During our Awards Gala, the Festival’s juries have awarded the following prizes:
Best Documentary, Spirit of the Festival (Best Screenplay and Best Film), and the Best New Irish Feature, supported by the Irish Examiner.
AdThe Awards ceremony was followed by the Irish Premiere of Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch
Gradam Na Féile Do Scannáin Faisnéise: Award for Best Documentary
“For a raw and confrontational film, a personal intervention that confronts both the violence of the past and the present with the force of language. Anxiety, brutality, grit, determination. For a film that grabs you, shakes you, refuses to be ignored. For a film whose images are beautiful, harsh, lacking in any filter.”
Gradam Spiorad na Féile/Spirit of the Festival Award
Best Screenplay
“The jury decides that the Best Screenplay goes to Arcadia by Yorgos Zois written by Konstantina Kotzamani and Yorgos Zois. The jury has been stunned by a complex and eclectic story that constantly pushes boundaries between life and death and raises the question of the mise en scene of the invisible.
Wonderful interpretations by actress Angeliki Papoulia and actor Vangelis Mourikis, just to name them, give shape to a mysterious story of grief that definitely caught our attention.”
Gradam Spiorad na Féile/Spirit of the Festival Award
Best Film
“The jury felt that this European Film, which was paradoxically the first Somalian Film selected for the Cannes Film Festival, offered an authentic, singular and quietly powerful portrait of a Somalian family. The patient and languid pace mastered time itself. Life simply happened, seeping deep into our unconscious, like a living dream.”
Special Mention
The jury has decided to award a special mention to THE IMMINENT AGE (L’EDAT IMMINENT) from Vigilia Collective.
“We greatly appreciate the humanistic sensitivity of this intergenerational portrait, the simplicity as a value of cinematographic language, and the strength of a collective work that demonstrates that cinema continues to search, in stories, faces and bodies, emotion and truth.”
Best New Irish Feature
“As jury members for this year’s Best New Irish Feature category, it has been an honour to witness the incredible depth and diversity of talent emerging from Ireland. After much deliberation, we unanimously selected Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story as this year’s winner. This film stands out for its masterful storytelling, which is both sensitive and evocative, offering a heartfelt yet humorous exploration of Edna O’Brien’s remarkable life and literary legacy. Through its craftsmanship and nuanced perspective, the film celebrates the resilience, complexity, and wit of one of Ireland’s most beloved authors. We extend our congratulations to the filmmakers and all involved for creating such a profound and inspiring work.”
Supported by : 
Special Mention
The Damned by Thordur Palsson
“‘The Damned’ is a juggernaut of a film, breathing fresh life into a well-trodden genre. Its powerful use of the landscape and compelling performances, make it truly deserving this Special Mention.”
