The 23rd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival announced its winners during the Closing Gala held Saturday evening at the National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca. The Transilvania Trophy, worth 10,000 euros, went to the Indian film Girls Will Be Girls. The debut film of director Shuchi Talati explores what it means to be a woman in a strict and oppressive environment through the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl from a boarding school in the Himalayas, whose mother does not seem to have experienced maturity either.
“The story of this film is very rooted in India, but I always hoped that people outside this very specific space and time where the story takes place would resonate with it. I feel like this award says that,” said Shuchi Talati in a video presented at the gala.
Another Indian film was also rewarded with the Special Jury Prize, worth 1,500 euros: The Adamant Girl, directed by Vinothraj Palani, who was previously awarded at Transilvania IFF in 2021 for his debut film Pebbles. The Official Competition Jury was also impressed by the way director Sebastián Quebrada tells a personal story in The Other Son, following the inner conflicts of each character. He was awarded the Best Director Prize, worth 3,000 euros.
The Best Acting Prize, worth 1,000 euros, offered by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim, was awarded to Hassan Pourshirazi for his role in The Old Bachelor (directed by Oktay Baraheni). As the jury members explained their choice, “the actor fearlessly and unashamedly throws himself into a visceral performance of a character embodying absolute evil in all its complexity.”
The Feature Film Award within the Romanian Days competition was won by the independent film Dismissed, directed by Horia Cucută and George ve Ganæaard. This prize includes 2,000 euros, offered by DACIN SARA, and laboratory services worth 10,000 euros, offered by CINELAB Romania. The documentary Alice On & Off, directed by Isabela Tent, was awarded the ZFR Debut Prize, worth 1,500 euros, offered by Banca Transilvania, as well as the Special Jury Mention “What’s Up, Doc?” and the FIPRESCI Prize.
The What’s Up, Doc? competition, which includes films that play with the conventions of documentary cinema, was won by Kix (directed by Dávid Mikulán, Bálint Révész). The prize worth 2,000 euros was awarded for “the cinematic confidence with which the authors accompany, as detached accomplices, the transformation of a child.” Bálint Révész, one of the directors, stated in a video shown at the Closing Gala that “Transilvania IFF functions as a space where professionals from the Hungarian film industry can meet each other, but also with international guests, in a festival that has always had a special focus on Hungarian films. For us, it’s more than just a film festival.”
The Transilvania IFF audience also chose their favorites this year. The Audience Award, worth 2,000 euros, offered by Mastercard, went to Summer Brother (directed by Joren Molter), while Moromeții 3 (directed by Stere Gulea) received the Award for the Most Popular Romanian Film of the festival (Vodafone Hearts’ Award), worth 2,500 euros, offered by Vodafone.
Winners of the 23rd Edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival
Transilvania Trophy, worth 10,000 euros: Girls Will Be Girls (dir. Shuchi Talati)
Best Director Award, worth 3,500 euros: Sebastián Quebrada, for the film The Other Son
Special Jury Award, worth 1,500 euros: The Adamant Girl (dir. Vinothraj Palani)
Best Performance Award, worth 1,000 euros, offered by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim: Hassan Pourshirazi, for his role in The Old Bachelor (dir. Oktay Baraheni)
Special Mention of the Jury: Jarne Heylen and Joël in ‘t Veld, for their roles in Summer Brother (dir. Joren Molter)
Audience Award, worth 2,000 euros, offered by Mastercard: Summer Brother (dir. Joren Molter)
Romanian Days Award for Feature Film, worth 2,000 euros, offered by DACIN SARA and laboratory services worth 10,000 euros, offered by CINELAB Romania: Dismissed (dir. Horia Cucută, George ve Ganæaard)
Special Mention of the Jury for Romanian Days Feature Film: Family Weekend (dir. Mihnea Toma)
Romanian Days Award for Debut, worth 1,500 euros, offered by Banca Transilvania: Alice On & Off, directed by Isabela Tent
