14/04/2025 - Déa Kulumbegashvili's feature has triumphed in Glocal Images, while Emilios Avraam’s movie was recognised as Best Cypriot Film at the island’s foremost film event

The 23rd edition of the Cyprus Film Days International Festival came to an end on Saturday 12 April, with its awards ceremony taking place at the Rialto Theatre in Limassol. As the premier event for fictional cinema in Cyprus, the festival unfolded from 4-12 April, taking in venues across Limassol and Nicosia.

Georgian filmmaker Déa Kulumbegashvili's April [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dea Kulumbegashvili
film profile] scooped the Glocal Images Best Film Award, which includes a €6,000 prize. The international jury – chaired by Aleksandra Božović, producer and director of the Film Centre of Montenegro, and comprising French curator Delphine Leccas, Hungarian writer-director György Pálfi, French co-founder and director of Les Arcs Film Festival Guillaume Calop, and Cypriot actress Agni Scott – selected April because it is a “powerful meditation on loss, morality and the quiet devastation brought about by societal judgement, especially on women. With a strong directorial signature, featuring long, contemplative takes, restrained storytelling and unforgettable imagery, it portrays a world where compassion and controversy collide.”

The Glocal Images Special Jury Award, which comes with a €3,000 prize, was presented to Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Khaled Mansour, which was described as “a strong directorial debut, beautifully shot, with a captivating story of friendship, highlighted by powerful performances”.

The Glocal Images Best Director Award was bestowed upon French filmmaker Jonathan Millet for his debut film, Ghost Trail [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonathan Millet
interview: Pauline Seigland
film profile], “a contemporary political thriller with ever-increasing tension, breathtaking narration and [paying] tribute to citizens’ struggles for justice and dignity”. The film also won the Audience Award. Meanwhile, the Glocal Images Best Cinematography Award went to Lithuanian DoP Vytautas Katkus for his work on Saulė Bliuvaitė’s Toxic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Saulė Bliuvaitė
film profile], particularly for “its audacious camera placement, movement and tone, depicting a strong atmosphere in a claustrophobic and dreary environment, from where the characters are desperately seeking to escape”.

In the Cypriot Films Competition, Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Emilios Avraam emerged as the victor, clinching the Best Cypriot Film Award. “With warmth, humour and a deep sense of empathy, it follows the journey of a woman who is going through a midlife crisis, searching for her identity in today’s world.” The lead actress in the movie, Niovi Charalambous, also snagged the Best Performance in a Cypriot Film Award, as she “bravely and honestly took us on her strange and surprising journey of self-discovery”. The Best Cypriot Director Award went to Kyros Papavassiliou for his film The Sock. The helmer “created a surreal form of anti-cinema, with strong decisions. Deliberately lacking almost every known cinematic device, the film contains neither good images, nor good acting, nor a conflict with high stakes.”

As for the Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days awards, the Cyprus Film Commission – Invest Cyprus Award (€2,000) was given to Holiday by Wissam Charaf. Told through the eyes of children, the film offers a personal, emotionally honest look at the absurdity of war. The EKKOMED Award (€2,000) went to The Color Green by Paloma Zapata, a socially driven drama about resistance and rebuilding, told through a hybrid visual style. Finally, the P.S. Movies and Stories Award, offering €4,000 in equipment rental, went to My Name Is Lily by Yianna Americanou, which explores themes of belonging, motherhood and resilience in the face of social pressure.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 23rd Cyprus Film Days:

Glocal Images International Competition

Best Film
April [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dea Kulumbegashvili
film profile] - Dea Kulumbegashvili (Georgia/France/Italy)

Special Jury Award
Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo - Khaled Mansour (Egypt/Saudi Arabia)

Best Director
Jonathan Millet - Ghost Trail [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonathan Millet
interview: Pauline Seigland
film profile] (France/Germany/Belgium)

Best Cinematographer
Vytautas Katkus - Toxic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Saulė Bliuvaitė
film profile] (Lithuania)

Honorary Mentions
Killerwood [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Christos Massalas (Greece)
Sun Never Again [+see also:
film review
interview: David Jovanović
film profile] - David Jovanović (Serbia)

Cypriot Films Competition

Best Cypriot Film
Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Emilios Avraam (Cyprus)

Best Director of a Cypriot Film
Kyros Papavassiliou - The Sock (Cyprus)

Best Performance in a Cypriot Film
Niovi Charalambous - Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump

Audience Award
Ghost Trail - Jonathan Millet

Here is the list of winners at the sixth Dot.on.the.map Industry Days:

Cyprus Film Commission – Invest Cyprus Award
Holiday - Wissam Charaf (France/Italy/Lebanon)
Producers: Charlotte Vincent, Katia Khazak (Aurora Films)
Co-producers: Marco Valerio Fusco, Pierre Sarraf

EKKOMED Award
The Color Green - Paloma Zapata (Spain/Croatia)
Producers: Paloma Zapata, Mila Luengo (La Fábrica Naranja)
Co-producer: Siniša Juričić

P.S. Movies and Stories Award
My Name Is Lily - Yianna Americanou (Cyprus/Greece/Belgium)
Producer: Stelana Kliris (Meraki Films)
Co-producers: Ioanna Bolomyti, Julie Esparbes

Agora Networking Award
I Am Afraid to Meet You Someday - Khaled Mansour (Egypt)
Producer: Rasha Hosny (The Rambos’ Productions)

Special Mention
Jo of Montreal - Ameen Nayfeh (Jordan/Saudi Arabia)
Producer: Bassam Alasad (Creative Media Solutions)