IFFR Pro Award winners 2025

Drawing the IFFR Pro Days 2025 to a close, nine awards were handed out to projects presented at the 42nd edition of IFFR’s co-production market CineMart and work-in-progress platform Darkroom, including four new awards exclusively for Darkroom projects.

The IFFR Pro Awards celebrate talent and foster bold cinematic vision  by recognising outstanding projects presented at IFFR Pro’s co-production market CineMart, and work-in-progress platform Darkroom. The winners were selected from the 20 film projects and four immersive projects for the 42nd edition of CineMart, alongside the ten features and two immersive projects nearing completion that participated in the third edition of Darkroom.

Additionally, the HBF Empowerment Award was presented for the first time – with the inaugural award going to Tear Gas by Uta Beria, produced by Anna Khazaradze, Nino Chichua, and Guillaume Dreyfus. A love story set amid violent demonstrations in Tbilisi, it was one of the three Georgian projects presented in Darkroom, the work-in-progress section that focuses on projects supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, or formerly presented at CineMart or with a Rotterdam Lab alumni attached.

Head of IFFR Pro, Marten Rabarts, said: “We’re delighted and proud to see the recognition the juries have given to the awarded projects which will only add to the momentum from CineMart and the Darkroom presence which all projects have experienced. Together with our delegates here for this vibrant edition in Rotterdam, they’ve opened conversations, found partners and moved their projects ever-closer to realisation.”

IFFR Pro Awards 2025

4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive Project in CineMart 

4DR Studios offers a volumetric video studio package to an outstanding immersive project presented at CineMart.

Winner: Strata by Lilian Hess, Luxembourg, produced by: a_BAHN

Jury statement: “For the development projects we chose a project that has a very clear concept, and will use new distribution channels to open up Immersive to a new and broader audience. We picked Strata. Where projection or led screens create a multiplayer environment showing the multifaceted face of glitter in our lives. We thank all the participants and would really love to stay in touch with all projects, because we believe that collaboration is needed to help further develop immersive storytelling.”

Jury: Natasja Paulssen (4DR Studios, Netherlands)

4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive Project in Darkroom 

4DR Studios offers a volumetric video studio package to a Darkroom project.

Winner: The Great Orator by Daniel Ernst, Netherlands, produced by: K.O Productions

Jury statement: “This year we are pleasantly surprised about the development in the projects: we see a huge increase in using the particular strengths of the immersive technology  like presence, perspective, proximity, and place. However, we have to pick two. For work in progress this is a project that shows great creative design skills and very impressive use of the technology. So the award goes to The Great Orator. A project showing off safe AI in a beautifully crafted environment. “

Jury: Natasja Paulssen (4DR Studios, Netherlands)

ArteKino International Award 

ArteKino offers an award, worth €6,000, to the producer of a standout project to support its development, sponsored by ARTE’s foundation for the promotion of arthouse cinema.

Winner: Inbetween Worlds by Diana Cam Van Nguyen, Czech Republic, Slovakia, produced by: 13ka, nutprodukcia

Jury statement: “The jury decided to award a first feature film which manages to treat the existential issue of identity and roots inherited and created, in a distinctive and very personal style. We felt touched by the emotional delicacy and impressed by the maturity and creativity of the filmmakers approach as well as the overall energy of the creative team.”

Jury: Julie Savary (ARTE France Cinéma, France), Anton Scholten (24 FPS, Netherlands), Amanda Livanou (Neda Film, Greece)

Eurimages New Lab Awards 

Now in their second year after a successful first round, which included the Venice Immersive-presented Duchampiana, Eurimages presents its two New Lab Awards, including an Innovation Award for CineMart projects in development, worth €20,000, and an Outreach Award for Darkroom work-in-progress projects, worth €30,000.

Eurimages New Lab: Innovation Award

Winner: One Charming Night by Robin Coops, Netherlands, produced by: Studio Biarritz, Coops & Co

Jury Statement: “The Eurimages New Lab Award for Innovation goes to a project that seeks to spark conversations about consent, privacy and intimacy in the digital world. It boasts an innovative approach by bringing in the digital community as collaborators and storytellers and offers audiences a window into worlds they may as of yet be unfamiliar with.”

Eurimages New Lab: Outreach Award 

Winner: Bloques erráticos by Thomas Woodroffe, Chile, France, Argentina produced by: Fiebre SpA, La Belle Affaire Productions, Un Puma

Jury Statement: “The Eurimages New Lab Award for Outreach goes to a multilayered project that explores ghosts of the past and their relationship with the modern era, by questioning who is the owner of those memories. The jury believes the award can be instrumental in helping the filmmakers achieve their ambitious creative vision and outreach process that involves an international audience and the indigenous community.”

