The Main Prize for Best Feature Film is sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
The Special Prize for Best Director, endowed with €7,500 and sponsored by rbb (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg), goes to Goran Stanković for OUR FATHER (RS/IT/HR/MK/ME/BA, 2025). With his drama about a Christian Orthodox rehabilitation center where labor, obedience, and prayer replace addiction, Stanković opens, in the words of the jury, “an unguarded, raw, and uncompromisingly honest window into the lives of his characters.”
Actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović receives the Award for an Outstanding Individual Performance, endowed with €5,000. In BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY, he impressed the International Festival Jury with a performance that was “courageous in its uncertainty, powerful in its restraint, and unforgettable in its authenticity.”
All three winners receive, in addition to the prize money, the festival’s coveted Lubina glass trophy.
The Main Prize in the Short Film Competition goes to PEOPLE & THINGS by Damian Kosowski. The Polish production was, according to the short film jury, “a metaphorical slap in the face — a very powerful and deeply moving portrayal of what reality might look like.” Director Claudiu Mitcu wins the Special Prize for his film LOVE IS IN THE AIR. The Romanian production impressed the jury with “great acting and an outstanding sense of timing and subtlety.”
The U18 Youth Film Competition was won by PROMISE, I’LL BE FINE by Katarína Gramatová (SK/CZ, 2024). The quiet, poignant film explores the fragility of youth and the emotional cost of labor migration. “The film convinced us with its natural and realistic tone, effortless authenticity, and its sensitive depiction of growing up in an Eastern European environment,” said the youth jury, composed of students from Ludwig-Leichhardt-Gymnasium Cottbus, V. Lyceum Zielona Góra, and Gymnázium Teplice.
The Audience Award of the 35th FFC, endowed with €3,000 and sponsored by the Lausitzer Rundschau, also goes to BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY by Ivona Juka.
The Promotional Award of the Foundation for the Sorbian People, endowed with €3,000, was presented to Roman Pernack, who, in his documentary works, “masterfully approaches people with honesty, openness, and empathy — whether in his Berlin neighborhood of Wrangelkiez, in Egypt, or here in Lusatia.”
“The 35th FFC has shown how cinema moves people,” says Program Director Bernd Buder. “The wide range of films, from drama to comedy, met with great audience interest and a strong desire for dialogue. The shared experience of cinema enables connection and understanding — something we too often lose sight of — based on emotion and empathy.”
On the final festival Sunday, audiences can still enjoy 44 films. The day begins with two screenings of THE FAIRY TALE OF SWAN LAKE at the Glad-House. At 11 a.m., the Weltspiegel Large Hall hosts the Short Retrospective: Roman Pernack, featuring four films by the winner of the Promotional Award of the Foundation for the Sorbian People. At the same time, the Short Film Competition will be shown again in two blocks in Weltspiegel Hall 2. At 7:30 p.m., the audience favorite BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY will be screened in the Weltspiegel Large Hall, followed at 8 p.m. by WROOKLYN ZOO, the winner of the Youth Jury Award, in Weltspiegel Hall 2.
Managing Director Andreas Stein summarizes: “We’ve had a fantastic festival week with a wonderfully diverse film selection, inspiring conversations, lively discussions, well-filled cinemas, and a warm, vibrant festival atmosphere. By the end of the 35th edition, around 17,500 visitors will have attended the screenings and events of this year’s FilmFestival Cottbus.”
LIST OF ALL AWARD WINNERS OF THE 35th FILMFESTIVAL COTTBUS
Feature Film Competition
Main Prize for Best Film – BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (Ivona Juka, HR/PL/CA/CY/BA, 2024, 137 min)
The Grand Prize, endowed with €15,000, is sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. The International Festival Jury of the 35th FFC consists of Sultan Pirzhan, producer from Kyrgyzstan, Maarja Johanna Mägi, actress from Estonia, Zhanna Ozirna, Ukrainian filmmaker, Nikola Ležaić, Serbian director, and Róbert Lakatos, Associate Professor at the Media Department of the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Jury statement:
“We were deeply moved by the emotional resonance of this film and its bold, uncompromising storytelling. With great sensitivity and subtlety, it deals with a complex and difficult history, linking personal trauma with collective memory in a way that feels both intimate and expansive.
We admired the film’s courage to address unspoken stories and the platform it provides to those whose experiences are too often unheard.
