36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Award Winners

I’m Still Here Receives FIPRESCI Prize;
Zoe Saldaña, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái Receive FIPRESCI Acting Prizes; Vermiglio Receives FIPRESCI Screenplay Prize;
The New Year That Never Came Receives New Voices New Visions Award;
No Other Land Receives Documentary Award;
Sujo Receives Ibero-American Award;
Checkpoint Zoo Receives Desert Views Award;
Tatami Receives Young Cineastes Award
Souleyman’s Story Receives Bridging The Borders Award

 

Palm Springs, CA (January 12, 2025) – Today, the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced this year’s juried award winners. The Festival took place from January 2-13, 2025, and screened 165 films from over 71 countries, including 68 premieres. The line-up includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar® Submissions along with Talking Pictures, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more.

The jury award categories included the FIPRESCI Prize for films in the International Feature Film Oscar® Submissions program; Best Documentary Award for compelling non-fiction filmmaking; New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors; and the Ibero-American Award for the best film from Latin America, Spain or Portugal. Additional previously announced winners include the Desert Views Award, Young Cineastes Award, and Bridging the Borders Award. The Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature will be announced on the evening of Sunday, January 12.

 

FIPRESCI PRIZE
A special jury of international film critics reviewed 35 of the official submissions for the Academy Awards® International Feature Film category that were selected to screen at this year’s Festival. The films in competition were as follows:

• Armand (Norway), Director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
• Come Closer (Israel), Director Tom Nesher
• Dahomey (Senegal), Director Mati Diop
• Drowning Dry (Lithuania), Director Laurynas Bareiša
• Emilia Pérez (France), Director Jacques Audiard
• Everybody Loves Touda (Morocco), Director Nabil Ayouch
• Flow (Latvia), Director Gints Zibalodis
• From Ground Zero (Palestine), Anthology featuring 22 contributing directors, see website for full list
• The Girl with The Needle (Denmark), Director Magnus von Horn
• Grand Tour (Portugal), Director Miguel Gomes
• How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thailand), Director Pat Boonnitipat
• The Hungarian Dressmaker (Slovakia), Director Iveta Grófová
• I’m Still Here (Brazil), Director Walter Salles
• Julie Keeps Quiet (Belgium), Director Leonardo Van Dijl
• Kill the Jockey (Argentina), Director Luis Ortega
• Kneecap (Ireland), Director Rich Peppiatt
• La Suprema (Colombia), Director Felipe Holguín Caro
• The Last Journey (Sweden), Director Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson
• Life (Turkey), Director Zeki Demirkubuz
• Lost Ladies (India), Director Kiran Rao
• Meeting With Pol Pot (Cambodia), Director Rithy Panh
• Memories of a Burning Body (Costa Rica), Director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
• My Late Summer (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Director Danis Tanović
• Old Fox (Taiwan), Director Hsiao Ya-Chuan
• Santosh (United Kingdom), Director Sandhya Suri
• Saturn Return (Spain), Director Isaki Lacuesta, Pol Rodríguez
• The Seed of The Sacred Fig (Germany), Director Mohammad Rasoulof
• Shambhala (Nepal), Director Min Bahadur Bham
• Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
• Three Kilometers to The End of The World (Romania), Director Emanuel Pârvu
• Touch (Iceland), Director Baltasar Kormákur
• Twilight Of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong), Director Soi Cheang
• Universal Language (Canada), Director Matthew Rankin
• Vermiglio (Italy), Director Maura Delpero
• Waves (Czech Republic), Director Jiří Mádl

FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film: I’m Still Here (Brazil), Director Walter Salles

Jury Statement: “To I’m Still Here, for conveying the horror of encroaching dictatorship from the intimate perspective of a mother defending not just her family of five, but her dignity. Evoking the severity of the violence without resorting to melodrama, director Walter Salles captures a critical moment of history in scrupulous and compelling detail.”

FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay: Vermiglio (Italy), Director Maura Delpero

Jury Statement: “To writer-director Maura Delpero, for subverting the conventions of a wartime drama within the framework of an elegant period piece — and letting the story unfold through the eyes of complicated female characters.”

FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actress in an International Feature Film: Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez (France), Director Jacques Audiard

Jury Statement: “To Zoe Saldaña, for the ferocity and complexity of her performance in Emilia Pérez, which shows a virtuosic range of expression, from song and dance to her potent interpretation of a morally shaded character. Although her character plays a supporting role, she drives the narrative with the power of a protagonist.”

FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái - Kneecap (Ireland), Director Rich Peppiatt

Jury Statement: “To Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái, for their seamless performance as an ensemble of musicians who make their acting debut in Kneecap. Proving equally authentic and explosive in both capacities, they bring a fresh and propulsive energy to the whole notion of cultural identity.”

