Under the open sky of Heroes' Square, in the heart of Limassol, the curtain fell on Friday 16 October on the 16th International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (ISFFC), co-organised by the Deputy Ministry of Culture's Department of Contemporary Culture and Rialto Theatre. The awards ceremony and the closing party that followed turned the square into one big open-air celebration, where filmmakers from Cyprus and abroad, jury members, partners, film lovers and anyone who simply wanted to be there shared the same space and moved to the same beat. It was a night with no stage to set anyone apart and no one left out, exactly as it should be for a festival that believes cinema belongs to everyone.

 

Fuelled by the restless energy of being sixteen, this year's edition, the second under the artistic direction of Keti Papadema and Diomedes Koufteros, brought short films from every corner of the world to the big screen of Rialto Theatre, across the International and National Competition programmes. Beyond the competition, the festival branched out into special screenings, workshops and industry events, among them the What's the Story? Cyprus script development workshop, Shoot'n'Run in collaboration with the Cyprus University of Technology and, for the very first time, the Peer Award.

 

In the National Competition, the night had its clear standouts. Alexandra Matheou's "Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection)" walked away with three awards: Second Prize for Best Cypriot Film, the "Dinos Katsourides" Directing Award, and Best Performance for Grigoria Metheniti. Christos Artemiou claimed First Prize for Best Cypriot Film for the second year running, this time with "Kinds of Fathers", while Ermolaos Fotiou's "Runner" took home both the Best Cinematography Award and the first Peer Award in the festival's history. The audience, for its part, fell for Sofia Anastasiou's "Valentinos", which won the Audience Award along with an Honourable Mention from the Jury. In the International Competition, First Prize for Best Short Film went to "Family Feast" by Nadir Taji.

 

This year's Jury brought together Riina Mikkonen (President), Executive Director of Tampere Film Festival; Jing Haase, Head of Industry at Kurzfilmtage Winterthur; Mina el Naggar, Founder and Director of MedFest Egypt; director Thanasis Neofotistos, whose work has won awards at Venice, Sundance and Locarno; and artist Marina Xenofontos, who represents Cyprus at the 61st Venice Biennale.

 

From the speech of Jury President Riina Mikkonen

"We have watched 46 short films together here at Cinema Rialto, if I counted correctly. We have been moved, confused and we have laughed. We have seen different stories from around the world. That's the magic of short film: fascinating different worlds that are sometimes different from our own, but which we can identify with or, if we're open, learn something new from. […] A sixteen-year-old yearns for independence, freedom and autonomy. However, healthy development is not possible without a safe and supportive community and environment. Festivals are a crucial place for filmmakers to show their skills and a springboard to develop their work. In the short film scene, we are used to supporting each other, but kisses do not fill a hungry person's stomach: long-term material support is needed, and political decision-makers have the power to provide it."

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International Competition Awards

First Prize for Best Short Film (€4,000)

"Family Feast" by Nadir Taji

This film captivated the Jury with its clever and fresh portrayal of keeping up a facade, and its brutal consequences. The director is not afraid to tackle topics that are considered difficult or taboo, and even succeeds in infusing them with humour.

Presented by Jury President Riina Mikkonen.

 

Second Prize for Best Short Film (€1,500)

"Crazy For You / Loquita Por Ti" by Greta Díaz Moreau

At sixteen, all we want is to be seen. With tenderness, humour and tension, this film follows the longing for attention and brings us all into the fighting arena. A bold, heartfelt and entertaining film.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Mina el Naggar.

 

Best Director Award (€2,500)

Marie Lukáčová for "Orla"

For its imaginative direction, mixing 16mm film, animation and rap into a wonderfully strange fairy tale, and for reminding us that not every fairy tale needs a prince to save the day!

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Thanasis Neofotistos.

 

Best Documentary Award (€3,000)

"Mother Lidia / Mamita Lidia" by Joaquín Nercasseau and Juan Bautista Tagle

For a film that invites us into an enchanted world and lets us experience it at eye level with its characters. An unorthodox documentary that bewitched the Jury.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Jury member Jing Haase.

 

Best Eastern Mediterranean Film Award (€1,500)

"Tropic of the Mourning Gecko" by Stavros Markoulakis

For its bold and sensitive exploration of queer desire and the pressure of traditional masculinity, and for reminding us that in Crete, shedding your skin can be a dangerous thing!

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Thanasis Neofotistos.

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ISFFC Nomination for the European Film Awards

"A Shot at Art" by Ilke Paddenburg

A film that, with a wonderful sense of humour and recognisable characters, shows us when enough is enough and hits patriarchy where it hurts the most.

Announced on behalf of the Jury by Jury member Jing Haase.

 

Honourable Mention

"Without Kelly / Utan Kelly" by Lovisa Sirén

Deconstructing a character to show the beauty of human complexity. We make mistakes… we get lost… we stumble… as we crave different forms of intimacy within a young motherly slice of life. A beautiful film that asks questions and leaves us searching for answers.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Mina el Naggar and Marina Xenofontos.

