22-06-2025

Winners of 2025 Transilvania International Film Festival

By
    Mahdi Fleifel, the director of To a Land Unknown, the winner of the Transilvania Trophy Mahdi Fleifel, the director of To a Land Unknown, the winner of the Transilvania Trophy credit: TIFF

    CLUJ-NAPOCA: To a Land Unknown by Mahdi Fleifel won the Transilvania Trophy in the official first- and second-time director competition of the 24th Transilvania International Film Festival (13 - 22 June 2025). Romanian/Serbian The New Year That Never Came by Bogdan Mureșanu won Best Feature in the Romanian Days Competition, as well as the award for the most popular domestic film at the festival.

    Spanish film Saturn by Daniel Tornero won the What’s Up, Doc? Competition.

    The closing gala of a successful edition was imbued by the presence of the Portuguese actress Maria de Medeiros and Hungarian director Béla Tarr, who received honourary awards.

    The 24th Transilvania International Film Festival was organised by the Romanian Film Promotion Association and the Transilvania Film Festival Association, with the support of the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Local Council, the Romanian Cultural InstituteDacin SaraUCIN, the Department for Interethnic Relations – DRI, the Florești Town Hall, and Creative Europe – MEDIA

    The festival was held under the auspicies of UNESCO City of Film.

    See below the list of festival’s winners, which also includes the winners of the industry programme.

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

    FESTIVAL’S WINNERS:

    Competition:

    Transilvania Trophy:
    To a Land Unknown (UK, Palestine, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia)
    Directed by Mahdi Fleifel

    Best Directing Award:
    Noaz Deshe for Xoftex (Germany, France)

    Special Jury Prize:
    Debut, or Objects of the Field of Debris, as Currently Catalogued (USA)
    Directed by Julian Castronovo

    Best Performance Award:
    Ghjuvanna Benedetti in The Kingdom / Le Royaume (France)
    Directed by Julien Colonna

    Romanian Days Competition:

    Best Feature Award:
    The New Year That Never Came / Anul Nou care n-a fost (Romania, Serbia)
    Directed by Bogdan  Mureșanu
    Produced by Kinotopia
    Coproduced by Chainsaw Europe, the Romanian National Television (SRTV), All Inclusive Film
    Supported by the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Romanian Cultural Institute, Institutul Român de Cultură și Cercetare Umanistică, DACIN SARA, the Romanian Filmmakers Union (UCIN), Creative Europe – MEDIA

    Romanian Days Debut Award:
    Bright Future / Viitor luminos (Romania, South Korea), Documentary
    Directed by Andra MacMasters
    Produced by Manifest Film
    Coproduced by Conset, Keumyoil Film
    Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC)

    Best Short Film:
    Aid / Ajutoare (Romania)
    Directed by Valentin Rareș Fogoroș

    What’s Up, Doc? Competition:

    Best Film:
    Saturn / Saturno (Spain)
    Directed by Daniel Tornero

    Special Mentions:

    The Return of the Projectionist  / Le retour du projectoniste (France)
    Directed by Orkhan Aghazadeh

    Letters from Wolf Street (Poland)
    Directed by Arjun Talwar

    Audience Award:
    Deaf / Sorda (Spain)
    Directed by Eva Libertad

    Most Popular Romanian Film at the Festival:
    The New Year That Never Came / Anul Nou care n-a fost (Romania, Serbia)
    Directed by Bogdan  Mureșanu

    Youth Award (TEEN Spirit):
    Little Trouble Girls / Kaj ti je deklica (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia)
    Directed by UrškaDjukić
    Produced by Spok Films, Staragara I.T., Izazov 365
    Coproduced by NosorogiRTV SlovenijaNon-Aligned Films
    Supported by the Slovenian Film CentreRTV Slovenija, Direzione generale Cinema e audiovisivo del Ministero della Cultura DGCA-Mic (MIBACT), the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund, the Film Commission Friuli Venezia Gulia (FVG), the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia (fcs.rs), with technical support provided by FS Viba. The development of the film was supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, Creative Europe MEDIA, RE-ACT, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine

    Special Mention of the TEEN Spirit Jury:
    Béla Tarr. Photo by Chris NemeșThe Girls at the Station / Las chicas de la estación (Spain)
    Directed by Juana Macías

    FIPRESCI Award:
    Merman / Triton (Romania), Documentary
    Directed by Ana Lungu
    Produced by 4PROOF Film
    Coproduced by Microscop Film
    Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC)

    Ecumenican Jury Award:
    Peacock (Austria, Germany)
    Directed by Bernhard Wenger

    Ecumenical Jury Special Mention:
    Rains over Babel (Colombia)
    Directed by Gala del Sol

    SIGNIS Award:
    Grandpa Is Sleeping / Bunicul doarme (Romania)
    Directed by Matei Branea

    Transilvania Trophy for Special Contribution to World Cinema:
    Actress Maria de Medeiros

    Lifetime Achievement Awards:
    Hungarian director Béla Tarr
    Romanian actress Emilia Dobrin
    Romanian film critic Valerian Sava

    Excellency Awards:
    Andrei Ujica
    Florin Piersic

    TIFF PROGRAMMES:

    Transilvania Pitch Stop:

    Chainsaw Europe Award:
    Kazimir (Romania)
    Directed by Dorian Boguță

    TPS Development Award:
    Horseshoe (Romania)
    Directed by Lucia Chicoș

    National Center of Cinematography of the Republic of Moldova Award:
    Desire (Turkey)
    Directed by Nuray Kayacan Sünbül

    Connecting Cottbus cocoLAB Award – east-west emerging producers Award:
    Grandparents’ Paradise (Romania)
    Directed by Alex Țibu, Șerban Racovițeanu

    Drama Room:

    Best Series Project Award:
    The Accountant / Contabilul (Romania)
    Written by Bogdan Drumea

    Creative Residency at Bethlen-Haller Castle:
    ReGYM (Romania)
    Written by Alex Pintică, Alberto Nicolae

    Local Competition:

    Local Competition Award:
    Concluzia (Romania)
    Directed by Vlad Bîrza

    The Unusual Award:
    Posibilitățile unei evadări (Romania)
    Directed by Lehel Fazakas, Antal Bence

    Special Mention of the Jury:
    Apele în care ne scăldăm (Romania)
    Directed by Răzvan Dima

    Făclia Award:
    Ole (Romania)
    Directed by Ambrozie Pură

    OTHER AWARDS:

    Young Francophone Jury Award, offered by TV5 Monde and the French Institute:
    Block Pass / La Pampa (France)
    Directed by Antoine Chevrollier

    Alex. Leo Șerban Scholarship:
    Milionarul gunoaielor (Romania) 
    Directed by Radu Stroie

    Special Mention within the Alex. Leo Șerban Scholarship:
    Actor Ștefan Mihai

    Click HERE for the press release.