Kinofilm Festival Award Winners 2025

We would like to announce the Winners, Runners Up and Honourable Mentions in all the award winner categories in this year’s festival. Congratulations to all the filmmakers and their teams in some excellent films this year. Off course we want to thank everyone that submitted and had their films shown in this year’s festival. Please see the list of winners below.

Thanks to all our jury members for the task of viewing and appraising all the films. We hope you agree they have made some great decisions!

GRAND PRIZE (Best Overall)

Winner:

Between the Lines (Austria / Germany)

Directed by: Niklas Pollmann

Runner Up:

Bitter Weeds (UK)

Directed by: Reuben Hamlyn

Honourable Mentions:

Gone Fishing (UK)

Directed by: Christopher Deakin

Tainted By the Visual (UK)

Directed by: Laura Calzada

BEST UK SHORT

Winner:

Bitter Weeds (UK)

Directed by: Reuben Hamlyn

Joint Runner Up:

Isle of Mia (UK)

Directed by: Miguel Pinto, Francisco Morais

Tainted By the Visual (UK)

Directed by: Laura Calzada

Honourable Mention:

Gone Fishing (UK)

Directed by: Christopher Deakin

BEST EUROPEAN SHORT

Winner:

Mon Coeur en Arrière  (Belgium)

Directed by: Sarah Gouret

Runner Up:

Closed Eyes (Germany)

Directed by: Victoria Koberstein

Honourable Mentions:

Pena’s Special Hauling (Finland)

Directed by: Anssi Kasitonni

TITO (Spain)

Directed by: Javier Celay

BEST EASTERN EUROPEAN SHORT

Winner:

And That’s For This Christmas (Bulgaria)

Directed by: Peter Vulchev

Joint Runner Up:

Gone / Pryc (Czech Republic)

Directed by: Piotr Jasiński

Crossing the Blue (Armenia)

Directed by: Victoria Aleksanyan

Honourable Mention:

Pena’s Special Hauling (Finland)

Directed by: Anssi Kasitonni

BEST WOMEN IN FILM

Winner:

Mon Coeur en Arrière  (Belgium)

Directed by: Sarah Gouret

Runner Up:

It’s Easier To Dream Of Her Alive (Germany)

Directed by: Anne Thieme

Honourable Mentions:

Come Back (Ireland)

Directed by: Helen O’Reilly

I’ll Tell Them About Us One Day (Sweden)

Directed by: Anna Adell

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

Winner:

Colm Hogan – Calf (Ireland/UK)

Directed by: Jamie O’Rourke

Runner Up:

David Mendizabal – Tito (Spain)

Directed by: Javier Celay

Honourable Mentions:

Sparawee Victor Patravanich – Isle of Mia (UK)

Directed by: Miguel Pinto, Francisco Morais

Virginie Surdej – Mon Coeur en Arrière (Belgium)

Directed by: Sarah Gouret

BEST UK STUDENT SHORT

Winner:

Tainted By The Visual (UK)

Directed by: Laura Calzada

Runner Up:

Louis and Ray (UK) 

Directed by: Sonny Ward

Honourable Mentions:

Afters (UK)

Directed by: Liz Lowndes

Losing Touch (UK)

Directed by: Charlie Black

BEST OVERALL STUDENT

Winner:

Ben’s Birthday (Germany)

Directed by: Robert Decani

Joint Runner Up:

Thursday (Germany)

Directed by: Maja Bresink

Tainted By The Visual (UK)

Directed by: Laura Calzada

Honourable Mention:

Gym Classes (Italy)

Directed by: Gabriele Lippi

BEST NORTH WEST SHORT

Winner:

Gone Fishing (UK)

Directed by: Christopher Deakin

Runner Up:

Wives’ Tale (UK)

Directed by: Sonny Huddart & Cameron Lalor

Honourable Mention:

Happily Ever Afterlife (UK)

Directed by: Susan Moffat

BEST ANIMATION

Winner:

I died in Irpin (Czech Republic)

Directed by: Anastasiia Falileieva

Runner Up:

The Undying Pain of Existence (Germany)

Directed by: Oscar Jacobson

Honourable Mentions:

Do Something (Germany)

Directed by: Sofija Zivkovic

Scrubby (Germany)

Directed by: Paul Vollet

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Winner:

It’s Easier To Dream Of Her Alive (Germany)

Directed by: Anne Thieme

Runner Up:

Tainted By The Visual (UK)

Directed by: Laura Calzada

Honourable Mention:

Bonner (UK)

Directed by: Paul Chadwick

BEST MANCHESTER FILM

Winner:

With You, In Our Town (UK)

Directed by: Harry Jenkins

Runner Up:

Better U (UK)

Directed by: Faustine Favier

Honourable Mention:

A Love Beyond (UK)

Directed by: Dennis L Hanse

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner:

Closed Eyes (Germany)

Directed by: Victoria Koberstein

Runner Up:

Calf (Ireland)

Directed by: Jamie O’Rourke

Honourable Mentions:

The Premiere  (Bulgaria)

Directed by:  Toma Waszarow

Bitter Weeds (UK)

Directed by: Reuben Hamlyn

BEST FIRST FILM

Winner:

Talking Rubbish (UK)

Directed by: Ian Donnelly

Runner Up:

Crossing the Blue (Armenia)

Directed by: Victoria Aleksanyan

Honourable Mention:

Time And Again (Poland)

Directed by: Jack Vincent

BEST ACTOR

Winner:

Niklas Pollmann – Between The Lines (Austria)

Directed by: Niklas Pollmann

Runner Up:

Oliver Finnegan – Bitter Weeds  (UK)

Directed by: Reuben Hamlyn

Honourable Mentions:

Geoff Baron – Happily Ever Afterlife (UK)

Directed by: Susan Moffat

Fatsa Stefan Denoljubov – The Premiere (Bulgaria)

Directed by: Toma Waszarow

BEST ACTRESS

Winner:

Armine Anda – Crossing the Blue (Armenia)

Directed by: Victoria Aleksanyan

Joint Runner Up:

Charlotte Kaiser- Between The Lines (Austria)

Directed by: Niklas Pollmann

Ane Gabaráin – TITO (Spain) Directed by: Javier Celay

Honourable Mention:

Elinor Silfversparre – I’ll tell them about us one day (Sweden)

Directed by: Anna Adell

FESTIVAL CHOICE

Winner:

TITO (Spain)

Directed by: Javier Celay

Joint Runner Up:

Bitter Weeds (UK)

Directed by: Reuben Hamlyn

The Premiere  (Bulgaria)

Directed by:  Toma Waszarow

Honourable Mentions:

I died in Irpin (Czech Republic)

Directed by: Anastasiia Falileieva

A Love Beyond (UK)

Directed by: Dennis L Hanse

Fake News (UK)

Directed by: Richard Howe

TITO