Jury: Tupac Martir (Satore Studio, United Kingdom), Carole Kremer (Luxembourg Film Fund, Luxembourg), Nelleke Driessen (NINE FILM, Netherlands)

Filmmore Work-in-progress Post-production Award

Filmmore, a leading full-service post-production, editing and visual effects facility based in Amsterdam, offers a new award, worth €5,000, to a Darkroom project.

Winner: Wild Dogs Don’t Bite by Rati Oneli, Georgia, Luxembourg, produced by: Office of Film Architecture, Independent Film Project, Les Films Fauves

Jury statement: “It’s an honour to be in the IFFR Darkroom, celebrating the passion and creativity that each filmmaker brings to the screen. Every film here is remarkable, and every project deserves the support needed to reach its fullest potential. And it’s precisely why making a choice was so challenging. That brings me to the winning film. This project captivated us with its mesmerising and emotional storytelling. Yet, as with all great art, there’s always the opportunity to refine and elevate the vision even further. We at Filmmore believe that with the addition of subtle, nuanced professional post production, this film can shine even brighter, resonating with audiences in new and profound ways.”

Jury: Igor Riabchuk (Filmmore Amsterdam, Netherlands), Mimi Plauché (Chicago International Film Festival, United States)

Filmmore Post-production Award 

Filmmore offers €5,000 to a CineMart project, dedicated to visual effects and post-production.

Winner: The March of the Sunflowers by Erik Ricco, Brazil, produced by: Cup Filmes, Coala Filmes, Tubz Studio

Jury statement: “The jury also noted a strong animation presence among the selection further confirming that animation is an effective narrative device not limited to a children’s audience but can tackle important stories about the world we live in and the challenges we face. The Filmmore Award goes to a story of resilience that aims to bring a touch of optimism in these dark times.”

Jury: Julie Savary (ARTE France Cinéma, France), Anton Scholten (24 FPS, Netherlands), Amanda Livanou (Neda Film, Greece)

HBF Empowerment Award 

The Hubert Bals Fund is granting an award thanks to a private donor, worth €10,000, to a Darkroom project – to empower filmmakers who come from politically challenging contexts or whose works address themes such as freedom of expression, displacement, human rights and/or underrepresented communities.

Winner: Tear Gas by Uta Beria, Georgia, France, Germany, produced by: 1991 Productions, Tripode Productions, 70 Steps

Jury statement: “The Empowerment Award celebrates filmmakers working under politically challenging conditions or tackling urgent themes of freedom of expression, displacement, and human rights. It supports a project in critical need of post-production funding, ensuring its powerful vision reaches audiences. This year’s recipient tells the story of a sixteen-year-old growing up on the border of an occupied territory, caught between family tensions, the frustrations of her community, and the intensity of first love. Over the course of a single day, a peaceful demonstration unravels into chaos, forcing her to confront forces far beyond her control. With its striking urgency, raw emotional depth, and fearless storytelling, we are proud to present the Empowerment Award 2025 to Tear Gas.”

Jury: Vanja Kaludjercic (Festival Director IFFR), Susan Weeks (industry veteran and HBF donor, US), Tamara Tatishvili (Head of the Hubert Bals Fund)

Outward Gaze Prize

The PJLF Arts Fund offers the new award, worth €10,000, to an outstanding Darkroom project.

Winner: Tear Gas by Uta Beria, Georgia, France, Germany, produced by: 1991 Productions, Tripode Productions, 70 Steps

Jury statement: “A film which shows the clear cinematic vision and confident voice of a director, who through his use of image, trust in his actors and his audience, succeeds in building new bridges of communication and understanding to what’s going on in the many parts of the world today. On behalf of the PJLF Arts Fund we give the Outward Gaze Prize to Uta Beria for the film Tear Gas.”

Jury: Olivia Stewart (Three Rivers Ltd, United Kingdom), Remi Bonhomme (Marrakech International Film Festival, Morocco/France), Gabor Greiner (Films Boutique, Germany)

VIPO Award

The Visual Industry Promotion Organization dedicated to supporting Japan’s content industry internationally offers an award, worth €3,000, to an outstanding project with budgets where the award can make the most impact.

Winner: Four Seasons in Java by Kamila Andini, Indonesia, Singapore, produced by: Forka Films, Giraffe Pictures

Jury statement: “The story is told from within the director’s perspective, emerging from social injustice and the oppression of human rights. The environment of a frontier where nature and technology clash, along with the supernatural elements, are also engaging. The director’s accomplishments and the producer’s strong execution also deserve a great deal of credit.”

Jury from VIPO: Yoshi Yatabe, Kousuke Ono, Mika Morishita, Nahoko Yamashita