FEATURE
Best Feature Orpheus Award Winner
The stuff we are made of
directed by Siamak Etemadi
For many of us, sexual expression and intimacy provide our greatest joy. But for people with physical disabilities, these experiences are challenging at best and sometimes denied. An entry in this year’s festival sensitively and intelligently examines sexuality and intimacy within the physically disabled community. Beautifully filmed with thoughtful, engaging participants, this documentary provides insight into rarely examined issues.
The award for Best Feature Documentary goes to “The stuff we are made of”, directed by Siamak Etemadi. Congratulations to all involved in the production of this lovely, ground-breaking film.
HONORABLE MENTION: Lo
directed by Thanassis Vasiliou
Honorable mention for its portrayal of personal memory and its intersection with an important chapter of Greece’s collective history. The simultaneous interrogation of personal and national memory asks important questions that deserve recognition and further discussion.
It is our pleasure to award the film “Lo“, directed by Thanassis Vasiliou with the Honorable Mention Award. Congratulations!
HONORABLE MENTION: Waves Won’t Stop
directed by Ioannis Papaloizou
An intimate and moving first-person narrative from childhood into adulthood. Using stock and archival footage, the director constructs a mesmerizing portrait of first love, longing, and pathos—marked by separation, reunion, and the internal conflict of two men who can never fully be together. The film draws you into a profoundly recognizable emotional space, capturing the perennial tug-of-war between what the mind dictates and what the heart wants. It is our pleasure to award “Waves Won’t Stop” directed by Ioannis Papaloizou with the Honorable Mention Award.
AUDIENCE AWARD: Mankind’s Folly
directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
LMU Social Justice Award: Mankind’s Folly
directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
SHORT
BEST SHORT Orpheus Award Winner
Change Makers
directed by Casey Beck and produced by Mary Cardaras
The film we honor tonight demonstrates how a few individuals with tenacity and ingenuity can positively impact the world in a huge way. While creating a school of commercial fishing, the charismatic young man, founds an organization that now removes and recycles plastic from the oceans bordering five countries. The Award for Best Short Documentary goes to the expertly crafted, engaging, and well-paced film that shares this story, “Change Makers”, directed by Casey Beck and produced by Mary Cardaras.
HONORABLE MENTION: Requiem in Salt
and the directors Sylvia Nicolaides & Nicolas Iordanou
For its exceptional artistry in cinematography and visual language that is informed by the art of Motoi Yamamoto, we would like to award Requiem in Salt and the directors Sylvia Nicolaides & Nicolas Iordanou
HONORABLE MENTION: My Ioannina Odyssey
and the directors Gary Glassman, and Manya Branham Glassman
For its deeply moving portrayal of a personal family history and mythology that resonated profoundly, we would like to award My Ioannina Odyssey and the directors Gary Glassman, and Manya Branham Glassman
