06/09/2025 - VENICE 2025: Giulio Bertelli’s AGON has snagged the Luciano Sovena Award for Best Independent Production, and Imran Perretta’s Ish won over the audience

The International Film Critics’ Week (SIC), the autonomous, parallel section of the Venice Film Festival (26 August-6 September) organised by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI), has announced the winners of its 40th edition.

The international jury, made up of Valentina and Nicole Bertani, Nathalie Jeung and Lee Hong-chi, bestowed the IWONDERFULL Grand Prize upon Oscar Hudson’s Straight Circle [+see also:
film review
interview: Oscar Hudson
film profile]. The jury described the title as “a colourful and absurd black comedy that gradually morphs into a waking nightmare, set in a dystopian world where two soldiers from opposing factions find themselves stationed on the same deserted border. Visually striking, the film impressed us particularly with the flawless performances of its two leads. It is a parable against war, in an era when disputes over borders sow discord across the globe.” The film also picked up the Verona Film Club Prize for Most Innovative Film.

Meanwhile, Imran Perretta’s Ish [+see also:
film review
interview: Imran Perretta
film profile] snagged the Audience Award with an average rating of 4.3/5.

Next, Giulio Bertelli’s AGON [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Giulio Bertelli
film profile] walked away with the Luciano Sovena Award for Best Independent Production. The jury underlined that “thanks to meticulous construction and care, AGON stands out as an example of independent cinema capable of combining narrative strength, research and great innovation. The producers attentively supported the vision of a young director, guiding him through a complex and risky journey, ensuring artistic quality and production solidity within an independent framework.”

The Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Prize for Best Technical Contribution went to Waking Hours [+see also:
film review
interview: Federico Cammarata, Filippo…
film profile] by Federico Cammarata and Filippo Foscarini. The dedicated panel of experts (Sara D’Ascenzo, Davide Di Giorgio and Carlo Griseri) praised its “experimental – yet never gratuitous – use of cinematography, which shifts the image from matter to abstraction, drawing new human geographies in isolated points of light.”

In the shorts strand, SIC@SIC (Short Italian Cinema @ International Film Critics’ Week), the jury composed of Alessandra Speciale, Gianluca Matarrese and Alessandro Amato awarded the Prize for Best Short Film to Paoli De Luca’s Marina, lauding its “sensory visual approach and delicate yet expressive staging, which immerse viewers in a narrative suspended between melancholy and sweetness.” The film also took home the award for Best Technical Contribution.

The Best Director Award was handed to Nadir Taji for Family Feast, while Paolo Baiguera’s The Lost Child earned a Special Mention. Finally, the award given out by the National Short Film Centre went to HARIEL’s The PØrnØgraphər, described as “an antidote to nostalgic poison that celebrates the classics, a short that embraces dirt, deformity and error while taming the algorithm, the gaze and the flesh”.

Here is the full list of this year’s winners:

Feature Film Competition

International Film Critics’ Week IWONDERFULL Grand Prize
Straight Circle [+see also:
film review
interview: Oscar Hudson
film profile] – Oscar Hudson (UK)

Verona Film Club Prize for Most Innovative Film
Straight Circle – Oscar Hudson

Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Prize for Best Technical Contribution
Waking Hours [+see also:
film review
interview: Federico Cammarata, Filippo…
film profile] – Federico Cammarata, Filippo Foscarini (Italy)

Audience Award
Ish [+see also:
film review
interview: Imran Perretta
film profile] – Imran Perretta (UK)

Luciano Sovena Award for Best Independent Production
AGON [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Giulio Bertelli
film profile] – Giulio Bertelli (Italy/USA/France)

Short Film Competition (SIC@SIC)

Best Short Film & Best Technical Contribution
Marina – Paoli De Luca (Italy)

Best Director
Nadir Taji – Family Feast (Italy)

Special Mention
The Lost Child – Paolo Baiguera (Italy)

National Short Film Centre Award
The PØrnØgraphər – HARIEL (Italy)