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The Palm Springs International Film Festival on Sunday revealed its 2025 juried award winners, which includes Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, Zoe Saldaña and the documentary No Other Land.
The juried categories include the FIPRESCI Prize for films in the international feature film Oscar submissions program, the best documentary award and the New Voices New Visions Award, among others.
The festival took place between Jan. 2 and Jan. 13 and screened 165 films from over 71 countries.
See below for a full list of juried winners.
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
No Other Land (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Best Documentary Award Special Mention
Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Sinéad O’Shea
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 Award
The New Year That Never Came (Romania), Director Bogdan Mureșanu
New Voices New Visions Special Mention:
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (South Africa), Director Embeth Davidtz
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 Award
Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Ibero-American Special Mention
Manas (Brazil/Portugal), Director Marianna Brennand
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 Award Winner
Checkpoint Zoo (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
Desert Views Special Mention
Desert Angel (United States), Director Vincent DeLuca
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 Award Winner
Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv
Young Cineastes Special Mention
Superboys of Malegaon (India/United States), Director Reema Kagti
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 Award
Souleymane’s Story (France), Director Boris Lojkine
Bridging the Borders Special Mention
Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Director Scandar Copti
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