The winners of the New Directors Award and Audience Award 2025 is...
On the last day of Kosmorama 2025 - Sunday 23. March - The festival announced the winners of this years New Directors Award and Audience Award. The winner of the jury prize New Directors Award was the Serbian film 78 Days. The winner of the audience award was
The winner of New Directors Award: 78 Days
Director: Emilija Gasic
The jurys reasoning:
The award goes to a director who is able to create an astonishingly strong authenticity in a film that highlights the everyday in an extreme situation. The film's original concept is unusually cohesive and convincingly executed in every aspect. The director brings out nearly deceptively good performances from the actors, including the very youngest, where one might question whether it's even acting at all. Even though the backdrop is war, the focus remains on the family life of individuals who are not involved in it—something that in no way makes the film any less relevant today. A feature film debut that dares to be small, and thus becomes great. The winner is Emilija Gasic for 78 Days.
The winner of the audience award: Bound in Heaven
Director: Xin Hu
About the film:
Xia You is trapped in a violent marriage. One day, while searching for tickets to a Faye Wong concert, she unexpectedly encounters Xu Zitai, a young man suffering from a terminal illness. Their fates intertwine, leading them on a journey that is both physical and emotional.
Bound in Heaven is a stunning Chinese feature film debut by Xin Huo, portraying two individuals searching for freedom and meaning in life with tenderness and depth. The film offers breathtaking cinematography and deeply emotional performances from lead actors Ni Ni and You Zhou.
