The 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival has revealed this year’s juried award winners. PSIFF took place from Jan. 2-13, 2025, and screened 165 films from over 71 countries, including 68 premieres. The line-up includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar Submissions along with Talking Pictures, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, True Stories, World Cinema Now and more.
Previously announced winners include the Desert Views Award, Young Cineastes Award and Bridging the Borders Award. The Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature will be announced on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 12.
The FIPRESCI jury members were Canadian film critic Brian D. Johnson, Brazilian film critic Marcelo Janot and Italian film critic and Paola Caseslla. This special jury reviewed 35 of the official submissions for the Academy Awards International Feature Film category that were selected to screen at this year’s festival.
See the full winners list below.
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film: “I’m Still Here” (Brazil), Director Walter Salles
Jury Statement: “’To I’m Still Here,’ for conveying the horror of encroaching dictatorship from the intimate perspective of a mother defending not just her family of five, but her dignity. Evoking the severity of the violence without resorting to melodrama, director Walter Salles captures a critical moment of history in scrupulous and compelling detail.”
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay: “Vermiglio” (Italy), Director Maura Delpero
Jury Statement: “To writer-director Maura Delpero, for subverting the conventions of a wartime drama within the framework of an elegant period piece — and letting the story unfold through the eyes of complicated female characters.”
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actress in an International Feature Film: Zoe Saldaña – “Emilia Pérez” (France), Director Jacques Audiard
Jury Statement: “To Zoe Saldaña, for the ferocity and complexity of her performance in ‘Emilia Pérez,’ which shows a virtuosic range of expression, from song and dance to her potent interpretation of a morally shaded character. Although her character plays a supporting role, she drives the narrative with the power of a protagonist.”
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái – “Kneecap” (Ireland), Director Rich Peppiatt
Jury Statement: “To Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái, for their seamless performance as an ensemble of musicians who make their acting debut in ‘Kneecap.’ Proving equally authentic and explosive in both capacities, they bring a fresh and propulsive energy to the whole notion of cultural identity.”
Best Documentary Award Special Mention: “Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story” (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Sinéad O’Shea
Best Documentary Award: “No Other Land” (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
The Documentary Award is presented to the director for the most compelling non-fiction filmmaking from among those selected to screen at the festival. The films were juried by Dale Cohen (UCLA Documentary Film Legal Clinic), Matthew Carey (Deadline), and Tishon Pugh (New Orleans Film Society).
Jury Statement: “For its compelling immersion into the lives of Palestinian villagers in the West Bank who face the constant threat of expulsion from their homes by the Israel Defense Forces and attacks by Israeli settlers, we award the Best Documentary Award to ‘No Other Land.’ This film foregrounds the bond between two filmmakers – one Palestinian, the other Israeli – without sentimentalizing the relationship, but emphasizing the different rules that apply to Israelis who live under civil law and Palestinians governed by Israeli military justice. We complement festival programmers on an extraordinary selection of documentaries in competition and award a Special Mention to ‘Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story,’ which reveals the creative genius and exceptional life force of the great Irish writer.”
New Voices New Visions Special Mention: “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” (South Africa), Director Embeth Davidtz
New Voices New Visions Award: “The New Year That Never Came” (Romania), Director Bogdan Mureșanu
The New Voices New Visions Award focuses on films that the festival programming team felt represent the most distinctive new directors who have emerged in the last year. The films were juried by Beth Barett (Seattle International Film Festival), Gil Robertson (African American Film Critics Association), and Justine Barda (Telescope Film).
Jury Statement: “The director of our winning film lives up to the promise he showed in 2019 when his short ‘The Christmas Gift’ won ShortFests’ Best of the Festival Award. We appreciated the way that he incorporates a myriad of storylines, bringing them to a triumphant conclusion set to Ravel’s Bolero. We especially admired his use of dark comedy to explore the impact on individual citizens of the Ceausescu dictatorship and its fall. We’d also like to give a Special Mention to Lexi Ventor for her stunning portrayal of Bobo in ‘Don’t Let’s Go the Dogs Tonight.’ Her presence and emotional intelligence offer a child’s eye view of the experience Zimbabwe faced as it entered its period of decolonization.”
Ibero-American Special Mention: “Manas” (Brazil/Portugal), Director Marianna Brennand
Ibero-American Award: “Sujo” (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
The Ibero-American Award is presented to the best film from Latin America, Spain or Portugal selected to screen at the festival. The award aims to highlight the creativity seen in modern Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American films. The films were judged by Anna Marie De La Fuente (Variety), Chloë Roddick (Morelia International Film Festival), and Danny Hastings (Official Latino Film Festival).
Jury Statement: “We have unanimously selected ‘Sujo’ for its elegant, nuanced portrayal of a young boy struggling to escape overwhelming violence and poverty in a small Mexican town. The film is meticulously paced and darkly poetic, offering its protagonist an unusually optimistic and humane ending to his story. Featuring outstanding performances from its young cast and beautiful, ethereal cinematography, ‘Sujo’ cements filmmaker duo Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s rising-star status in the contemporary Mexican cinema scene.”
Desert Views Special Mention: “Desert Angel” (United States), Director Vincent DeLuca
Desert Views Award Winner: “Checkpoint Zoo” (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
Awarded by the Desert Views Jury made up of locals to a film that, in the spirit of neighborliness, promotes understanding and acceptance among people. The films were judged by Jose Macias (Desert Hot Springs), Margaret Quirante (Morongo Valley), Matt Ramirez (Cathedral City), Tanisha L. Alston (Palm Desert), and Sohelia Crane (Palm Desert).
Jury Statement: “The 2025 Desert Views Jury is proud to present the Desert Views Award to ‘Checkpoint Zoo.’ This film embodies the spirit of community through a small group of local Ukrainians that captured the hearts of a global audience through social media posts in the early chaotic days of the Russian invasion. Against all odds and great personal sacrifice, an unlikely group of volunteers united their community and inspired hope globally in an effort to rescue animals.”
Young Cineastes Special Mention: “Superboys of Malegaon” (India/United States), Director Reema Kagti
Young Cineastes Award Winner: “Tatami” (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv
The Young Cineastes jury is composed of high school students with a passion for cinema. The films were judged by Joseph Manjarrez (Palm Springs High School), Lyla Valentine (Palm Desert High School), and Stephanie Lopez (Palm Springs High School).
Jury Statement: “The 2025 Young Cineastes Jury is proud to present the Young Cineastes Award to ‘Tatami.’ We selected this film because it is a ‘non-fiction’ fictional story packed with unique visuals, that brings foreign political awareness to its viewers. The film tells a story of resilience where every decision impacts individuals’ lives.”
Bridging the Borders Special Mention: “Happy Holidays” (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Director Scandar Copti
Bridging the Borders Award: “Souleymane’s Story” (France), Director Boris Lojkine
At a time when physical, religious, racial, cultural, and economic borders divide the population of our planet, efforts to bridge those borders should be appreciated. In that spirit, Cinema Without Borders presents the Bridging the Borders Award sponsored by 360 MEDIA to a film that is most successful in bridging and connecting the people of our world closer together. The winner of the 2025 Bridging the Borders Award presented by Cinema Without Borders and sponsored by 360 Media will receive a cash award of $2000. The films were judged by Abbas Yari, Ali Murat Erkorkmaz, Bijan Tehrani, Granaz Moussavi, Keely Badger, Marcy Garriott, Michael Franck, Matt Ferro, Susan Morgan Cooper, and Vladek Juszkiewicz.
Palm Springs ShortFest is scheduled to return June 24-30, 2025.