The FIPRESCI jury members were Brian D. Johnson (Canadian Film Critic), Marcelo Janot (Brazilian Film Critic), and Paola Caseslla (Italian Film Critic).

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD
The Documentary Award is presented to the director for the most compelling non-fiction filmmaking from among those selected to screen at the festival. The films in competition were as follows:

• Apocalypse in the Tropics (Brazil), Director Petra Costa
• Blue Road - The Edna O’Brien Story (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Sinéad O'Shea
• Checkpoint Zoo (USA/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
• Driver (USA), Director Nesa Azimi
• Homegrown (USA), Director Michael Premo
• I’m Your Venus (USA), Director Kimberly Reed
• Mistress Dispeller (China/USA), Director Elizabeth Lo
• No Other Land (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
• A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things (United Kingdom), Director Mark Cousins
• Zurawski v. Texas (USA), Directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault

Best Documentary Award: No Other Land (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor

Best Documentary Award Special Mention: Blue Road - The Edna O’Brien Story (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Sinéad O'Shea

The films were juried by Dale Cohen (UCLA Documentary Film Legal Clinic), Matthew Carey (Deadline), and Tishon Pugh (New Orleans Film Society).

Jury Statement: “For its compelling immersion into the lives of Palestinian villagers in the West Bank who face the constant threat of expulsion from their homes by the Israel Defense Forces and attacks by Israeli settlers, we award the Best Documentary Award to No Other Land. This film foregrounds the bond between two filmmakers – one Palestinian, the other Israeli – without sentimentalizing the relationship, but emphasizing the different rules that apply to Israelis who live under civil law and Palestinians governed by Israeli military justice. We complement festival programmers on an extraordinary selection of documentaries in competition and award a Special Mention to Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story, which reveals the creative genius and exceptional life force of the great Irish writer.

 

NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS AWARD
The New Voices New Visions Award focuses on films that the festival programming team felt represent the most distinctive new directors who have emerged in the last year. Each of the following [NUMBER] films in competition represents the filmmaker’s debut or second feature:

• Bob Trevino Likes It (United States), Director Tracie Laymon
• Bonjour Tristesse (Canada/Germany), Director Durga Chew-Bose
• Color Book (United States), Director David Fortune
• Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (South Africa), Director Embeth Davidtz
• Hanami (Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde), Director Denise Fernandes
• The New Year That Never Came (Romania), Director Bogdan Mureșanu
• To A Land Unknown (United Kingdom/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia), Director Mahdi Fleifel

New Voices New Visions Award: The New Year That Never Came (Romania), Director Bogdan Mureșanu

New Voices New Visions Special Mention: Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (South Africa), Director Embeth Davidtz

The films were juried by Beth Barett (Seattle International Film Festival), Gil Robertson (African American Film Critics Association), and Justine Barda (Telescope Film).

Jury Statement: “The director of our winning film lives up to the promise he showed in 2019 when his short The Christmas Gift won ShortFests' Best of the Festival Award. We appreciated the way that he incorporates a myriad of storylines, bringing them to a triumphant conclusion set to Ravel’s Bolero. We especially admired his use of dark comedy to explore the impact on individual citizens of the Ceausescu dictatorship and its fall. We’d also like to give a Special Mention to Lexi Ventor for her stunning portrayal of Bobo in Don’t Let’s Go the Dogs Tonight. Her presence and emotional intelligence offer a child’s eye view of the experience Zimbabwe faced as it entered its period of decolonization.”

 

IBERO-AMERICAN AWARD
The Ibero-American Award is presented to the best film from Latin America, Spain or Portugal selected to screen at the festival. The award aims to highlight the creativity seen in modern Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American films. The films in competition were as follows:

• Apocalypse in the Tropics (Brazil), Director Petra Costa
• The Exiles (Spain/Chile), Director Belén Funes
• Hanami (Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde), Director Denise Fernandes
• Kill the Jockey (Argentina), Director Luis Ortega
• La Suprema (Colombia), Director Felipe Holguín Caro
• Manas (Brazil/Portugal), Director Marianna Brennand
• Memories of a Burning Body (Costa Rica), Director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss ● Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
• Through Rocks and Clouds (Peru/Chile), Director Franco García Becerra
• The Wailing (Spain/France/Argentina), Director Pedro Martín-Calero

Ibero-American Award: Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez

Ibero-American Special Mention: Manas (Brazil/Portugal), Director Marianna Brennand

The films were judged by Anna Marie De La Fuente (Variety), Chloë Roddick (Morelia International Film Festival), and Danny Hastings (Official Latino Film Festival)

Jury Statement: “We have unanimously selected Sujo for its elegant, nuanced portrayal of a young boy struggling to escape overwhelming violence and poverty in a small Mexican town. The film is meticulously paced and darkly poetic, offering its protagonist an unusually optimistic and humane ending to his story. Featuring outstanding performances from its young cast and beautiful, ethereal cinematography, Sujo cements filmmaker duo Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez's rising-star status in the contemporary Mexican cinema scene.”

