The Brazilian Oscar entry I’m Still Here won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film at the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Directed by Walter Salles, the film stars Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro as Eunice Paiva, a mother of five children coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva, during the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s.
In a statement, the jury commented, “To I’m Still Here, for conveying the horror of encroaching dictatorship from the intimate perspective of a mother defending not just her family of five, but her dignity. Evoking the severity of the violence without resorting to melodrama, director Walter Salles captures a critical moment of history in scrupulous and compelling detail.”
The FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actress in an International Feature Film went to Zoe Saldaña for her performance in Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard; and for Best Actor went Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái for Kneecap directed by Rich Peppiatt
Other top prizes including Documentary Award went to No Other Land; The New Year That Never Came won the New Voices New Visions Award; Sujo won the Ibero-American Award; Checkpoint Zoo won Desert Views Award; and Souleyman’s Story won Bridging The Borders Award.
At this time, the Palm Springs International ShortFest is scheduled to return June 24-30, 2025.
Jury Award Winners of 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF)
FIPRESCI PRIZE
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film: I’m Still Here (Brazil), Director Walter Salles
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay: Vermiglio (Italy), Director Maura Delpero
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actress in an International Feature Film: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez (France), Director Jacques Audiard
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái – Kneecap (Ireland), Director Rich Peppiatt
BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Best Documentary Award: No Other Land (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Best Documentary Award Special Mention: Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Sinéad O’Shea
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS AWARD
New Voices New Visions Award: The New Year That Never Came (Romania), Director Bogdan Mureșanu
New Voices New Visions Special Mention: Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (South Africa), Director Embeth Davidtz
IBERO-AMERICAN AWARD
Ibero-American Award: Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Ibero-American Special Mention: Manas (Brazil/Portugal), Director Marianna Brennand
DESERT VIEWS AWARD
Desert Views Award Winner: Checkpoint Zoo (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
Desert Views Special Mention: Desert Angel (United States), Director Vincent DeLuca
YOUNG CINEASTES AWARD
Young Cineastes Award Winner: Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv
Young Cineastes Special Mention: Superboys of Malegaon (India/United States), Director Reema Kagti
BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD
Bridging the Borders Award: Souleymane’s Story (France), Director Boris Lojkine
Bridging the Borders Special Mention: Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Director Scandar Copti