With a moving and celebratory closing ceremony at the SEK parking place, behind the Rialto Theatre, the 15th International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (ISFFC) came to a close. The Festival was co-organised by the Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Rialto Theatre. The evening began with a short tribute to the much-loved Cypriot actor Spyros Stavrinidis, whose absence was deeply felt at this year’s festival and across the film and theatre community.

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This year’s edition was warm, human-centred, and deeply cinematic, with hundreds of spectators taking part in the screenings, parallel events, and daily gatherings at the Festival Hub, the open-air meeting point of the festival. Once again, it evolved into a true community of filmmakers, audiences, and film enthusiasts, under the curation of the newly appointed Artistic Directors Keti Papadema and Diomedes Koufteros.

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With our eyes already set on the year ahead, we look forward to the next chapter of this remarkable festival, one that continues to evolve, inspire, and bring together filmmakers and audiences alike.

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An extract from the Jury President’s speech, Miguel Valverde

“Let me start by saying a huge thanks to Diomedes and Keti, the artistic directors of the Festival, for the wonderful organisation this year. It is so exciting to hear about all the creative ideas you are planning for the future. About your intentions to make the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus grow by building partnerships and creating the right environment for it to become an important stop on the short film festivals international map. I would also like to thank the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Cyprus Cinema Office at the Department of Contemporary Culture and of course Rialto Theatre, for understanding the huge importance of the short film format, since you are accommodating now the filmmakers of the future (and of the present) for, they will remember this festival and will be the ones to spread beautiful words about your festival adding to its recognition. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to my dedicated colleagues of the jury, Feyrouz, Max, Marios and Rimanté - we had wonderful conversations about cinema and about life, we learned a lot from each other, being united in our decisions, and fighting for the best palmares possible. The jury, as a collective entity, would like to extend our sincere thanks to our dear Charalambos, for his dedicated presence, always assisting us in the best way possible. You should keep him forever! We had a wonderful week seeing beautiful short films, curated with taste, sensibility, with an understanding of the world of today, with gravitas, but also with laughs. We evaluated films that were graduation films, debut films, films that had won awards at major festivals, and films by filmmakers with extensive careers. Although it was not difficult to reach a decision, since the jury as a whole was generous to listen to each other. In order to create an extended audience for short films, the jury would like to suggest the programs should be less longer in order to introduce time for Q&A’s, a fundamental tool to create an engagement between the artists and the audience. We would also like to congratulate the festival and wish it a long life, believing that the steps being taken are heading in the right direction and, as such, we believe that this festival can become a major reference in the European context of short film festivals and that Rialto Theatre will continue its history of supporting cinema and events that make a difference in the lives of each one of us, but above all of the artists who come and will come every year to present their films.

 

International Competition Awards

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First Prize for Best Short Film (€4.000)

“Blue Heart” by Samuel Suffren
With an immersive framing and dynamic editing, the film portrays a very sensitive and tender relation between a couple, longing for their loving absent son. The camera work shows the realness of true characters and the humanity of their gestures, while the colours help us understand their place. Between telephones and goats, the 1st Prize for Best Short Film goes to a film entirely crafted by an artist: “Blue Heart” by Samuel Suffren.

The award was presented by the President of the Jury, Miguel Valverde.

 

Second Prize for Best Short Film (€1.500)

“God is Shy” by Jocelyn Charles
This film stands out for its blending of psychological horror with surreal visual style and aesthetic. The story world unfolds through a perfectly chosen animation technique, where tension grows organically and persists until the very end. The 2nd Prize for Best Short Film goes to: “God is Shy” by Jocelyn Charles.

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The award was presented by Rimanté Daugelaite.

 

Best Director Award (€2.500)

Simon Schneckenburger for “Skin on Skin”
An immersive directing style that captures the tension between repression and desire through precise control of image, sound and performance. Shot with organic realism, the atmosphere feels raw and immediate, turning cruelty and intimacy into a single unsettling

pulse.

The award was presented by Marios Mettis.

 

Best Documentary Award (€3.000)

“Man Number 4” by Miranda Pennell
A detailed-driven story, complemented by a carefully designed soundscape, where the image plays a central role, mirroring today’s cruel political reality, bombarded daily by digital, disrupted visuals. The film questions how actively or passively we perceive them and what it means to bear witness under a regime of violence.

