Thessaloniki Film Festival

"Cinema as conflict - literal, visual, symbolic. An ideal pairing of a pressing issue and its cinematic execution, the film draws on the history of women across cultures and generations, as it unfolds in first-person narrative and looks us straight in the eye, in a necessary reversal of the traditional cinematic gaze."

"This is a film that we took to heart from the first moment we saw it. As we live in a world plagued by genocide and war, this film reminded us of what is truly important and what we are fighting for: our families and communities."

"For the poetic precision with which the film captures an emotional journey through the small towns and winding roads of northern Italy, steeped in nostalgia for the "good old days" that have ceased to exist. A celebration of life itself, combining euphoria and melancholy in equal parts."

"A comedic, existential journey playing with the tropes of contemporary travel vlogs, as it gradually reveals a heartbreaking tenderness at the core of its exploration."

" For a powerful and captivating performance as an outsider who shakes up the rules of an archetypical society with female force and enigmatic mysteriesness."

"This year's films asked, in so many different ways, how we might keep loving one another in a world that so often tests our capacity for care. We were truly moved by the range and depth of storytelling we encountered-and we must admit, it was not easy to choose. Each film offered its own beauty, conviction, and courage. We celebrate the remarkable achievement of making a first film-a leap of faith and imagination that announces a bold new voice. And we commend the Thessaloniki International Film Festival for its fearless programming, which meets this moment with empathy, vision, and heart. These films remind us that cinema remains one of our most powerful ways to connect, to reflect, and to hope together."

"The FIPRESCI prize goes to Bearcave, an unconventional love story staged in a rural part of Greece, a film fueled by the directness of the actors, the complexity of the central relationship, and the originality of the filmmakers' approach. Its power-and its exhilaration-lies in the evolution from old traditions to a new definition of romance and family, conveyed by the natural world, musical choices, and above all the mysterious image of the bearcave, reminding us of the power of that which lies inside, even if unseen."

"The FIPRESCI jury awards its International Competition prize to Karla, a powerful social drama based on a true story, of a 12-year-old girl who charges her father with sexual abuse and must face the judicial system alone. In her debut, director Christina Tournatzès confidently visualizes the story from the child's point of view, yet reminds us that the victim is sidelined by society. All of this is seamlessly expressed in the performance of Elise Krieps, capturing so much of the character's trauma and determination through her eloquent eyes."

"The Hellenic Parliament TV bestows its "Human Values" award to film that, against the backdrop of a crumbling totalitarian regime, adopts an elliptical approach to explore the consequences of an unsolved disappearance of a girl that serves as a metonymy for an entire historical period. The award is bestowed to the film Milk Teeth by Mihai Mincan from Romania."

"For its formal audacity, supported by the entirety of the artistic team; and for its complex visual depiction of trauma through a narrative which unfolds as a violent stream of consciousness you cannot escape."

For cinematography.

"For its creation of an enigmatic universe with detailed yet sparse cinematic language that seems historically correct but tells a unique and personal narrative."

"To honour two actors who became co-creators with their director through their improvisational work and their emotional and physical investment in the process."

"The WIFT GR Award is presented to the film Bearcave by Krysianna B. Papadakis and Stergios Dinopoulos for the strength with which it brings forth the female voice through a deeply introspective and poetic gaze. The direction handles silence, motherhood, and loss with sensitivity and maturity, offering an exemplary instance of the female gaze - a gaze that observes without judging and illuminates without exposing. Bearcave moved us with its quiet power - a work that gently enters the sacred depths of a woman's soul and transforms pain into poetry. Through the intimacy of its gaze and the delicacy of its narration, the film reminds us that the female gaze in cinema remains, at once, an act of love, memory, and resistance."

"We are living through some of the darkest and most divided times in recent memory. But filmmaking - and especially queer filmmaking - remains one of the last truly radical acts of empathy. Our job is to capture hearts and minds, to take audiences on journeys that expand their understanding of the world, and to show them what it means to live, love, and dream differently. This year, our jury watched 22 films - each bold, each deeply human - but one stood out. It was unapologetically queer and fearlessly tender, immersing us in a world we didn't know and yet instantly felt connected to. Through its extraordinary vision and craft, it reminded us why cinema still matters. We are honored to present the Mermaid Award to Plainclothes - a film that redefines visibility, belonging, and what it means to be seen."

"Recognizing that defining "queer" through a single award is nearly impossible, especially given the remarkable diversity of this year's selection, we are proud to present two Special Mentions to Bearcave and Fantasy, two films that celebrate powerful, unapologetic characters who fiercely challenge conventions and redefine society's boundaries."

"Recognizing that defining "queer" through a single award is nearly impossible, especially given the remarkable diversity of this year's selection, we are proud to present two Special Mentions to Bearcave and Fantasy, two films that celebrate powerful, unapologetic characters who fiercely challenge conventions and redefine society's boundaries."

"The story of a challenging love between two young women in a remote mountain town in Greece becomes an opportunity for a multifaceted look at womanhood. Stereotypes are set aside to reveal aspects of her true image, as well as her repressed inner world. At the same time, the notion of difference is portrayed with originality and refreshing vitality, as the natural landscape - beautiful yet enigmatically dark - takes on a central role in the unfolding of the story."

"For yet another year, the Hellenic Film Commission of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center - Creative Greece bestows its Location Award to a location manager of Greek production having its premiere in the official selection ("First Run"). Serving as catalysts during the shooting of a film, location managers have a pivotal contribution to the materialization of a filmic universe, seeking the ideal locations for housing the vision of every filmmaker. In this spirit, and taking into account the artistic-technical use of location, the 2025 Location Award of the Hellenic Film Commission is granted to Petros Chytiris, location manager of the film Gorgonà by Evi Kalogiropoulou."

"Through a sublime cinematography that evokes a painting and a human-centered narrative of a queer story set in the Greek boondocks, Bearcave stood out as a fresh glance at woman empowerment and emancipation."

"The jury decided to bestow the Thessaloniki State Symphony Award to Amine Bouhafa for the film Cotton Queen. The music of the film succeeds in creating a soundscape that not only unfolds the narrative of the film's emotional world in impeccable juxtaposition with the image, but also serves autonomously as a fully-rounded music world, featuring original compositional ideas and timbres. The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra offers Mr. Amine Bouhafa the possibility to record the score of his next film with a complete symphony orchestra, covering not only the remuneration of the musicians but also the technical expenses of the recording, up to the amount of 20,000 euros."