Press Release #6/26
Festival Awards 2026
02.05.2026 //
Jury: Louise Højgaard Johansen (DK), Igor Soukmanov (BY/DE), Sara Summa (FR/IT)
CROSSING EUROPE Award – Best Fiction Film
€ 5.000,- powered by Linz Kultur
Shared prize of €2,500 each:
RENOVACIJA / RENOVATION
Gabrielė Urbonaitė, LT/BE/LV 2025
SVEČIAS / THE VISITOR
Vytautas Katkus, LT/NO/SE 2025
Jury Statement:
There is a «new wave» happening right before our eyes. We were moved by contemporary stories told with simple means, yet pulsing with a heartbeat and a cinematic vision that resonate deeply.
What is family, if not a community where you can invite a neighbor in and ask: «Could you be my dad?» — to which he answers: «I can try». This year, we were struck by a unique creative collaboration where directors and cinematographers work as one, making it impossible for us to separate their work.
We want to celebrate the innovative poetry of everyday life — the poetry of suburban sleeping districts and concrete apartment blocks, inhabited by a mix of cultures and languages that build profound human connections.
Therefore, in the spirit of Crossing Europe and true family ties, tonight we award the vibrant community of contemporary Lithuanian cinema.
Special Mention:
L'ENGLOUTIE / THE GIRL IN THE SNOW
Louise Hémon, FR 2025
Jury Statement:
Before we announce the winner, the jury would like to give a Special Mention to L'ENGLOUTIE / THE GIRL IN THE SNOW by Louise Hémon. We were captivated by its masterful and profound depiction of human relations and female desire — a beautifully mysterious film that, although set in a remote time and place, felt incredibly real and kept on haunting us.
CROSSING EUROPE Audience Award – Best Fiction Film
€ 5.000,- powered by Land Oberösterreich Kultur
KARAVAN / CARAVAN
Zuzana Kirchnerová, CZ/SK/IT 2025
Jury: Daniel Abma (NL/DE), Olga Gibelinda (UA), Lenka Tyrpáková (CZ)
CROSSING EUROPE Social Awareness Award – Best Documentary Film
€ 5.000,- powered by Gutenberg-Werbering and Crossing Europe
KDYBY SE HOLUBI PROMĚNILI VE ZLATO / IF PIGEONS TURNED TO GOLD
Pepa Lubojacki, CZ/SK 2026
Jury Statement:
The Crossing Europe Social Awareness Award goes to first-time director whose fresh cinematic language transforms an intimate family story into a powerful and deeply moving emotional journey. Film helps destigmatize people suffering from alcohol addiction, raising awareness around an issue that remains widely normalized in society.
The film will be shown again on 3 May at 20:00 at City Kino (City 1).
Special Mention:
Imago
Déni Oumar Pitsaev, FR/BE 2025
Jury Statement:
We would like to award a Special Mention to a masterfully directed debut film that explores intimate and deeply personal themes, unfolding as a moving meditation on roots, tradition, and the search for belonging and identity. With quiet confidence and emotional precision, it offers a lyrical and deeply affecting experience that resonates long after it ends. Imago by Dèni Oumar.
Jury: Johanna Hackl (HBLA für künstlerische Gestaltung), Luna Lassingleithner (Akademisches Gymnasium Linz), Anna Lieb (HBLA für künstlerische Gestaltung), Ronja Seyfert (Akademisches Gymnasium Linz)
CROSSING EUROPE Award – YAAAS! Youth Jury
€ 3.000,- powered by VdFS – Verwertungsgesellschaft der Filmschaffenden
LES IMMORTELLES / STEREO GIRLS
Caroline Deruas Peano, FR/CA 2025
Jury Statement:
This film has touched us emotionally in a way that words almost fail to describe. Even after the film has ended, the wonderful friendship between the characters keeps captivating you. It is the visual execution and the atmospheric music in particular that make the film so unique.