 

National Competition Awards

First Prize for Best Cypriot Short Film (€4,000 and technical equipment from Master & Slave)

"Kinds of Fathers" by Christos Artemiou

Having watched all the short films in the National Competition, the Jury wants to encourage filmmakers to follow their own voice boldly and push their boundaries. Sometimes the films we appreciate most, and that touch us the most, are not the ones with perfect cinematic form, but the ones with very genuine and promising choices.

Presented by Jury President Riina Mikkonen.

 

"Dinos Katsourides" Directing Award (€2,500 and technical equipment for the director's next film)

Alexandra Matheou for "Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection)"

For its beautiful shots, intelligent mise-en-scène and excellent work with the actors, all brought together with a great sense of humour, and for making us smile, even if its heroine can't!

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Thanasis Neofotistos.

 

Second Prize for Best Cypriot Film (€2,500)

"Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection)" by Alexandra Matheou

In a world of fake smiles, for its stubbornness to stay in control against what is expected in the customer service of a cult-like resort hotel, leaving zero expectations to be met.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Marina Xenofontos.

 

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

Lazaros Kenanoglou for "Runner" by Ermolaos Fotiou

A film where the camera follows the characters with impressive precision and closeness, creating a dynamic that adds to the storytelling.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Jury member Jing Haase.

 

Best Performance Award (€2,000, Limassol Municipality)

Grigoria Metheniti for her performance in "Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection)" by Alexandra Matheou

Assessing a performance is never easy. What we look for is whether the actor, as an artist, breathes life into a story, adding layers and depth that don't exist on the page. A performance can transform a film entirely. It brings moments of vulnerability, joy and sorrow, carried by a sad face that is honest and beautifully, anatomically imperfect.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Mina el Naggar.

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Honourable Mention

"Valentinos" by Sofia Anastasiou

For giving us an important testimony and an insight into the potter's wheel and how it spins across Cyprus, the UK and Baghdad, into a full life lived.

Presented on behalf of the Jury by Marina Xenofontos.

 

Peer Award

"Runner" by Ermolaos Fotiou

The first Peer Award in ISFFC's history was presented by a committee of filmmakers and actors: Marina Mandri, Panagiotis Kyriakou and Kamil Saldun. As they noted, this year's National Competition once again demonstrated that Cypriot cinema is thriving, that it can hold its own on the international stage, and that the island has a wealth of talent waiting to be discovered.

 

"This year, as a jury, we wished to support these emerging talents. The next generation. Our new fellow filmmakers. […] The Jury unanimously decided that the inaugural Peer Award should go to a film by an emerging filmmaker that captivated us from the very first moment. A film whose screenplay and directorial approach took our breath away, and whose powerful, intense performances drew us into a world so convincing that we forgot we were watching a film."

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Shoot'n'Run Award 2026

"Forbidden Fruit"

Shoot'n'Run is run by the School of Fine and Applied Arts at the Cyprus University of Technology in collaboration with ISFFC. This year's films highlighted the importance of collective creativity and collaboration under time pressure, in a process where the only budget was the willingness to experiment and the desire to tell a story. The fact that the participants come not from a Film Studies background but from the fields of Media and Fine Arts demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary cinema, not only as a form of storytelling but also as a space where different artistic practices intersect.

 

Selected by a group of faculty members from the Department of Fine Arts, the winning film stood out for its narrative economy and its restrained, coherent cinematic language. The carefully crafted lighting creates an evocative atmosphere, transforming the familiar setting of young people living together into a space of symbolic references and underlying tensions. Temptation, guilt and echoes of original sin emerge organically through the narrative, without compromising its simplicity.

Presented by CUT Professor Yiannis Christidis.

 

Audience Award

"Valentinos" by Sofia Anastasiou

What's the Story? Cyprus: "The Limassol Eight of 2026"

Also taking the stage was Nolwenn Guiziou who, together with Massimiliano Nardulli, led the What's the Story? Cyprus short film script development workshop, held in collaboration with the festival for the past four years. She spoke with pride about this year's eight filmmakers, Maria Michael, Meray Diner, Chris Al Akoury, Rami Alhoussien, Loukia Pieridou, Rani Nasr, Tariq Abdallah and Fatosh Olgacer, and about the generosity with which they built a true collective.

 

"Nurturing artists' creativity, caring for them and protecting the beauty they create is the most subversive act I can imagine today."

 

Sixteen, With the Doors Wide Open

By the time the party music faded into the Limassol night, the 16th ISFFC had already done what it set out to do from the very beginning: bring short film into the heart of the city and share it with everyone, no strings attached. At sixteen, the festival knows exactly who it is, without having lost its appetite to dare, to experiment and to keep widening the circle of people who love it.

 

ISFFC warmly thanks the audience, filmmakers, jury members, tutors, partners and sponsors who made this year's edition happen.