Titles by Alexe Poukine, David Bim, and Soujiro Sanada had been among the many winners of the competitors sections at this yr’s Munich Worldwide Movie Competition (MIFF) which wrapped on Sunday (July 6).
The €15,000 award for finest worldwide movie within the CineMasters competitors went to the French-born director Alexe Poukine for her narrative function directorial debut Kika, a few social employee who turns into a intercourse employee after studying some tragic information. It premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, with Totem Movies dealing with gross sales.
The CineVision competitors jury awarded the very best worldwide movie by an rising director prize value €10,000 to Cuban filmmaker David Bim’s observational documentary To The West, In Zapata, which follows a pair attempting to assist their youngster within the swamplands of Zapata, a biosphere reserve in Cuba. Austria-based Sq. Eyes is dealing with gross sales on the movie which had its world premiere at Visions du Réel this April.
Accepting the award on stage, Bim mentioned: “I do consider that cinema can change us and make us thirsty however not for water like after I first met Mercedes [one of his film’s protagonists] eight years in the past, however quite for one thing even clearer and extra important. Cinema offers us a thirst for freedom.”
Sponsored by the pageant’s primary associate Audi, the €15,000 award within the CineRebels competitors for worldwide auteurs daring to interrupt the mould went to Japanese director Soujiro Sanada for his surreal second movie Okamoto, a few man who has been requested to carry onto mysterious cardboard containers. It premiered on the Tallinn Black Nights Movie Competition final yr.
The €3,000 CineKindl Award for the director of the very best movie within the pageant’s CineKindl part went to Omaha’s Cole Webley. Omaha is Webley’s debut function, and stars John Magaro as a father taking his two youngsters on a street journey throughout the rugged southwest of the US after a household tragedy. It premiered at Sundance within the US Dramatic Class part, with Cercamon dealing with gross sales.
A particular point out within the class went to André Kadi and Karine Vézina’s Hola, Frida!, whereas the €2,500 Younger Jury Award was offered to Jing Yi’s The Botanist.
The Fipresci prize for a movie screening within the New German Cinema part went to Jacqueline Jansen’s debut function Sechswochenamt, whereas the pageant’s viewers voted for Julius Grimm’s absurd afterlife comedy Zweigstelle within the nationwide class and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Worth within the worldwide class. The CineKindl viewers award was gained by Nina Wels’ animated function Tafiti – Throughout The Desert.
Reflecting on his second version in cost, pageant director Christoph Gröner mentioned a spotlight from this yr was Gillian Anderson accumulating the CineMerit award in individual forward of a screening of The Salt Path.
“I didn’t know that you could possibly cry together with your jaw quite than your eyes. It was a really emotional second and she or he was so gracious and went to [speak to] the followers for an additional half-hour.” Stellan Skarsgard was additionally honoured at this yr’s pageant.
Viewers figures
In keeping with provisional figures collated by MIFF, there have been 91,000 guests to round 600 screenings and occasions through the pageant week – up from 71,000 to round 500 occasions in 2024. Nevertheless, for the primary time the 2025 determine additionally consists of round 16,000 attendees to trade networking occasions additionally held through the pageant.
Attendees at trade occasions included Ethan Hawke (who’s taking pictures The Weight in Bavaria).
Inventive director Julia Weigl added: “We’re extremely completely satisfied as a result of the cinemas had been full, the audiences had been enthusiastic, there have been many standing ovations.”