COMPETITION LOCAL ARTISTS
Jury: Simone Hart (AT), Dagmar Schink (AT), Florian Widegger (AT)
CROSSING EUROPE Award – Local Artist
€ 5.000,- powered by Land Oberösterreich Kultur
GAY BY NATURE
Isa Schieche, Helen Weber, AT 2025
Jury Statement:
Anarchic attitude, punkish poetry, trashy terror: they exist not only in Linz but also in the vision of the future where we are led by our Local Artist Award film. A work that knows no pause for breath from beginning to end, crossing boundaries and the limits of taste regardless of the consequences – and a darn lot of fun in the process. The film readily reinterprets imposition into a great declaration of freedom. “My heart beats for women like the fist beats the fascist!” – Our hearts, by all means, are beating very much for courageous, rough, queer cinema that is unapologetic and anything but random: GAY BY NATURE by Isa Schieche and Helen Weber
€ 2.000 Gutschein / Voucher The Grand Post – Post Production Houses
DIE NOCH UNBEKANNTEN TAGE / DAYS YET UNKNOWN
Jola Wieczorek, AT 2026
Jury Statement:
There are films that collect their memories in archives. This film is building one itself. Between childhood pictures, stories about the arrival of a family in a foreign country, and a desire to belong, something rare evolves: a look back that is at the same time also a look ahead. Because memory is confronted with oblivion. The own mother’s beginning dementia makes this not a tragedy, but an emotional, richly illustrated road movie, whose mission it is to reconstruct the own biography, so that future generations will have a view of their Family Ties, to draw on the motto of this year’s festival edition. We, for our part, can feel very fortunate that Jola Wieczorek has also shared this history with us, which is why we are awarding the Local Artist Award / Material Prize to her wonderful film DAYS YET UNKNOWN.
Special Mention:
HERZBLUTWIESE STADTWERKSTATT
Claudia Dworschak, Tanja Brandmayr, AT 2026
Jury Statement:
The jury would first like to give a Special Mention to a film acting as an important monument to a local institution and, even more, as long overdue food for thought on art, city history, and feminism.
CROSSING EUROPE Innovation Award – Local Artist
initiated by ANIMA PLUS – Verein zur Förderung der Animationskunst
€ 2000,- powered by Land Oberösterreich Kultur and Linz Kultur
FROM SOMETHING TO NOTHING
Michael Heindl, AT 2026
Jury Statement:
On the through street of progress, nature usually gets the short end of the stick, also in this part of the world. Economic interests are literally knocking down the tree population’s protective role. How one can approach this big issue in the short form of a seven-minute film, in a way that is aesthetically ambitious and appealing, is shown by our winning film in the Local Artists Innovation Award category. Over 3000 single frames of tree barks form the starting point of this audiovisual work of art where beauty and menace are pushed together – until, at the end, the banality of concrete is revealed. The Innovation Award Local Artist goes to FROM SOMETHING TO NOTHING by Michael Heindl.
Jury: Davide Abbatescianni (IT), Ivan Bakrač (ME), Katharina Stumm (DE)
MIOB New Vision Award 2026
€ 3.000,- powered by MIOB | Moving Images – Open Borders
VETRE, PRIČAJ SA MNOM / WIND, TALK TO ME
Stefan Djordjevic, SR/SI/HR 2025
Jury Statement:
For its deeply personal yet universally resonant exploration of grief, the MIOB New Vision Award goes to VETRE, PRIČAJ SA MNOM / WIND, TALK TO ME, which transforms loss into a quietly inventive cinematic language. Blending documentary and fiction with remarkable fluidity, Stefan Đorđević's film captures the fragmented textures of memory with warmth, humour and emotional honesty. Through its intimate family portrait, it finds moments of light within mourning, revealing the enduring bonds that shape us. A tender and imaginative debut that speaks softly, yet lingers long after it ends.
The film will be shown on 3 May at 19:00 at Moviemento (Movie 2).
The awards ceremony for the 23rd edition of the Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz took place today in the Ursulinensaal, with Miriam Hie hosting the atmospheric evening.
COMPETITION FICTION
Jury: Louise Højgaard Johansen (DK), Igor Soukmanov (BY/DE), Sara Summa (FR/IT)
CROSSING EUROPE Award – Best Fiction Film
€ 5.000,- powered by Linz Kultur
Shared prize of €2,500 each:
RENOVACIJA / RENOVATION
Gabrielė Urbonaitė, LT/BE/LV 2025
SVEČIAS / THE VISITOR
Vytautas Katkus, LT/NO/SE 2025
Jury Statement:
There is a «new wave» happening right before our eyes. We were moved by contemporary stories told with simple means, yet pulsing with a heartbeat and a cinematic vision that resonate deeply.
What is family, if not a community where you can invite a neighbor in and ask: «Could you be my dad?» — to which he answers: «I can try». This year, we were struck by a unique creative collaboration where directors and cinematographers work as one, making it impossible for us to separate their work.
