The film, which will have its second screening today at 9:30 p.m. at Cinema Ideal, was awarded by a jury consisting of Rwandan film programmer and photographer Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva, Portuguese cinematographer Marta Simões, and poet, playwright, and translator Daniel Jonas. The jury emphasized its “courageous narrative and impressive cinematography.”
In the international feature film competition, this year’s IndieLisboa presented the Jury’s Special Award, sponsored by Canais TVCine—which ensures the acquisition of the movie rights for Portugal—to ‘Vitrival—The Most Beautiful Village in the World’ by Belgian duo Noëlle Bastin and Baptiste Bogaert. The jury noted the film’s “dry humor, deliberate pace, and ironic yet poignant meditation on inertia and the quiet strangeness of rural life.”
The Grand Short Film Prize, endowed by EMEL with 4,000 euros, was awarded to ‘Their Eyes’ by French director Nicolas Gourault. The jury, comprised of poet Beatriz de Almeida Rodrigues, French filmmaker and artist Inès Sieulle, and Romanian film researcher and critic Victor Morozov, described it as “a pertinent meditation on how technology is shaping our perception of the world.”
In the international short film competition, ‘Servicio necrológico para usted,’ by Cuban filmmaker María Salafranca, and ‘The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp,’ by Irish filmmaker Dennis Harvey, won the Jury’s Special Prize, granting 500 euros to each film.
In the national competition, the MAX Award for Best Portuguese Feature Film, amounting to 5,000 euros, was given to ‘Hanami,’ by Denise Fernandes. The jury noted its “formal precision, emotional depth, and narrative restraint,” highlighting its “immersive visual language, where each frame significantly contributes to a mood of silent reflection.”
The Best Director Award for Feature Film (1,000 euros) honored ‘Duas Vezes João Liberada,’ by Paula Tomás Marques. The jury described it as a “bold and inventive approach to directing,” which “questions historical and cinematic conventions and hierarchies with intelligence, humor, and confidence,” concluding that “the director’s ability to navigate complex themes with formal freedom indicates a mature and distinctive artistic voice.”
The national competition jury, consisting of Spanish filmmaker David Moragas, the artistic director of the Chicago International Film Festival, Mimi Plauché, and Portuguese actor Ricardo Teixeira, also awarded an honorable mention to ‘Deuses de Pedra,’ by Iván Castiñeiras Gallego.
The Best Portuguese Short Film Prize, valued at 2,000 euros, recognized ‘Antígona ou a História de Sara Benoliel,’ by Francisco Mira Godinho.
The New Talent McFly Award—worth 5,000 euros, convertible into sound post-production services—was granted to ‘La Durmiente,’ by Maria Inês Gonçalves.
The winner of the Novíssimos Prize, which includes 1,000 euros plus the promotion and sale of the film in question by Portugal Film, was ‘Em Reparação,’ by Beatriz Machado Oliveira.
The Honda Silvestre Award for Best Feature Film, worth 1,500 euros, was shared by ‘Ariel,’ by Lois Patiño, and ‘little boy,’ by James Benning. The Silvestre Arts School Award for Best Short Film, valued at 1,000 euros, went to ‘Razeh-del,’ by Maryam Takafori.
The IndieMusic Prize (1,000 euros) was awarded to ‘Orlando Pantera,’ a film by Catarina Alves Costa, which will have an additional screening at IndieLisboa on Sunday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Emílio Rui Vilar Auditorium at Culturgest.
The Amnesty International Prize (1,500 euros) was also awarded to the feature film ‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,’ by Rungano Nyoni, judged by Ana Relvas França, Catarina Sobral, and Rodrigo Cardoso.
The MUTIM Prize (250 euros), for the Novíssimos short film that best contributes to a non-stereotypical cinematic imagination in Portuguese cinema, was won by ‘Amanhã Não Dão Chuva,’ by Maria Trigo Teixeira.
The Schools Prize for Best Short Film went to ‘Antígona ou a História de Sara Benoliel,’ by Francisco Mira Godinho, and the Universities Prize for Best Portuguese Feature Film was awarded to ‘Deuses de Pedra,’ by Iván Castiñeiras Gallego.
The closing session of IndieLisboa 2025 will be held on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. at Culturgest, featuring a screening of the film ‘Caught by the Tides,’ directed by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke.
The Audience Awards for the feature film category (1,000 euros), short film category (750 euros), and IndieJunior (500 euros) will be announced on Monday, according to IndieLisboa’s organizers. Winners will be announced on the festival’s website and social media channels.
