IN THE PALACE AWARD WINNERS 23rd Edition, 2026
BEST FICTION
WINNER
AGAPITO
dir. Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Romero
Celebrating the warmth of kinship found between colleagues cocooned within a tender and poetic cosmos in the midst of a harsh reality. Delicate and playful performances joyfully inhabit a world where you are invited to dream, dance and enjoy yourself.
SPECIAL MENTION
THE MAN IN THE SHOWERS
dir. Hakim Atoui
The Juries felt that this was a beautiful, fresh and brave way to explore sexuality and identity with a confident, subtle and tender central performance from the young actor.
SPECIAL MENTION
LO QUE DESAPARECE
dir. Nono Ayuso, Rodrigo Inada
A film which elegantly shifts between the realms of reality and deeply expressive illusion, with richly adorned frames which invite you to linger while expressing the clashing emotions battling within its protagonist.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
WINNER
PEDRO TOMÁS EXPLAINS THE WORLD
dir. Kornelijus Stučkus
A film of extraordinary beauty. Moving, precise, poetic, and disarmingly simple.
With very few elements, it allows us to understand so much: a life, a past, a whole inner world. Little by little, a pure and profound emotion takes hold of us.
SPECIAL MENTION
OF STONE
dir. Simo Ilić
The Jury decided to award a Special Mention to “Of Stone” a well-deserved homage not only to the sculptor's artistic commitment but also to a profound lesson in moral and political integrity.
BEST ANIMATION
WINNER
DOG ALONE
dir. Marta Reis Andrade
A deeply touching film, amidst all its metaphorical imagery. A beautiful, honest and human film that successfully communicates its raw emotions in an original, non-straightforward way.
SPECIAL MENTION
SABA
dir. Liron Topaz
A heartfelt film with a creative world building and an emotional plot-twist, exploring the strong bond between 2 family members of different generations.
SPECIAL MENTION
ONCE IN A BODY
dir. María Cristina Pérez
With this film we travel within the limits of the body or what we construct as the limits of it. What we learnt as children and what we have to overcome as adults. A body of work with a poetic and impactful screenplay intertwined with crafted aesthetics.
BEST STUDENT FICTION
WINNER
THE DOGLEG
dir. Piotr Szubra
The quality of all the student fiction nominations was so high, it made our task to choose one very difficult. After a lot of in-depth discussion, we unanimously agreed that The Dogleg would be our choice.
The film established its world and its characters completely, delivering wonderful production value as well as a visceral emotional impact that genuinely took our breath away. The courage in the storytelling truly impressed us all. We congratulate the filmmaker and look forward to their future works.
SPECIAL MENTION
THE BULL
dir. Victor Nauwynck
SPECIAL MENTION
TRANCE
dir. Jona Schloßer
SPECIAL MENTION
TANDEM
dir. Rafael Karim Kousz
BEST STUDENT ANIMATION
WINNER
HOW TO BUILD A SAND CASTLE
dir. Nour Kharmis
For the remarkable strength of its visual language, transforming a refined design into a bold and deeply personal statement. The jury celebrates a work that embraces creative freedom and radical vision—qualities every emerging filmmaker should cherish and never lose.
SPECIAL MENTION
GENTLY
dir. Jamaica Kindlová
For its rare sensitivity in confronting a dark and violent subject through poetry and tenderness. A film that finds extraordinary emotional power in gentleness rather than rhetoric.
SPECIAL MENTION
ME AND YOU AND SMOKE
dir. Rachel Shiloach
For the freedom and vitality of its drawing, turning design into a deeply expressive language. A tender and melancholic story, capable of conveying genuine emotion with remarkable grace.
BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY
WINNER
ZRYWKA
dir. Aram Menua Jesajan
For its distinct authorial vision and its restrained, assured use of cinematic language in portraying the unsettling relationship between humans and animals in extreme natural conditions. Through patient observation and carefully composed scenes, Zrywka creates a raw, organic reality shaped by movement, light, and sound. It unfolds with quiet precision, leaving a profound and lasting impression through its lingering sense of discomfort.
SPECIAL MENTION
ECHO
dir. Dan Grabnar
With its restrained and poetic visual language, Echo reflects in layered ways on memory, growing up, education, violence, and the passage of time. Exploring how human memory remains imprinted within a place it allows space, texture, and time to become its primary means of expression. Through its subtle cross-dissolves, and a finely controlled visual rhythm, photographs and memories gradually merge into the walls of a decaying rural school, revealing a work of remarkable sensitivity and visual precision.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
WINNER
THINGS MANY EYES HAVE SEEN
dir. Yannick Mosimann
For its thoughtful and inventive use of cinematic form and the materiality of 16mm film, creating a hypnotic analogue mirage that turns memory and landscape into a mesmerizing stroboscopic cinematic experience.
SPECIAL MENTION
BLACKMUCK
dir. Tin Zanic
For its wildly singular authorial vision and feverish, retro-infused aesthetic, creating a strange and richly imagined apocalyptic world that rewards every return—if the planet survives long enough.
BEST NATIONAL FILM
WINNER
FISH MOON
dir. Andrey Koulev
An artistic, slow but trance-inducing film, carefully animated in a traditional technique. It immerses us in the meditative world of Chinese poetics.
NEXTDOOR NETWORKING PITCH
WINNER 1ST PLACE
BURIA
Maria Dimova, Dea Tchipeva
WINNER 2ND PLACE
THE SWEET TEETH OF ANA AND HER MAMA
Katarina Putić
FILMER FORGE PITCH
WINNER
RELICS
Talat Gokdemir
SPECIAL MENTION
TIGERS BAY
dir. Kris Kelly
SPECIAL MENTION
WE CAN’T ALWAYS NAME THE THINGS WE FEEL
dir. Ventsislav Sariev
