Giornate degli Autori, the independent sidebar running parallel to the Venice Film Festival, handed out its 2025 prizes on Friday, capping its 22nd edition with wins for Amir Azizi’s “Inside Amir,” Stergios Dinopoulos and Krysianna B. Papadakis’ “Bearcave” and two audience favorites for Vladlena Sandu’s “Memory” and Cyril Aris’ “A Sad and Beautiful World” that split the People’s Choice award.
Azizi’s film, which screened in the section’s official lineup, took the GdA Director’s Award, a €20,000 prize split between the director and the film’s international distributor. The jury — led by Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud and including producer Francesca Andreoli, filmmaker Lina Soualem, MoMA curator Josh Siegel and cinematographer Sofian El Fani — praised the film as “a meditation on everyday life” that gradually reveals “a complex life marked by loss and grief against a backdrop of exile and social upheaval.”
“It is a film that takes time to listen, and that shows how unexpected, spontaneous encounters build a rich life,” the jury's statement read. They also singled out the film’s “precise dialogue and staging,” which they said gave “a strong sense of presence,” as well as the way Azizi’s narrative shifts through different time periods, “often in the same frame, and often during the same bike ride.”
The Europa Cinemas Label, aimed at boosting distribution for European titles, went to “Bearcave,” the debut feature from Dinopoulos and Papadakis. The jury of exhibitors, hailing from Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden, called the film “a fresh and energetic feature debut” and noted its mix of thriller tropes, supernatural undertones, and strong lead performances.
“The music, editing and photography are really original,” the jury statement read, “and the performances by the two girls are exceptional. We really hope that the award of the Label will encourage distributors and audiences around Europe.”
Audiences at Venice’s Sala Perla voted to give this year’s People’s Choice Award to two titles in a rare tie: Vladlena Sandu’s “Memory” and Cyril Aris’ “A Sad and Beautiful World.” Both films captured 77.4% of the audience vote.
All Giornate selections remain eligible for Venice’s parallel prizes, which will be handed out at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sept. 7.