What a great closing night we had, with such great award winners! From New Zealand to Denmark, and from stop motion tree creatures to a gothic Māori revenge tale. Jury reports and pics below!
Sea Devil Award: Mārama
The Sea Devil is Imagine’s prize for the best feature film of the festival. The 2025 jury consisted of journalist Joost Broeren-Huitenga, writer and director Ashgan El-Hamus and sound designer Robil Rahantoeknam.
‘The films we had to watch as a jury represented the most diverse perspectives, in a way that we had not previously seen side-by-side like this. We were pleasantly surprised, but this made the final choice all the more difficult. This year’s winner of the Sea Devil Award manages to completely invert the Western colonial gaze. And, to our delight, does so from a female perspective in a revenge film. The film is nuanced, layered, and relatable, regardless of the viewer’s perspective. It is innovative and refreshing, and we hope to see much more from this filmmaker in the future!’
Méliès d’argent for Best European Fantastic film: The Last Viking
The Méliès d’Argent is awarded on behalf of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) to the best European Fantastic feature film and short film. This year’s jury for the Méliès d’Argent for best European Fantastic feature film consisted of filmmaker Jasper ten Hoor, animator Hisko Hulsing and Katrien Lamers, director of cinema at De Fabriek in Zaandam.
‘Not only did the film manage to maintain the balance between drama and comedy without descending into painful stereotypes about mental disorders, it alsoswitched from being incredibly crude to very tender and sweet. Additionally, the liberation of choosing one’s own identity is a beautifully topical theme. Although Anders Thomas Jensen has clearly developed a distinct style after ten Danish genre films, often featuring the same lead actors, The Last Viking still feels original and fresh. Nevertheless, the jury is eagerly anticipating the moment when Jensen chooses an entirely different route. But whether he chooses the innovative or the familiar, we hope this award will motivate him to continue his work in Fantastic cinema’
Méliès d’argent for Best European Fantastic Short: Radix
This year, the jury for the Méliès d’Argent for the best European Fantastic short film includes director Malu Janssen (who won this award last year), creative producer and designer Ragna Margarita and festival programmer Thomas Streekstra.
‘Amongst a highly diverse selection, with especially strong animation films, a melancholic fantastic short depicting an encounter between two lonely creatures stood out. In an organic, tactile, rooted and almost earthy style, the filmmaker transports us to a non-verbal surrealistic universe in which small details and movements have emotional impact. This quiet, intimate, heartwarming tale urges us to do what we all need so very much: showing true interest in ‘the other’ and blooming through the shared experience of connecting. Rooting us to grow.’
Imagine Immersive Award: Fallax (special mention: Soulpaint)
‘The winner of the Immersive Competition at Imagine invites the visitor into a minimalist rite of passage through time, space, and body. Through articulate, playful bodily movement and the living pulse of the landscape, the piece carries us through its story. The VR visitor encounters a world without words, one of stunning calmness, paced by the crisp editing of stylized VR tableaus. The jury felt the energy of ancient mythology of Iceland rendered in a modern, levelheaded interpretation. The creators invited the jury into a transcendental, mystical journey through nature, where a story about escaping turns into escapism and liberation. The winner is Iceland’s first narrative XR experience, Fallax, by director Owen Hindley and producer Nanna Gunnars.’