Romanian Days Award for Short Film, worth 1,000 euros and 5,000 euros in services consisting of equipment, electric camera, and grip offered by CutareFilm: Truth or Dare (dir. Simona Borcea)
“What’s Up, Doc?” Award, worth 2,000 euros, offered by Tenaris Silcotub: Kix (dir. Dávid Mikulán, Bálint Révész)
Special Mention of the Jury “What’s Up, Doc?”: Alice On & Off (dir. Isabela Tent) & La Reine (dir. Nikola Klinger)
Award for the Most Popular Romanian Film in the Festival (Vodafone Hearts’ Award), worth 2,500 euros, offered by Vodafone: Moromeții 3 (dir. Stere Gulea)
Ecumenical Jury Award, worth 1,000 euros, offered by SIGNIS and INTERFILM to a film in the festival competition: Summer Brother (dir. Joren Molter)
Special Mention of the Ecumenical Jury: Where Elephants Go (dir. Cătălin Rotaru, Gabi Virginia Șarga)
SIGNIS Award, worth 500 euros, offered by SIGNIS Romania, to a short film from the Romanian Days section: Cat Funeral (dir. Ana-Maria Comănescu)
FIPRESCI Award, offered by the International Federation of Film Critics’ jury to a film in the Romanian Days section: Alice On & Off (dir. Isabela Tent)
Excellence Award: Actress Catrinel Dumitrescu
Special Award for Contribution to World Cinema: Daniele Luchetti
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Awards within the Transilvania IFF Programs
Transilvania Pitch Stop
Chainsaw Europe Award – 25,000 euros in post-production services: Dancing Angels (Turkey), directed by Ferit Kilic and produced by Diloy Gülün and Beste Yamalioglu (Karma Films)
TPS Development Award, offered by AVANPOST, worth 5,000 euros: Curtain (Ukraine), directed by Valeria Sochyvets and produced by Inna Lastochkina (Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema)
VILLA KULT Development Award, worth 500 euros: Kid Hazard (Romania), directed by Răzvan Marinescu and produced by Irina Enea (Baking Films)
National Center of Cinematography of the Republic of Moldova Award, worth 1,500 euros: Die, Please, directed by Ioana Mischie and produced by Andra MacMasters (Studioset)
Connecting Cottbus cocoLAB Award – east-west emerging producers Award – selection of a producer from Romania or the Republic of Moldova to participate in the new cocoLAB 2024 program dedicated to emerging producers: Irina Enea
Drama Room
Best Series Project Award, consisting of a development deal with PRO TV: Bucharest Noir, script by Andrei Redinciuc
Special Mention of the Jury: The Group, script by Conrad Mericoffer
Creative Residency at Bethlen-Haller Castle, for a project from the Drama Room, offered by Domeniul Jidvei: Conrad Mericoffer for the project The Group
Full Moon Creative Lab
Full Moon Creative Lab Development Award, worth 5,000 euros, offered with the support of the European Union: ICU – Immortal Care Unit, head writer: Giulio Rizzo, co-writers: Sînziana Cojocărescu, Greg Simmons, Nadya Todorova, facilitator Geo Doba
Local Competition
Local Competition Award, worth 1,500 euros, offered by Banca Transilvania and production services worth 10,000 euros for the director’s next film project, awarded by Numa Film: Centimetric (dir. Philip Găicean)
Special Mention of the Jury, consisting of post-production services worth 7,000 euros, offered by Numa Film: With the Taste of Smoke and the Memory of Summer (dir. Ágnes Anna Farkas)
Special Award, worth 1,000 euros, offered by McDonald’s Romania: mater noster (dir. Lehel Fazakas)
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Other Awards
Young Francophone Jury Award, offered by TV5 Monde and the French Institute, consisting of the acquisition of the film’s distribution rights in Romanian cinemas: Amal (dir. Jawad Rhalib)
Alex. Leo Șerban Scholarship, worth 2,500 euros, offered in partnership with Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim: Harmony (dir. Norbert Fodor)
Special Mention within the Alex. Leo Șerban Scholarship, worth 500 euros, offered by AFFT: Development of the online platform BRICIUL – partnership with ALT Film association // ION GNATIUC
Special Mention within the Alex. Leo Șerban Scholarship, worth 1,000 euros, awarded in partnership with Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim to a young Romanian actor who made a notable breakthrough in a short film or feature film premiered in 2023 or 2024: Mara Bugarin