This film not only reflects the weight of the past but also speaks powerfully and directly to our present. Unfortunately, its themes remain painfully relevant today. We hope that the conversations it sparks will help open dialogue, confront old wounds honestly, and reflect courageously on ways to move forward.
For its artistic bravery, deeply humanist themes, and unforgettable emotional impact, we award BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY as Best Film of the 35th FilmFestival Cottbus.”
Special Prize for Best Director – OUR FATHER (Goran Stanković, RS/IT/HR/MK/ME/BA, 2025, 90 min)
The Special Prize for Best Director is sponsored by Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) and endowed with €7,500.
Jury statement:
“As the jury, we were deeply moved by a film that does not rely on grand gestures or elaborate film techniques. Instead, it offers an unguarded, raw, and unapologetic window into its character’s life. It reminded us of the transformative power of simplicity, and the courage it takes to let truth stand on its own. The filmmaker keeps the narrative grounded and relentlessly raw, never shying away from the emotional and physical realities of his characters’ journey.
Through the direction, we are placed in the very body of the characters: we feel their pain, their closeness, their struggle. This work gives us access to suffering and hope in equal measure, and does so with integrity and deep human empathy.
We are honoured to present the award for Best Director to Goran Stanković for OUR FATHER.”
Prize for an Outstanding Individual Performance – Emir Hadžihafizbegović in BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (Ivona Juka, HR/PL/CA/CY/BA, 2024, 137 min)
The Award for Outstanding Individual Performance is sponsored by Sparkasse Spree-Neiße and endowed with €5,000.
Jury statement:
“We were in awe of this performance, which was deeply touching and marked by emotional depth and vulnerability.
We were struck by the transformation the actor leads his character through over the course of the film: a journey rendered through subtle, raw, and deeply human expression. His portrayal holds space for uncertainty, fragility, and quiet strength. It reflects the idea that intelligence lies not in certainty, but in openness to doubt and the willingness to feel. His performance is courageous in its unsureness, powerful in its restraint, and unforgettable in its authenticity.
For this depth, honesty, and artistic mastery, we recognize Emir Hadžihafizbegović with the Award for Outstanding Individual Performance.”
Short Film Competition
Main Prize for the Best Short Film – PEOPLE & THINGS (Damian Kosowski, PL, 2024, 20 min)
The Grand Prize for Best Short Film, endowed with €2,500, is sponsored by Druckzone Cottbus. The short film competition jury consists of film critic and director of the Poznan Animation Festival Adriana Prodeus, German actor Riccardo Campione, and Yemi Chabi, French producer.
Jury statement:
“By showing us a not so distant future the winner of this category made us once again think of the consequences of the present.It was a metaphorical slap in the face. A very strong and deeply moving portrayal of what reality might look like with breathtaking acting, amazing camera and scenography and an experience none of us will forget any time soon.
In the short film competition the prize for best film goes to people and things by Damian Kosowski.”
Special Prize for the Best Director – LOVE IS IN THE AIR (Claudiu Mitcu, RO, 2025, 18 min)
The Special Prize for a Director is sponsored by Tiede+ and endowed with €1,500.
Jury statement:
“The winner of this category caught us and the theater and brought all of us together. Great acting and an amazing sense for timing and subtlety made us think of how directors can be like the focal point of a lense, where everything is clear and we as an audience can let go and just enjoy.
In the short film competition the prize for best director goes to Claudio Mitcu for love is in the air.”
Youth Film Competition
Prize for Best Youth Film – PROMISE, I’LL BE FINE (Katarína Gramatová, SK/CZ, 2024, 92 min)
The prize for Best Youth Film is endowed with €5,000 and sponsored by the City of Cottbus. The jury consists of students from Ludwig-Leichhardt-Gymnasium Cottbus, V. Lyzeum Zielona Góra, and Gymnázium Teplice.
Jury statement:
“We were impressed with how natural and realistic the movie felt in every aspect – from its performances to its visual design.
The story and dialogues weren’t in any way over-constructed or romanticized; instead, they flowed with effortless authenticity. This was mainly due to the performances of the actors, who came from this rural environment and had no acting experience.
It managed to capture the daily life and growing up in an Eastern European environment impressively. All in all, this movie succeeded in showing a lot of complex emotions and relationships, as well as observant visuals, which left us moved and affected by its tender and truthful storytelling.”
