12/01/2026 - This year’s big victors from Europe include Óliver Laxe’s Sirāt, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Tereza Nvotová’s Father

At a festival traditionally positioned as a key launchpad for the international awards season, the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival (2–12 January) once again underlined its growing relevance for European cinema, with a FIPRESCI jury that strongly favoured auteur-driven works and formally ambitious storytelling from the continent.

Showcasing 168 films from 72 countries, the California-based event—hosted by the Palm Springs International Film Society and led by artistic director Lili Rodriguez—opened with Maryam Touzani’s Calle Málaga [+see also:
film review
interview: Maryam Touzani
film profile] and closed with Brian Cox’s Glenrothan, offering a broad panorama of contemporary world cinema while maintaining its distinctive focus on awards-season visibility.

The strongest European imprint came from the FIPRESCI jury, composed of Cineuropa’s own Davide Abbatescianni (Italy), Fran Romero (Chile) and Patrick Mullen (Canada), whose prizes collectively mapped a trajectory from Spain and Norway to Slovakia, while still acknowledging key non-European voices.

The FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film went to Sirāt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile], directed by Óliver Laxe, a blend of metaphysical inquiry with pulsating electronic energy. Praised by the jury for its “electric sense of aliveness”, the film follows a father and his two children across a journey that is as spiritual as it is physical, carried by Kangding Ray’s techno-infused score and Laxe’s singular cinematic vision. In a competition notably populated by parent–child narratives, Sirāt emerged as the most formally daring and emotionally expansive work.

Norway also featured prominently, with Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] by Joachim Trier snagging the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay, shared with long-time collaborator Eskil Vogt. The jury highlighted the script’s ability to weave love, memory and artistic creation into an intimate family drama that balances emotional gravity with humour, reaffirming Trier and Vogt’s status as one of Europe’s most consistent and internationally resonant writing-directing duos.

Central European cinema was also recognised through the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film, awarded to Milan Ondrík for his performance in Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tereza Nvotová
film profile] by Slovak helmer Tereza Nvotová. Ondrík’s portrayal of a parent confronted with devastating loss was singled out for its restrained intensity and its sensitive engagement with contemporary issues such as burnout, mental health and the rarely addressed “Forgotten Baby Syndrome”.

While Europe dominated the FIPRESCI awards, the jury also acknowledged outstanding work from beyond the continent. The FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in an International Feature Film was awarded collectively to Nina Ye, Janel Tsai and Shi-yuan Ma for Left-Handed Girl [+see also:
film review
film profile], directed by Shih-Ching Tsou. Their ensemble performance, spanning three generations of women rebuilding their lives in Taiwan, was praised for its naturalism and emotional cohesion.

Next, the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International First Feature Film went to Egyptian director Sarah Goher for Happy Birthday (Egypt), an intimate coming-of-age story seen through the eyes of a child. The jury highlighted Goher’s assured debut and her ability to combine social observation with warmth, drawing a standout performance from young lead Doha Ramadan.

Beyond FIPRESCI, Palm Springs fielded a wide array of juries reflecting the festival’s international scope. The Documentary Jury, Ibero-American Jury and New Voices New Visions Jury each brought their own priorities, rewarding films from the Americas, Asia and Europe alike, and reinforcing the festival’s role as a crossroads between Arthouse cinema and industry-facing exposure. Two European productions gained special mentions: Richard Ladkani’s documentary Yanuni and Eva Libertad’s debut feature Deaf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Libertad
film profile].

For European filmmakers and producers, Palm Springs continues to function not only as a prestigious audience showcase but also as a strategic waypoint in the long awards-season corridor, a few days ahead of the Golden Globes and the European Film Awards and a few weeks before the Oscars. The 2026 edition, with its emphatic recognition of European auteurs and performers, confirmed the gathering’s attentiveness to cinema that combines artistic ambition with international reach.

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

FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film
Sirāt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile] – Óliver Laxe (Spain/France)

FIPRESCI Prize for Best International First Feature Film
Happy Birthday – Sarah Goher (Egypt)

FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay
Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] – Joachim Trier (Norway/France/Denmark/Germany)

FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in an International Feature Film
Nina Ye, Janel Tsai and Shi-yuan Ma – Left-Handed Girl [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Taiwan/France/UK/USA)

FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film
Milan Ondrík – Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tereza Nvotová
film profile] (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Poland)

Best Documentary Award
Natchez – Suzannah Herbert (USA)
Special Mention
Yanuni – Richard Ladkani (Austria/Brazil/USA/Canada/Germany)

New Voices New Visions Award
3670 – Joonho Park (South Korea)
Special Mention
Deaf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Libertad
film profile] – Eva Libertad (Spain)

Ibero-American Award
Runa Simi – Augusto Zegarra (Peru)
Special Mention
It Would Be Night in Caracas – Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás (Mexico/Venezuela)

Desert Views Award
Beloved Tropic – Ana Endara (Panama)

Young Cineastes Award
Remaining Native – Paige Bethmann (USA)