DJ Ahmet has won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Mistress Dispeller wins for Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Sonoma International Film Festival.
In DJ Ahmet directed by Georgi M. Unkovski, a shepherding boy in North Macedonia grooves to techno in a small-town dramedy reminiscent of “Footloose.” The jury in a statement, said, “We chose a film with sure-handed directing, brilliant casting – A classic love story reimagined – A film full of risks and rich rewards – we are honored to award Best Narrative Feature to DJ Ahmet”
In the documentary Mistress Dispeller directed by Elizabeth Lo, a Chinese couple’s marriage is rocked by infidelity. The plot thickens when the distraught wife calls in a mysterious “mistress dispeller,” whose job it is to save the marriage. The jury in a statement said, “For combining impeccable craft with a novelistic approach to nonfiction storytelling while always being empathetic to its subjects, this year’s Documentary Prize goes to Elizabeth Lo’s Mistress Dispeller.”
The Audience Awards went to Meet The Barbarians by Julie Delpy for for Best Feature; and to The Last Journey directed by Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson for Best Documentary.
“This year’s festival was a feast for the senses, blending extraordinary films with immersive food and wine experiences,” said SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence. “The response was overwhelming, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the success of SIFF 2025.”
Winners of the 2025 Sonoma International Film Festival
Grand Jury Film Awards
Grand Jury Award | Best Narrative Feature
Winner: DJ Ahmet (Georgi M. Unkovski | North Macedonia)
Narrative Competition Films:
Café Chairel (Director: Fernando Guillermo Barreda Luna/Mexico), DJ Ahmet (Director: Georgi M. Unkovski/North Macedonia), Gloria (Director: Margherita Vicario/Italy), Long Good Thursday (Director: Mika Kaurismäki/Finland), Mexico 86 (Director: César Diaz/France), My Favorite Cake (Director: Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha/Iran), The Party’s Over (Director: Elena Manrique/Spain), Waves (Director: Jiří Mádl/Czech Republic)
Grand Jury Award | Best Documentary Feature
Winner: Mistress Dispeller (Elizabeth Lo | China/USA)
Jury Statement from the Documentary Feature Grand Jury: Brian Brooks (Cinetic Media), Jaie Laplante (DOC NYC), and Rachel Rosen (New York Film Festival),
Special Mention : Suburban Fury (Robinson Devor)
“For its bold ambition coupled with its probing research and daring approach, a Special Mention goes to director Robinson Devor’s Suburban Fury.”
Documentary Feature Competition Films:
Ali Eats America (USA) Directed by: Roush Niaghi, Greg Morris, Apollo 1 (United Kingdom) Directed by: Mark Craig, Fatal Watch (USA) Directed by: Mark Benjamin, Katie Carpenter, Free Leonard Peltier (USA) Directed by: Jesse Short Bull, David France, Mistress Dispeller (China) Directed by: Elizabeth Lo, Suburban Fury (USA) Directed by: Robinson Devor, Sweet Störy (United Kingdom) Directed by: Sarah Justine Kerruish, Matt Maude, Tokito: The 540-Day Journey of a Culinary Maverick (Japan) Directed by: Aki Mizutani.
Grand Jury Award | Short Films
All 38 Official Selection short films competed for the 3 Grand Jury Short Awards.
The Short Film Grand Jury included Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist), Daniela Michel (Morelia International Film Festival), and Mike Plante (Sundance Film Festival).
Grand Jury Award: Live Action Short
Winner: Trokas Duras (Director Jazmin Garcia | USA)
“For shining a light on underheard voices in an era of contagious misunderstanding, we would like to give the Best Live Action Short Film to Trokas Duras.”
Grand Jury Award: Documentary Short
Winner: Embracing Instability (Director Nathan Willis | USA)
“For its insightful spotlight on an artist persevering through overwhelming change, we would like to give the Best Documentary Short Film to Embracing Instability.”
Grand Jury Award: Animated Short
Winner: Como si la Tierra se las Hubiera Tragado (Director Natalia León | France)
“For a stunning and emotionally resonant artistic achievement, we would like to give the Best Animation Short Film to Como Si La Tierra Se Las Hubiera Tragado.”
Special Jury Mention for Directing
Winner: Sweet Talkin’ Guy (Directed by Spencer Wardwell & Dylan Wardwell | USA)
¨For its brilliant and concise grasp of comedic filmmaking, Sweet Talkin’ Guy, directed by Spencer and Dylan Wardwell. “
Sonoma International Film Festival Audience Film Awards
The Stolman Audience Award for Best Feature
Winner: Meet The Barbarians (France) Directed by: Julie Delpy
1st Runner-up: DJ Ahmet (North Macedonia) Directed by: Georgi M. Unkovski
2nd Runner-up: Mistura (Peru) Directed by: Ricardo de Montreuil
3rd Runner-up: Waves (Czech Republic) Directed by: Jiří Mádl
4th Runner-up: Bad Shabbos (USA) Directed by: Daniel Robbins
The A3 Audience Award for Best Documentary
Winner: The Last Journey (Sweden) Directed by: Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson
1st Runner-up: Checkpoint Zoo (USA) Directed by: Joshua Zeman
2nd Runner-up: One to One: John & Yoko (United Kingdom) Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
3rd Runner-up: Apollo 1 (United Kingdom) Directed by: Mark Craig
4th Runner-up: Sweet Störy (United Kingdom) Directed by: Sarah Justine Kerruish, Matt Maude
The McNeely Award for Best Short Film
Winner: Jane Austen’s Period Drama (USA) Directed by: Julia Aks, Steve Pinder
1st Runner-up: Teen Mary (USA) Directed by: Ali Rosenthal
2nd Runner-up: Foxhole (USA) Directed by: Nick Dugan
3rd Runner-up: Wingspan (USA) Directed by: Matthew Fabiano
4th Runner-up: Our Neighbors, The Peacocks (USA) Directed by: Callie Barlow