The 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its juried award winners following the festival, which ran from January 2 to January 13, 2025. The event showcased 165 films from over 71 countries, including numerous premieres and Oscar submissions.
The FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film was awarded to “I’m Still Here” by Brazilian director Walter Salles. The jury commended the film for its portrayal of a mother defending her family amidst an encroaching dictatorship. Maura Delpero received the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay for “Vermiglio” (Italy), recognized for its unique take on wartime drama.
Zoe Saldaña won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in an International Feature Film for her role in “Emilia Pérez” (France). The jury highlighted her complex performance as pivotal despite being a supporting character. In Ireland’s “Kneecap,” Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái were jointly awarded Best Actor in an International Feature Film.
The Best Documentary Award went to “No Other Land” (Palestine) by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor. The film explores Palestinian villagers’ struggles against displacement. A Special Mention was given to Sinéad O’Shea’s documentary “Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story.”
Bogdan Mureșanu’s “The New Year That Never Came” (Romania) earned the New Voices New Visions Award. Embeth Davidtz’s work on “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” (South Africa) received a Special Mention.
The Ibero-American Award honored “Sujo” (Mexico) by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez for its depiction of violence and poverty through a young boy’s perspective. A Special Mention went to Marianna Brennand’s “Manas” (Brazil/Portugal).
Joshua Zeman’s “Checkpoint Zoo” (United States/Ukraine) won the Desert Views Award, with Vincent DeLuca’s “Desert Angel” receiving a Special Mention.
“Tatami” directed by Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv took home the Young Cineastes Award while Reema Kagti’s film “Superboys of Malegaon” was acknowledged with a Special Mention.
Lastly, Boris Lojkine’s “Souleymane’s Story” (France) received the Bridging the Borders Award from Cinema Without Borders. Scandar Copti’s “Happy Holidays” was given a Special Mention.