 

DESERT VIEWS AWARD
Awarded by the Desert Views Jury made up of locals to a film that, in the spirit of neighborliness, promotes understanding and acceptance among people. The films in competition were as follows:

• Checkpoint Zoo (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
• Desert Angel (United States), Director Vincent DeLuca
• Every Little Thing (Australia), Director Sally Aitken
• TINĀ (MOTHER) (New Zealand), Director Miki Magasiva

Desert Views Award Winner: Checkpoint Zoo (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman

Desert Views Special Mention: Desert Angel (United States), Director Vincent DeLuca

The films were judged by Jose Macias (Desert Hot Springs), Margaret Quirante (Morongo Valley), Matt Ramirez (Cathedral City), Tanisha L. Alston (Palm Desert), and Sohelia Crane (Palm Desert).

Jury Statement: “The 2025 Desert Views Jury is proud to present the Desert Views Award to Checkpoint Zoo. This film embodies the spirit of community through a small group of local Ukrainians that captured the hearts of a global audience through social media posts in the early chaotic days of the Russian invasion. Against all odds and great personal sacrifice, an unlikely group of volunteers united their community and inspired hope globally in an effort to rescue animals.”

 

YOUNG CINEASTES AWARD
The Young Cineastes jury is composed of high school students with a passion for cinema. The films in competition were as follows:

• Superboys of Malegaon (India/United States), Director Reema Kagt
• Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv
• Trifole (Italy/South Africa/United States), Director Gabriele Fabbro
• Unstoppable (United States), Director William Goldenberg

Young Cineastes Award Winner: Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv

Young Cineastes Special Mention: Superboys of Malegaon (India/United States), Director Reema Kagti

The films were judged by Joseph Manjarrez (Palm Springs High School), Lyla Valentine (Palm Desert High School), and Stephanie Lopez (Palm Springs High School).

Jury Statement: “The 2025 Young Cineastes Jury is proud to present the Young Cineastes Award to Tatami. We selected this film because it is a ‘non fiction’ fictional story packed with unique visuals, that brings foreign political awareness to its viewers. The film tells a story of resilience where every decision impacts individuals’ lives.”

 

BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD
At a time when physical, religious, racial, cultural, and economic borders divide the population of our planet, efforts to bridge those borders should be appreciated. In that spirit, Cinema Without Borders presents the Bridging the Borders Award sponsored by 360 MEDIA to a film that is most successful in bridging and connecting the people of our world closer together. The winner of the 2025 Bridging the Borders Award presented by Cinema Without Borders and sponsored by 360 Media will receive a cash award of $2000. The films in competition were as follows:

• Dahomey (Senegal), Director Mati Diop
• Ghost Trail (France/Germany/Belgium), Director Jonathan Millet
• Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Director Scandar Copti
• Odd Fish (Iceland/Finland/Czech Republic), Director Snævar Sölvason
• Reading Lolita in Tehran (Italy/Israel), Director Eran Riklis
• Souleymane’s Story (France), Director Boris Lojkine
• Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv
• TINĀ (MOTHER) (New Zealand), Director Miki Magasiva
• To a Land Unknown (United Kingdom/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia), Director Mahdi Fleifel ● Touch (Iceland), Director Baltasar Kormákur

Bridging the Borders Award: Souleymane’s Story (France), Director Boris Lojkine

Bridging the Borders Special Mention: Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Director Scandar Copti

The films were judged by Abbas Yari, Ali Murat Erkorkmaz, Bijan Tehrani, Granaz Moussavi, Keely Badger, Marcy Garriott, Michael Franck, Matt Ferro, Susan Morgan Cooper, and Vladek Juszkiewicz.

In recap, these award winners include:

• FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Film: I’m Still Here (Brazil), Director Walter Salles
• FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay: Vermiglio (Italy), Director Maura Delpero
• FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in an International Film: Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez (France), Director Jacques Audiard
• FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Film: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái - Kneecap (Ireland), Director Rich Peppiatt
• Best Documentary Award: No Other Land (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
• New Voices New Visions Award: The New Year That Never Came (Romania), Director BogdanMureșanu
• Ibero-American Award: Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
• Desert Views Award: Checkpoint Zoo (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
• Young Cineastes Award: Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv
• Bridging the Borders Award: Souleymane’s Story (France), Director Boris Lojkine

At this time, the Palm Springs International ShortFest is scheduled to return June 24-30, 2025.

 

About the Palm Springs International Film Society
The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards®, and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons. The City of Palm Springs is the title sponsor of both festivals. The Film Awards are presented by Silvercrest, and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight.