The winners of the 23rd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival were announced Saturday evening during the Closing Gala at the National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca. The Transilvania Trophy, worth €10,000, was awarded to To a Land Unknown (UK), an intense drama about two Palestinian refugees living in Athens, caught between petty scams and the hope of a better life in Germany. Amid a climate of despair and moral compromise, one of them spirals deeper into a cycle of manipulation and exploitation of those around him.
In a video message shown during the Gala, director Mahdi Fleifel—returning to Transilvania IFF after his 2013 debut—emphasized the difficulty of making the film: “It was more about survival than storytelling. We struggled for nearly ten years to make it.” He also shared a plea for peace: “The problem in Palestine is not the Palestinians, it’s the occupation—and that must end.”
The refugee experience is also central to Xoftex (Germany), for which Noaz Deshe won the Best Directing Award, worth €3,500 and offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute. Meanwhile, the Special Jury Prize (€1,500, also offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute) went to Debut (or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued) (USA), the first film by Julian Castronovo, which humorously explores the fragile boundary between truth and fabrication, as well as the human need to construct narratives.
The Best Performance Award (€1,000, offered by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim) was presented to Ghjuvanna Benedetti for her role in The Kingdom (dir. Julien Colonna, France), in which she portrays a teenager growing up in the violent shadow of her mafia father in 1990s Corsica.
In the Romanian Days Competition, The New Year That Never Came (dir. Bogdan Mureșanu), a tragicomedy set on the eve of the 1989 Revolution, won the Best Feature Award, worth €2,000 (offered by DACIN SARA), along with €10,000 in post-production services offered by CINELAB Romania. The Romanian Days Debut Award (€1,500, offered by Banca Transilvania) went to Bright Future (dir. Andra MacMasters), a fascinating archival journey through a 1989 youth festival held in North Korea.
In the What’s Up, Doc? competition, the €2,000 prize offered by Tenaris Silcotub was awarded to a film the jury described as creating “a delicate visual choreography.” That film, Saturn (dir. Daniel Tornero), received the most praise in the documentary and hybrid film section.
The Audience Award (€2,000, offered by Mastercard) for a film in the Official Competition went to Deaf (dir. Eva Libertad García López, Spain), while The New Year That Never Came was named Most Popular Romanian Film at the festival. The Vodafone Hearts’ Award, worth €2,500, was offered by Vodafone.
The Gala closed with moving words from director Béla Tarr, recipient of Transilvania IFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award:
“When you make a film, you don’t expect someone from the other side of the world to see it. We make films for people, for the less fortunate, for those who need a story to be told. Because in the end, that’s what we all are: human beings.”
The full list of awards from the 23rd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival is available at tiff.ro.
Winners of the 24th Edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival
Transilvania Trophy, in amount of 10,000 euros – To a Land Unknown (dir. Mahdi Fleifel, United Kingdom)
Best Directing Award, in amount of 3500 euros, offered by ICR – Noaz Deshe for the film Xoftex (Germany)
Special Jury Award, in amount of 1,500 euros, offered by ICR – Debut, or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued (dir. Julian Castronovo, United States)
Best Performance award, in amount of 1,000 euros, offered by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim – Ghjuvanna Benedetti for the film The Kingdom (dir. Julien Colonna, France)
“What’s up, Doc?” Award, in amount of 2,000 Euros, offered by Tenaris Silcotub – Saturn (dir. Daniel Tornero, Spain)
Special Mention of the „What’s Up, Doc?” Jury – The Return of the Projectionist (dir. Orkhan Aghazadeh, France)
Special Mention of the „What’s Up, Doc?” Jury – Letters from Wolf Street (dir. Arjun Talwar, Poland)
Romanian Days: Best feature film, in amount of 1500 Euro, offered by DACIN SARA and grip and equipment services worth 10,000 Euro, offered by CINELAB România – The new year that never came (dir. Bogdan Mureșanu, Romania)
Romanian Days Award for Best Debut, in amount of 1.500 de euro, offered by Banca Transilvania – Bright Future (dir. Andra MacMasters, Romania)
Romanian Days Award for Best Short Film, in amount of 1,500 and 5,000 euro (camera & electric & grip equipment services), offered by CutareFilm – Aid (dir. Valentin-Rareș Fogoroș, Romania)
The Audience Award, in amount of 2,000 euros, offered by MasterCard – Deaf (dir. Eva Libertad García López, Spain)
Most Popular Romanian Film in the Festival (Vodafone Hearts’ Award), in amount of 2.500 euros, offered by Vodafone – The new year that never came (dir. Bogdan Mureșanu, Romania)
Excellency Award: director Andrei Ujica, offered by Nova Power & Gas
Excellency Award: actor Florin Piersic
Lifetime Achievement Award: director Béla Tarr
Lifetime Achievement Award: actress Emila Dobrin
Lifetime Achievement Award: film critic Valerian Sava
Transilvania Trophy for Special Contribution to World Cinema: actress Maria de Medeiros
FIPRESCI Award, offered by the Jury of the International Federation of Film Critics for a film from the Romanian Film Days section – Merman (dir. Ana Lungu, Romania)
Youth Award (TEEN Spirit), in amount of 1,500 euros, offered by McDonalds – Little Trouble Girls (dir. Urška Djukić, Slovenia)
Special mention of the Teen Spirit Jury – The Girls at the Station (dir. Juana Macías, Spain)
Ecumenical Jury Award, in amount of 1,000 euros offered by SIGNIS and INTERFILM, for a film from the Festival Competition – Peacock (dir. Bernhard Wenger, Germany)
Special Mention of the Ecumenical Jury – Rains over Babel (dir. Gala del Sol, Colombia)
SIGNIS award, in amount 500 euros, offered by SIGNIS Romania, to a short film from the Romanian Days Section – Grandpa is sleeping (dir. Matei Branea, Romania)