It’s a wrap for this year’s edition of Filmfestival Oostende, which ran from 30 January-7 February. On this occasion, the Best Film Award in the LOOK! Competition, dedicated to visually striking cinema, went to Silent Friend [+lee también:
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entrevista: Ildikó Enyedi
ficha de la película], the latest feature by Hungary’s Ildikó Enyedi. The jury, chaired by Belgian filmmaker Gilles Coulier, praised the film as both formally accomplished and emotionally resonant.

Structured across three time periods – 1908, 1972 and 2020 – the feature revolves around a centuries-old ginkgo tree standing in a university garden, silently observing generations of human lives. From the first female student photographing the tree at the start of the 20th century to a lovestruck freshman tending plants in the 1970s and a Hong Kong-based neuroscientist researching communication between humans and nature during the pandemic, the film weaves its narratives into one single, organic flow.

The jury also highlighted the way Enyedi fuses science and nature into a shared visual language, where images of brain waves merge with close-ups of roots, leaves and germination. Shot across multiple formats – 35 mm black-and-white, 16 mm and digital – the film intuitively guides viewers through its shifting timelines.

A Special Mention in the LOOK! Competition went to The Garden of Earthly Delights [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Dutch director Morgan Knibbe, whose debut feature on inequality, poverty and queer identity in Manila was singled out for its confrontational aesthetics and lasting impact. Distributed in Belgium by September Film, Silent Friend is set for theatrical release on 1 April, and the award comes with a €10,000 cash award for its distributor.

Meanwhile, the COOP! Competition, focused on international co-productions and backed by Camalux, gave its Best Film Award to A Survivor’s Tale [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], directed by Micha Wald. Selected by a public jury chaired by Mu.ZEE director Bruno Verbergt, the Belgian-French co-production revisits the historical fate of Marguerite de La Rocque, a 16th-century French noblewoman abandoned on a deserted island near Newfoundland.

Blending biopic and survival drama, the film traces Marguerite’s ordeal alongside her maid, exploring themes of sexual violence, religious oppression and patriarchal power within the rigid moral framework of the time. The jury praised the movie’s cohesive cinematic vision, from its austere natural settings to its restrained direction, as well as Salomé Dewaels’ central performance. Distributed by Brightfish, A Survivor’s Tale will be released in Belgian cinemas on 27 May, and the prize comes with a €7,500 award for the distributor.

Moreover, the COOP! jury awarded a Special Mention to The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by David Verbeek, a science fiction-tinged creation myth anchored by Jessica Reynolds’ performance.

Next, the SOON! Competition, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, crowned To the West, in Zapata [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], the black-and-white feature debut by Cuban director David Bim. The documentary follows a family living in extreme poverty on Cuba’s Zapata Peninsula, where the father catches crocodiles by hand to survive while his wife cares for their autistic son amid the backdrop of the pandemic and social unrest.

The jury, composed of young filmmakers and chaired by actress Jennifer Heylen, singled out the feature’s bold use of sound and its unsensational yet deeply humane portrayal of hardship. The jury also noted that Bim served as director, cinematographer and editor, contributing to what they described as a striking debut. The film is handled internationally by sales outfit Square Eyes and received a €5,000 cash prize for its distributor.

In addition to its LOOK! Special Mention, The Garden of Earthly Delights also received the UFK-UBFP Film Critics’ Jury Prize, with critics praising Knibbe’s uncompromising plunge into the realities of exploitation and social decay in Manila, and its powerful blend of visceral camerawork, colour and performance.

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

LOOK! Competition

Best Film
Silent Friend [+lee también:
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entrevista: Ildikó Enyedi
ficha de la película] – Ildikó Enyedi (Germany/France/Hungary)
Special Mention
The Garden of Earthly Delights [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] – Morgan Knibbe (Netherlands/Philippines/Belgium)

COOP! Competition

Best Film
A Survivor’s Tale [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] – Micha Wald (Belgium/France)
Special Mention
The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] – David Verbeek (Netherlands/Luxembourg/Ireland)

SOON! Competition

Best Film
To the West, in Zapata [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] – David Bim (Cuba/Spain)

UFK–UBFP Film Critics’ Jury Prize
The Garden of Earthly Delights - Morgan Knibbe

Short-film Competition

Best Film
Still Life – Natasja Briers (Belgium)
Special Mention
The Catcher – Luka Galle (Belgium)