Winners of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival are announced

On October 3, during the closing ceremony of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival in Kyiv, this year’s winners were officially announced.

The festival, which for the second year in a row was held in the capital, lasted eleven days — from September 24 to October 4. During this time, audiences saw 113 films across various sections, including two competition programs (the National Documentary Competition and the European Competition) and sixteen non-competition sections (“Focus on Poland,” “German Accent,” “Festival of the Festivals,” “Gala Premieres,” and others).

The first awards were announced by the jury of the European Competition, which included producer Gyda Velvin Myklebust, director Denys Tarasov, film critic Irena Katsialovich, producer Peter Rommel, casting director Piotr Bartuszek, producer Serhiy Lavrenyuk, and director Yuris Poskus.

The Grand Prize for Best European Feature Film was awarded to Six jours ce printemps-là, 2025, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, directed by Joachim Lafosse.The director of the winning film received the festival’s iconic “Golden Duke” statuette.A Special Jury Diploma was presented to U Are the Universe by Ukrainian director Pavlo Ostrikov.

The National Documentary Competition Jury included director Aliaksei Paluyan, director and screenwriter Katalin Moldovai, screenwriter and director Konrad Szolajski, director Taras Tomenko, and producer and head of the industry office of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Hugo Rosak.

The award for Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Documentary went to A Simple Soldier by directors Artem Ryzhykov and Juan Camilo Cruz. The winner received a “Golden Duke” statuette and a monetary prize of 75,000 UAH, provided by the festival’s official banking partner, Bank Pivdennyi.

Special Jury Diplomas in the National Documentary Competition were awarded to two films: Dad’s Lullaby (dir. Lesia Diak) and Music of Being (dir. Hennadii Chernomashyntsev).

The FIPRESCI Jury — representing the International Federation of Film Critics — also presented its award. This year’s jury consisted of Ukrainian film critics Dmytro Sydorenko, Ihor Kromf, and Serhiy Trymbach. The FIPRESCI Diploma for Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Documentary was awarded to A Simple Soldier (dirs. Artem Ryzhykov, Juan Camilo Cruz).

The festival’s main award — the Grand Prix — determined by audience voting, went to U Are the Universe directed by Pavlo Ostrikov. The director received the “Golden Duke” statuette and a monetary prize of 75,000 UAH.

As part of the closing ceremony, a separate segment was dedicated to honoring the winners of the Film Industry Office pitching sessions.In the Development category, the jury recognized two projects, each receiving 40,000 UAH:Golden Leggings (dir. Arkadii Nepytaliuk, prod. Regina Maryanovska-Davidzon) and Entangled (dir. Ivan Orlenko, prod. Charlotte Krüger).

In the Work in Progress section, the main prize of 80,000 UAH was awarded to Every Death Diminishes Me (dir. Serhii Bazhenov, prod. Inna Lastochkina). A special mention and marketing package from StarLight Media went to the project Sequela (dir. Alla Mitiukova, prod. Oleksii Yeroshenko). Marketing support from StarLight Creative was granted to Kira’s Dream (dir. Denys Kolesnikov, prod. Andrii Korniienko). Additionally, Kira’s Dream received a sound post-production package in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 formats from Cinema Sound UA Production, valued at $3,500.

The festival also announced the winners of the MEGOGO AI Film Fest — an initiative uniting filmmakers and artists experimenting with artificial intelligence in cinema.The Grand Prix was awarded to Yevhen Chernyshov for A Session with a Psychologist.Other winners included: The Path by Volodymyr and Valeriia Pridorohiny — Best Cinematic Short, Night Shift by Adshot Creative Agency — Best Animation, Profession by Mariia Zozulia — Best Screenplay, Synthetic by amheus — Best Vertical Format, Still Waters Run Deep by Olha Moroz — AI Vision: Ukraine

The total prize fund of the MEGOGO AI Film Fest amounted to 640,000 UAH.

The 16th Odesa International Film Festival once again confirmed its status as one of Ukraine’s most important cultural events — one that unites Ukrainian and international filmmakers, fosters dialogue, and celebrates the resilience and creativity of cinema even in times of war.

The Odesa International Film Festival is supported by:

Ukrainian State Film Agency

The European Union and Creative Europe Desk Ukraine

Adam Mickiewicz Institute “Instytut Adama Mickiewicza”

Polish Institute in Kyiv

German Films

In partnership with the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine

Official Sponsor – ARARAT

Official Automotive Partner – BMW Ukraine

General Partner of Film Industry Office – UPHub

Official jewelry partner - Carrera Y Carrera General

Technological Partner -Hisense