam Shahin, Palestine and I'm only a body, directed by Eva Morin, Belgium.
3️⃣ Third place went to Bayards Street, 59, directed by Margot Therer, Belgium – as it shows a slice of life from the heart of a community you effortlessly identify with. A community forged through proximity that builds intentional connections—a world inviting you to be part of it, where the boundary between "mine" and "yours" dissolves through tender, concrete, small, and seemingly insignificant gestures. A welcome touch of voyeurism.
2️⃣ Second place was granted to Enough, enough, directed by Julia Novacek, Austria, Montenegro – as it brings to the forefront a fascinating niche topic of much-needed geographical specificity; a highly concrete, real, and admirable protest that opens a respectful yet firm conversation with one's own community, country, and identity. Extremely powerful images of resilient women seeking solutions and release. It is a work packed with strength in all the forms it displays: crying, protesting, silence, and movement—tools of a community in the process of discovering its autonomy within a patriarchal framework.
🏆 And the first place was won by My grandmother is a skydiver, directed by Polina Piddubna, Ukraine – as it is a representation of the theme from novel, personal, and interconnected angles. A transgenerational perspective and an honest relationship with conflict, both past and present. An exercise in resilience passed down from generation to generation and from the screen to the audience through a gorgeous visual depiction.
✨ Congratulations to all directors for their amazing work!