The award was presented by Rimanté Daugelaite.

 

Best Eastern Mediterranean Film Award (€1.500)

“Noi” by Neritan Zinxhiria
A poetic, sensitive and cinematic force. A film that delves into the human and animal relation where they are both perceived as equal. A film that shows us how we can deal with loss and how conflicts are resolved through emotions communicated without uttering a single word.
The award was presented by Feyrouz Sherhal.

 

ISFFC nomination, European Short Film Award – Prix Vimeo

“Noi” by Neritan Zinxhiria
In a slow, but exacting rhythm, the awarded film presents a rugged landscape and an artful arrangement of gazes, sightlines and perspectives, both human and non-human. In this privileging of visuality over language, it establishes a great sense of place, with attention to details like clothing, traditions and snippets of dialect, leading us into a remote region of Europe rarely seen in cinema.

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The award was presented by Feyrouz Sherhal.

 

National Competition Awards

 

First Prize for Best Cypriot Short Film (€4.000 and post-production services by Fullmoon Productions) 

“Prelude to a Supernova” by Christos Artemiou
This debut film amazed the jury with its perception of space. It begins with the leading protagonist waiting for something that will never happen, before taking us on a tense journey about the universal theme of abandonment. The camera is vigilant, by her side, reassuring us that, no matter what happens something with power and luminosity is about to occur.

On behalf of the Deputy Minister of Culture, the award was presented by Dr Elena Christodoulidou, Head of Cyprus Cinema Office, and Panikos Petridis (Fullmoon Productions).

 

Best Director Award “Dinos Katsouridis” (€2.500 & technical equipment)

To Christos Artemiou for “Prelude to a Supernova”
A director who invites us to navigate the space of his film through a strong cinema language that was able to portray a violent world where poetry rules. A young character reassures us she is not a victim but rather a proactive character that will deal with the harsh reality she is living.

The award was presented by Isavela Mavraki.

 

Second Prize for Best Cypriot Short Film (€2.500)

“The Archive of Grigoris Antoniou” by Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert & Alexia Achilleos
Both amusing and with gravitas, the film depicts a very methodological scientific approach. While inviting the spectator to a game of archaeological discovery, the investigation starts with a fragment of time and ends with a name, perhaps a face. With the intuition of a fiction, but with the method of a documentary, this hybrid film challenges the bias of technology and A.I ecosystems.

The award was presented by Maria Kyriakou, member of the Rialto Theatre’s Board of Directors.

 

Best Cinematography Award (post-production and DCP services by Stefilm)

To Fern Silva for the film “Overnight Coup” by Marina Xenofontos

The formal experimentation of the cinematography matches the infectious, youthful energy of the film, utilizing different formats and cameras. At times very close to the characters, following them closely, at other times static, or removed, the film employs a variety of impressive techniques that complement the story perfectly.

The award was presented by Angelos Argyroulis (Stefilm).

 

Best Performance Award (ex-aequo) – €2.000 (Limassol Municipality)

To Naria Athanasopoulou for her performance in the film “Prelude to a Supernova”
and Spyros Stavrinidis for his performance in “The Visit” by Louis Patsias.

Two performances that stayed with us, bridging generations of cinema and portraying its cycle of rebirth. One offers a sensitive, unexpected embodiment of a strong young character, carrying the story with grace. The other delivers a layered, nuanced portrayal entirely without spoken text, revealing depth and subtlety in every gesture. 

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The award was presented by the Mayor of Limassol, Mr Yiannis Armeftis.

 

Honorary Distinctions

To the film “Adoption is an Option” by Christina Tryfonos

The honorary distinction was presented by Feyrouz Sherhal.

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To the film “Half an Orange” by Loukia Hadjiyianni

The honorary distinction was presented by Alexis Vassiliou, Chief Executive of the Rialto Theatre.

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To the film “The Weaver” by Yiorgos Tsangaris

The honorary distinction was presented by Nenad Bogdanovic, Planning & Development Coordinator, Organisation for European Programmes & Cultural Relations.

 

A festival with heart and vision

The 15th ISFFC concluded with smiles, hugs, and a shared promise for an even more vibrant 16th edition. Artists, audiences, and volunteers alike proved that short film cinema in Cyprus has a strong present, a bright future, and above all… a beating heart.