Winning Films

Jurytext: The film is an intimate, inventive and fresh journey of an artist’s emancipation with all its defeats and its rewards. It is a film ahead of its time, the director and his team demonstrate with excellent craftsmanship the genre of the social drama, in which characters come to life with a single line of dialogue. The team succeeded in tackling a complex theme with style and grace - and with a beautiful piece of art within a piece of art. The winner of the Jury Award for the European Competition, L’avance by Djiby Kebe.

Jurytext: The Flemish Competition Animation Award goes to a beautifully crafted film, with its attractive drawings, perfect animation work and a moving story, where the animation techniques and style seem the perfect approach to portray the surreal journey of a character that is always struggling between reality and his inner dark thoughts, in a quest for a pacification with his own past. The award goes to Raaf, by Jeroen Ceulebrouck.

Jurytext: The Flemish Competition Documentary award and the Award for the Best Flemish Short film goes to an innovative, enigmatic and politically charged film that, through a very well achieved blend of archives, new and old footage from various sources, creates a standout cinematographic object that intertwines investigation, facts, speculation and haunting images, introducing a peculiar and paranormal tale to reveal a much larger secret. The award goes to Object 817, by Olga Lucovnicova. Jury: Jos, Louis, Marcel *** The Flemish Competition Documentary award and the Award for the Best Flemish Short film goes to an innovative, enigmatic and politically charged film that, through a very well achieved blend of archives, new and old footage from various sources, creates a standout cinematographic object that intertwines investigation, facts, speculation and haunting images, introducing a peculiar and paranormal tale to reveal a much larger secret. The award goes to Object 817, by Olga Lucovnicova. Jury: Jos, Louis, Marcel

Jurytext: In his short film, the director shows great maturity in the way he effortlessly and accurately portrays two brothers. He builds up his story in an very interesting way, capturing the essence of the brothers' relationship and demonstrating his keen observational skills. The older brother, searching for his purpose in life, also has the responsibility of caring for his younger sibling, and he struggles with this. The director tells this slice of life in an apparently smooth way, with insight into the psychology of the two boys. He also excels in the way he frames the two of them with cinematography that serves the story perfectly. The two protagonists perform with great naturalness and emotional authenticity, which elevates the film to a higher level. The award for Best Flemish Fiction goes to Les Enfants Iront Bien by Sigi Van Roy.

Jurytext: In this year’s selection, the actress delivered a captivating performance as Marie, a farmer’s wife in a drained marriage. She portrays a woman trapped in the loneliness of an isolated farm, yearning for affection amidst the monotony of rural life. When a bull arrives on the farm, she embodied with remarkable authenticity and dedication a woman seeking love and connection with the bull. Her naturalistic acting and emotional commitment created a vivid portrayal of a character in search of a spark of passion, making the film to an expressionistic level. The Award for Best Acting Performance goes to Maaike Cafmeyer in De Stier by Victor Nauwynck.

Jurytext: The camera in this film remains an unobtrusive observer, yet powerfully portrays a land under threat from the changing forces of nature, capturing the haunting beauty of the marshlands and the poignant journey into adulthood of two boys deeply connected to their homeland and beliefs. With striking imagery, the film weaves a profound connection between nature and religion, where the gathering of wild horses becomes both a symbol of resilience and a witness to human faith. The award for Best Cinematography goes to Tropa by Niels Devlieghere and cinematographer Pauwel Billiau.

Jurytext: The director’s original storytelling crafts a vivid and immersive world filled with eccentric, offbeat characters, in which we follow the main protagonist’s journey toward independence and self-determination. Unafraid to delve into moments of gore, the film’s bold vision, creative risks, and striking black-and-white cinematography come together to create an impressive and unforgettable debut. The award for Best Debut Film goes to The World is My Idea by Alexander Wolfgang Smadja.

Jurytext: The Flemish Competition Documentary award and the Award for the Best Flemish Short film goes to an innovative, enigmatic and politically charged film that, through a very well achieved blend of archives, new and old footage from various sources, creates a standout cinematographic object that intertwines investigation, facts, speculation and haunting images, introducing a peculiar and paranormal tale to reveal a much larger secret. The award goes to Object 817, by Olga Lucovnicova. Jury: Jos, Louis, Marcel *** The Flemish Competition Documentary award and the Award for the Best Flemish Short film goes to an innovative, enigmatic and politically charged film that, through a very well achieved blend of archives, new and old footage from various sources, creates a standout cinematographic object that intertwines investigation, facts, speculation and haunting images, introducing a peculiar and paranormal tale to reveal a much larger secret. The award goes to Object 817, by Olga Lucovnicova. Jury: Jos, Louis, Marcel

Jurytext: The film manages to create an incredibly tense atmosphere, with a great amount of subtext, without ever giving the viewer all the facts. Through subtle framing, and a great use of natural light, it succeeds in bringing us close to the protagonist, and emphasising the turmoil he feels in regard to the traveller they have picked up, and his father. It is a film that leaves a lot of questions unanswered; does the father know what the boy experienced? Was the trip planned for this reason? Was the boy expecting this situation to develop? However, we feel that all these questions are purposefully left to the viewer to ponder on, and never have the sense that we need a more concrete conclusion. The film leaves you with a bitter aftertaste on the transience of youth, and of how innocence can be completely exploited and shattered when evil intentions become clear. The winner of the Peer Award is The Sea in Between by Lun Sevnik.

Jurytext: The director’s original storytelling crafts a vivid and immersive world filled with eccentric, offbeat characters, in which we follow the main protagonist’s journey toward independence and self-determination. Unafraid to delve into moments of gore, the film’s bold vision, creative risks, and striking black-and-white cinematography come together to create an impressive and unforgettable debut. The award for Best Debut Film goes to The World is My Idea by Alexander Wolfgang Smadja.