JURY DECLARATION

The film features one of the most captivating opening scenes of the festival, instantly hooking the audience. It presents a shocking truth: religion functions much like territorial conquest. Wherever its teachings are proclaimed, that land is effectively ruled by it—reaching as far as the eye can see, even in remote places few can access, like snowy peaks. Removing a Christian cross from the Swiss Alps thus becomes an implicit political statement. Those who removed the crosses were convicted—but why was that the case? The film serves as an antidote for the faithful by directly questioning belief. It adopts a satirical tone on the absurdity of religion asserting its absolute self-righteousness and the worship of sacred objects. While these acts might seem like mere pranks by a group of individuals, for anyone watching this short film, if it doesn't spark big questions in your head that make you laugh out loud, it will certainly provoke enough rage that make you want to send hate mail to the directors.

JURY DECLARATION

A profound absurdity, told through multiple stories whose only connection is a river. The film unfolds at a unique pace, slow and calm, never forcing or demanding the audience’s attention, much like the river in the film itself. The filmmaking is sharp, shot with confidence, and always engaged with its own sense of humor.

JURY DECLARATION

The jury appreciates the filmmaker’s deeply felt commitment to the Salween River and its marginalized ethnic communities. Through an inventive blend of observational documentation, folklore, indigenous languages, and an anthropomorphic perspective, the film gives poetic voice to both the river and its people.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

When I read the news about a glacier collapsing in the Himalayas and causing severe flooding along the Nepal–Tibet border, I found myself thinking about the Salween River. Although the water from there flowed in another direction, it made me wonder: if that glacier had been on the other side of the landscape, could its water have become part of the Salween? It brought back memories of the communities I visited along the Salween while making The Ballad of Nya-Htee. Perhaps the identity of a river lies not only in its water, but also in the paths it travels, the landscapes it passes through, and the people it encounters along the way.

JURY DECLARATION

A poignant and suspenseful drama, this film follows an undocumented African delivery driver in Porto, giving voice to the millions of refugees and migrants navigating similar struggles worldwide. The jury commends this urgent portrait of the increasingly hostile environment in Western cities, skillfully exposing both the complex realities within host nations and the nuanced internal lives of those labeled "illegal.".

JURY DECLARATION

It looks like a painting, or fragments of someone’s memory. Perhaps the ghost isn’t a person, but the images and words that wander throughout the film. The film observes humanity carefully, with a tender approach. It’s a film about those we’ve forgotten, the news we ignore, or the small things that cease to exist.

JURY DECLARATION

The film’s images cling to our imagination from start to finish, and they amount to nothing less than horror. They weave together to create a certain feeling that leaves us suffocated. It reminds us of the world we live in right now, with lyrics that repeat endlessly: “Never Thinking of the Future.”