For the eighth consecutive year, the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia has hosted the ceremony for the Méliès d’Or Awards, presented annually by the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) to celebrate the best European fantastic features and short films of the year.

This year’s jury, composed of Daniela Urzola, Josep Maria Bunyol and Antonio Weinrichter, awarded the Méliès d’Or for Best European Fantastic Feature Film to Mr. K [+lire aussi :
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interview : Tallulah H. Schwab et Cris…
fiche film], a Kafkaesque and darkly humorous reflection on the absurdity of life, directed by Norwegian filmmaker Tallulah Hazekamp Schwab. The film stars the ever-enigmatic Crispin Glover as the titular travelling magician, who becomes trapped in a surreal labyrinthine hotel, where his attempts to escape only draw him deeper into a web of strange encounters and existential dread.

The Award for Best European Fantastic Short Film went to Don’t Be Afraid, directed by Mats Udd. The tale follows a photographer haunted by grief who attempts to restart his life and career by taking new photos at the same location where his son disappeared years ago. With its atmospheric visuals and emotional depth, the short stood out as an intimate and original ghost story.

During the ceremony, the festival also paid tribute to acclaimed French actor Dominique Pinon, who received the Méliès Career Award. His career includes collaborations with directors such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Delicatessen), Claude Lelouch (Roman de gare [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Roman Polanski (Frantic), Álex de la Iglesia (The Oxford Murders [+lire aussi :
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interview : Álex de la Iglesia
interview : Gerardo Herrero et Mariela…
fiche film]) and Javier Fesser (Mortadelo and Filemón: The Big Adventure). Holding his Méliès Award, Pinon fondly recalled moments from his youth spent along the Catalonian coast, and reflected on how Georges Méliès’ pioneering imagination continues to inspire generations of artists.

The Méliès d’Or Awards are the culmination of a year-long cycle of competitions across the federation’s network of 29 member festivals in 21 countries. Each of these gatherings presents a Méliès d’Argent to outstanding European fantastic films, which then compete for the ultimate accolade at Sitges. The federation, reaching an annual audience of more than 900,000, plays an important role in promoting European genre cinema internationally, enhancing its visibility, cultural influence and distribution potential.

The Méliès d’Or 2025 feature-film nominees included Animale [+lire aussi :
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interview : Emma Benestan
fiche film], winner at the Sitges Film Festival; After Us, the Flood [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], which triumphed at the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival; Mr. K, honoured at the Imagine Film Festival; The Home [+lire aussi :
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interview : Mattias J. Skoglund
fiche film], winner at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF); The Ugly Stepsister [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film], which took home the award at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF); The Holy Boy, recognised at the Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg; and Her Will Be Done [+lire aussi :
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interview : Julia Kowalski
fiche film], the winner at MOTELX – Lisbon International Horror Film Festival.