Winners of the 11th STIFF: the awards travel both close to us and to the Far East

We have the winners of the 11th STIFF! After three days of screening the best student films from around the world, the jury of the 11th STIFF selected the winners—three best films and three special mentions in the categories of fiction, documentary, and animated films. Just like these past 10 years, the Audience Award was also awarded, with the addition of a new Cinehill Film Festival Award, which guarantees the winner a screening at next year’s festival in Gorski Kotar.

Although the winning films come from different cultures—from Japan and China to the UK and Croatia—they share a common trait of exploring identities, confronting marginalization and societal challenges, and portraying the universality of internal struggles.

The jury, Dea Jagić, Héloïse Ferlay, and Stipe Golem, awarded the prize for Best Animated Film to the Japanese film Shape of the Elephant by Sam Kuwe, with the honorable mention going to Your Place in Line by Eden Grosman and Noa Gefen.

In the documentary film category, Igor Bezinović, Matej Klucik, and Karla Šoštarić named Joe Snelling’s The Waiter, the Scientist, and Jenny the best documentary, while a special mention went to Slovenian director Jure Stern for his film Domci.

The fiction film jury, Nika Grbelja, David Gašo, and Juraj Bačić, awarded Best Fiction Film to A Capella by Polish author Marcin Kluczykowski, while the honorable mention was given to the Chinese film Wisdom Tooth by Yang Yixin.

Shape of the Elephant, an animated film by Japanese director Sam Kuwe, tells the story of the “elephant in the room,” which grows alongside the protagonist as everyone else in the household tries to ignore it. As the jury described it: “This film masterfully uses animation to take us by the hand and dive with the narrator into their increasingly chaotic story. The elephant is in the room, and despite the universal meaning of this phrase, we still struggle to see it. This film speaks out loud about it, whether seen as incest or another childhood trauma, and we wanted to congratulate it for this achievement.”

The Waiter, the Scientist, and Jenny tells the story of Marco Esposito, once a highly promising scientist who now works as a waiter in Hastings, where he attempts to live an unusually free and unburdened life while battling severe mental illness. The jury explained their choice: “This gem of a film presents a portrait of a very unique individual. The audiovisual portrayal of Marco’s life is full of surprises and twists, and the director never forgets that an ethical approach to the protagonist is paramount. Intimate, raw, and wild at the same time, the film bursts with humor and free spirit, reminding us that life is never black and white.”

The jury honored Marcin Kluczykowski with the main award for A Capella due to its deeply touching exploration of the rarely addressed theme of queer sexuality in older generations, a meticulously thought-out visual approach, and the compelling and skillful performances of the lead actors—all tied together with a mature directorial signature. The film follows Karol and Henryk, soloists in a choir and a long-time couple whose relationship is unknown to anyone outside their home. Their carefully concealed daily life is shaken when they receive an invitation that disrupts their routine.

The Cinehill Award went to Thank You, Mother, a Croatian film by Izidor Bistrović, for its brave portrayal of a family’s intimate relationship and the conflict between earthly and spiritual values. The Cinehill team congratulated the young director, who will have the opportunity to present his film at next year’s Cinehill Film Festival.

The Audience Award at the 11th STIFF went to Joe Snelling’s already-crowned documentary The Waiter, the Scientist and Jenny. The Audience Award was presented by last year’s winner, David Gašo, who pointed out that every award has great meaning for the author, but that the Audience Award carries special weight.

STIFF 2024 is co-financed by the Croatian Audiovisual Center, the City of Rijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Council of the Serbian National Minority, the Serbian National Council, and the Goethe-Institut Zagreb.