FEATURE
BEST FEATURE FICTION
Orpheus Award Winner: Giannis in the Cities
by Eleni Alexandrakis
The emotional landscape of Greece’s civil war is led delicately through the lens of a child who suffers abandonment throughout his formative years but finds resilience to forgive the father who betrayed him. An impactful historical film about the most vulnerable among us. Giannis in the Cities claims Best Film for its powerful clarity of the most complex of wars.
BEST FEATURE FICTION
Special Jury Recognition: Kyuka - Before Summer's End
by Kostis Charamountanis
Fresh, vibrant and sophisticated, the film excavates the heartfelt terrain between the beautiful mundane experience of a seaside family vacation and the vast subconscious desires of each character on a spiritual level. Combining muscular stylistic technique and an elegant, tender, immediate lens, it explores the path to genuine intimacy and poses the question, “How do we make a meaningful, authentic life in adulthood?” For its true voice, rich, lush imagery, and gorgeous, raw, activated performances we’d like to give a Special Jury Recognition to the film Kyuka – Before Summer’s End, by Kostis Charamountanis
Audience Award
Giannis in the Cities
by Eleni Alexandrakis
BEST DIRECTOR
Orpheus Award Winner: Penny Panayiotopoulou
for Wishbone
With tenderness and restraint, this film exposes the depths of a corrupt system, crafting a subtle yet emotionally resonant moral tale with striking cinematic precision. Its skillful command of cinematography, performance, music, and lighting coalesces into an astonishing artistic triumph. Filmmaker Penny Panagiotopoulou claims Best Direction for Wishbone.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Orpheus Award Winner: Eva Samioti as Alkistis
for her role in Riviera by Orfeas Peretzis
In a taut, stunning, see-through performance, Eva Samioti brings to life a character who is utterly, fragilely, gorgeously built. In Samioti’s hands, Alkistis is a protagonist with a wound, yet possessing strength, innocence and imagination. She has powerful wants and needs, but doesn’t have a lot of practice in the nuance of communication. Samioti shares Alkistis’ feelings and actions with the newness, attitude and point of view of young adulthood. As an actor Samioti has a sensitive instrument and is a beautiful listener. All of her choices are fearless and fully realized. She stretches herself and makes smart decisions that infuse her performance, allowing us to live in the messy pool of loss, love and coming of age. We can’t take our eyes off Samioti, and it costs us emotionally to watch her, in the best possible way. Her performance is understated, sharp, organic and emotional. Alkistis’ journey is captivating and earned.
DOCUMENTARY
Best Documentary
ORPHEUS AWARD WINNER: Panellinion
by Spyros Mantazavinos, Kostas Antarachas
Appearances can be deceiving in Panellinion, as a simple coffeehouse reveals itself to be a temple to chess–and not just as a game but as a philosophy and framework for insight into human emotion, community, mental health, and metaphysics. In Panellinion, Spyros Mantazavinos and Kostas Antarachas have crafted an unassuming film that captures you from its first frames, weaving between black and white footage and dreamy color film sequences that elevate late night squabbles over chess strategies into meditations on life itself. Made by two recent film school graduates with national film funds, Panellinion combines cinematic style with a level of participant intimacy not seen regularly in documentaries. The filmmakers’ lyrical pacing is a poem to those on the margins, grounding the viewer in a place, in a subculture, and with an unforgettable group of charming outcasts comfortable letting themselves shine, warts and all.
Special Jury Recognition
The Last Nomad
by Filippos Ferentinos
It is the privilege of the jurists to recognize not only award recipients but to also acknowledge extraordinary achievement by films that were in close contention. We wish to recognize a film that touched on the stakes of all our documentaries, particularly community care and cultural perseverance in the face of changing political, and often literally physical, landscapes. The film traces the heritage–past, present, and future–of a community as they negotiate their cultural survival, what is lost and what must be retained as they forge forward. Through lyrical, contemplative editing of archival footage from gatherings past and contemporary conversations, the filmmaker offers a meditation on identity and endurance that proves the power of the short format and offers a lesson to all in these times of political upheaval. Our Special Jury Recognition goes to Filippos Ferentinos’ for The Last Nomad.
Audience Award
Super Paradise
by Steve Krikris
SHORT FILM
Best Short Film
Orpheus Award Winner: 11:01
by Jimi Drosinos
The award for Best Short Film goes to a work that displays remarkable sensitivity, bravery, and an understanding that human behavior may not be simple but is always poetic. This film is unafraid to ask complicated questions about love, grief, and growing up, and invites the audience to dance through the equally complicated answers. For this and so many more reasons, this award goes to 11:01, directed by Jimi Drosinos.
Audience Award
Ultimately Cleansed
by Andrew Tippie
ANIMATION
Best Animation
Orpheus Award Winner: The Three Sisters
Director: Timur Kognov
We are honored to announce the winner for the Best Animation Award. This film not only captivated us with its exceptional storytelling and a truly masterful display of the art of animation, but thrilled us with its comedic wit. Congratulations to The Three Sisters!
Special Jury Recognition
Underground
by Yiannis Christoforou
And, as a Special Jury award, we wanted to honor a film that beautifully celebrates the craft of animation, while having a compelling twist ending. Congratulations to Underground!