DIALOGUE Award for Intercultural Understanding
€2,000 sponsored by Rotary Club Cottbus
HOW COME IT’S ALL GREEN OUT HERE? (Nikola Ležaić, RS/HR/BG, 2025, 114 min)
Jury: Sergei Loznitsa (Director), Dani Rosenberg (Director), Rebecca Heiler (Director of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film)
Jury statement:
“Skillfully using the language of cinema, the film evokes a complex reflection on the fragile persistence of memory — the attempt to preserve the remembrance of a homeland and a home, while redefining them in an era when such notions have become fluid. The Dialogue Award, endowed with 2,000€, goes to Nikola Ležaić and his film HOW COME IT´S ALL GREEN OUT HERE?”
Prize for the Best Debut
€3,000 sponsored by Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and Filmuniversity Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
PROMISE, I’LL BE FINE (Katarína Gramatová, SK/CZ, 2024, 92 min)
Jury: Oskar Gaston Koller (director of the FFC trailer 2025), Licia Frieda Flocke (producer of the FFC trailer 2025), Prof. Dr. Alexandra Retkowski (Institute for Social Work, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg)
Jury statement:
“The winning film captures longing and melancholy, as well as the intimate, tender moments between mother and son, with great observation. We would love to talk for hours about this deeply moving film, but unfortunately, there’s no time…
With great pleasure, we award the Prize for Best Debut Film to Katarína Gramatová for her impressive film PROMISE, I’LL BE FINE.”
FIPRESCI Award
of the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique
WROOKLYN ZOO (Krzysztof Skonieczny, PL/US, 2024, 128 min)
Jury: Barbara Schweizerhof, PhDr. Ladislav Volko PhD., Andrei Liimets
Jury statement:
“For blending punkish energy and the anti-authoritarianism of skate culture with the mysticism of Roma folklore and a timeless Shakespearean love story. The film is youthful, playful, creative and borderless both in cultural influences as well as its fresh filmmaking. Going through a troubled past and talking to a divided present, it provides much needed cues for a better future.”
Award of the Ecumenical Jury
sponsored by SIGNIS and INTERFILM
MAYFLIES (Emília Goldberg, HU, 2025, 90 min)
Jury: Aida Schlaepfer, Andraž Arko, Rainer Bätzing, Ágoston Gőbel
Jury statement:
“Emília Goldberg’s film poignantly portrays two women trapped in contrasting prisons, delving deeply into mercy and compassion. It challenges conventional views by eliciting sympathy for a murderer, showcasing love's profound power to transform lives. Her nuanced direction casts a redemptive light that inspires hope amid darkness. This work stands as a compelling testament to human resilience and the potential for change.”
Honorable Mention by the Ecumenical Jury
IDA WHO SANG SO BADLY EVEN THE DEAD ROSE UP AND JOINED HER IN SONG (Ester Ivakič, SI/HR, 2025, 109 min)
Jury statement:
“Slovenia in the 1970’s: The Film under the masterful direction of Ester Ivakič, stands as a profoundly honest and poetic exploration of a young girl's soul. The film delicately captures the pure and unfiltered relationship between children and the divine, offering audiences an evocative and sincere cinematic experience. Ivakič’s work resonates with authenticity and lyrical beauty, making it a compelling testament to innocence and spirituality that deeply moves and inspires.”
Audience Award
€3,000 sponsored by Lausitzer Rundschau
BEAUTIFUL EVENING, BEAUTIFUL DAY (Ivona Juka, HR/PL/CA/CY/BA, 2024, 137 min)
Jury: Audience of the FilmFestival Cottbus
MIOB in Shorts Award
€1,000
LAND DER BERGE (Olga Kosanović, AT/DE, 2023, 28 min)
PICKASTORY – Audience Logline Award
Endowed with €1,000 by Film Center Serbia
Branko Tomović
Sponsorship Award of the Foundation for the Sorbian People
Endowed with €3,000
Roman Pernack
Jury statement:
Roman Pernack has mastered the art of approaching people in a warm, open and honest manner. In his documentary work, he provides them and their stories with a cinematic framework by encouraging them to open up and allowing us to share in their lives, whether in his own neighbourhood of Wrangelkiez in Berlin, in Egypt or here in Lusatia.
The FilmFestival Cottbus is primarily funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the City of Cottbus. The festival also gratefully acknowledges the support of Creative Europe Media, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Sparkasse Spree-Neiße, and the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
Our media partners are radioeins, radio3, and the Lausitzer Rundschau.
