The film world-premiered in May in the Festival de Cannes La Cinef section, winning the 3rd prize (ex aequo), followed in August by domestic Animist Tallinn Grand Prix and Oscar-qualifying Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film at Sarajevo Film Festival.
In September, Winter in March won the Grand Prix at the Siam International Animation Festival (Thailand). Shortly after, the film received the Audience Award in the International Competition at Switzerland’s Fantoche – International Festival for Animated Film, and the Grand Prix in the Student Film category at the Taichung International Animation Festival (Taiwan).
October brought further distinctions from across the world. In the United States, it earned an Honorable Mention for Best Short Film at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Winter in March, a co-production between Estonia and Armenia, had its Armenian premiere at the ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival in Yerevan, where it won the Lev Atamanov Prize for Best Armenian Animated Short Film. At Iran’s Tehran International Animation Festival, held from October 19 to 24, Winter in March was awarded the festival’s Golden Leaf for Best Animated Film.
Most recently, Winter in March was named the Uppsala Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards European Short Film – Prix Vimeo 2027. Uppsala Short Film Festival jury praised the film for its emotional clarity and artistic strength:
“In a world where evil spreads in every direction, harshness is portrayed through the softest materials. This story reminds us that it is always worth trying, worth refusing to agree, worth continuing to call things by their true names, worth committing the radical act of leaving everything you know behind in order to keep preserving ideals and compassion. To us, this film is a striking way of putting images to a story from real life, moving with such force and clarity that it reaches straight from the screen into our hearts.”
— Uppsala Short Film Festival Jury, 2025
Full list of Uppsala Award Winners
Winter in March (2025) tells the story of a young Russian couple who, unable to reconcile with their homeland’s aggression, decide to leave. Their journey to Georgia becomes a surrealist nightmare. Their greatest fear—being separated at the border—catches up with them from an unexpected angle. The film captures the trauma of displacement and moral resistance in the face of dictatorship.
Based on interviews with friends who fled Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, the film explores the moral and emotional toll of emigration. The original score was composed by Evgeny Fedorov, frontman of the legendary Russian alternative rock band Tequilajazzz, who—like Mirzoyan—left Russia after publicly criticizing the regime.
Winter in March was produced by Rebel Frame (Estonia) and ArtStep Studio (Armenia), in co-production with the Estonian Academy of Arts, Black Boat Pictures (France), and White Boat Pictures (Belgium), with support from the Estonian Film Institute, Estonian Cultural Endowment, and the Cinema Foundation of Armenia.
Having already qualified for Oscars® consideration, Winter in March now continues its journey through the awards season with growing international recognition.
List of Accolades:
- Troisième Prix de la Cinef (Ex-Aequo) – Cannes 2025 (France)
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film – Sarajevo Film Festival 2025 (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Audience Award – Fantoche 2025 (Switzerland)
- Grand Prix – SiamAnima (Thailand)
- Grand Prix – Animist Tallinn (Estonia)
- Grand Prix (Student Film Category) – Taichung International Animation Festival (Taiwan)
- Honorable Mention for Best Short Film – Philadelphia Film Festival (USA)
- Lev Atamanov Prize for Best Armenian Animated Short – ReAnimania (Armenia)
- Golden Leaf for Best Animated Film – Tehran International Short Film Festival (Iran)
- European Film Awards Candidate (Prix Vimeo 2027) – Uppsala Short Film Festival (Sweden)
List of upcoming festival screenings (incomplete):
- CINANIMA International Animated Film Festival, 7–16 November 2025
- London Baltic Film Festival, 7-12 November 2025
- Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 7–23 November 2025
- Feinaki Beijing Animation Week, 14–17 November 2025
- Gijón International Film Festival, 14–22 November 2025
- London International Animation Festival (LIAF), 28 November – 7 December 2025
- Animateka International Animated Film Festival, 1–7 December 2025
- Poitiers Film Festival, 1–8 December 2025
- The Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series, December 4th, NY, Scandinavia House
TRAILER >> https://vimeo.com/1075688778