We want to celebrate the innovative poetry of everyday life — the poetry of suburban sleeping districts and concrete apartment blocks, inhabited by a mix of cultures and languages that build profound human connections.
Therefore, in the spirit of Crossing Europe and true family ties, tonight we award the vibrant community of contemporary Lithuanian cinema.
Special Mention:
L'ENGLOUTIE / THE GIRL IN THE SNOW
Louise Hémon, FR 2025
Jury Statement:
Before we announce the winner, the jury would like to give a Special Mention to L'ENGLOUTIE / THE GIRL IN THE SNOW by Louise Hémon. We were captivated by its masterful and profound depiction of human relations and female desire — a beautifully mysterious film that, although set in a remote time and place, felt incredibly real and kept on haunting us.
CROSSING EUROPE Audience Award – Best Fiction Film
€ 5.000,- powered by Land Oberösterreich Kultur
KARAVAN / CARAVAN
Zuzana Kirchnerová, CZ/SK/IT 2025
COMPETITION DOCUMENTARY
Jury: Daniel Abma (NL/DE), Olga Gibelinda (UA), Lenka Tyrpáková (CZ)
CROSSING EUROPE Social Awareness Award – Best Documentary Film
€ 5.000,- powered by Gutenberg-Werbering and Crossing Europe
KDYBY SE HOLUBI PROMĚNILI VE ZLATO / IF PIGEONS TURNED TO GOLD
Pepa Lubojacki, CZ/SK 2026
Jury Statement:
The Crossing Europe Social Awareness Award goes to first-time director whose fresh cinematic language transforms an intimate family story into a powerful and deeply moving emotional journey. Film helps destigmatize people suffering from alcohol addiction, raising awareness around an issue that remains widely normalized in society.
The film will be shown again on 3 May at 20:00 at City Kino (City 1).
Special Mention:
Imago
Déni Oumar Pitsaev, FR/BE 2025
Jury Statement:
We would like to award a Special Mention to a masterfully directed debut film that explores intimate and deeply personal themes, unfolding as a moving meditation on roots, tradition, and the search for belonging and identity. With quiet confidence and emotional precision, it offers a lyrical and deeply affecting experience that resonates long after it ends. Imago by Dèni Oumar.
YAAAS! COMPETITION
Jury: Johanna Hackl (HBLA für künstlerische Gestaltung), Luna Lassingleithner (Akademisches Gymnasium Linz), Anna Lieb (HBLA für künstlerische Gestaltung), Ronja Seyfert (Akademisches Gymnasium Linz)
CROSSING EUROPE Award – YAAAS! Youth Jury
€ 3.000,- powered by VdFS – Verwertungsgesellschaft der Filmschaffenden
LES IMMORTELLES / STEREO GIRLS
Caroline Deruas Peano, FR/CA 2025
Jury Statement:
This film has touched us emotionally in a way that words almost fail to describe. Even after the film has ended, the wonderful friendship between the characters keeps captivating you. It is the visual execution and the atmospheric music in particular that make the film so unique.
COMPETITION LOCAL ARTISTS
Jury: Simone Hart (AT), Dagmar Schink (AT), Florian Widegger (AT)CROSSING EUROPE Award – Local Artist
€ 5.000,- powered by Land Oberösterreich Kultur
GAY BY NATURE
Isa Schieche, Helen Weber, AT 2025
Jury Statement:
Anarchic attitude, punkish poetry, trashy terror: they exist not only in Linz but also in the vision of the future where we are led by our Local Artist Award film. A work that knows no pause for breath from beginning to end, crossing boundaries and the limits of taste regardless of the consequences – and a darn lot of fun in the process. The film readily reinterprets imposition into a great declaration of freedom. “My heart beats for women like the fist beats the fascist!” – Our hearts, by all means, are beating very much for courageous, rough, queer cinema that is unapologetic and anything but random: GAY BY NATURE by Isa Schieche and Helen Weber
€ 2.000 Gutschein / Voucher The Grand Post – Post Production Houses
DIE NOCH UNBEKANNTEN TAGE / DAYS YET UNKNOWN
Jola Wieczorek, AT 2026
Jury Statement:
There are films that collect their memories in archives. This film is building one itself. Between childhood pictures, stories about the arrival of a family in a foreign country, and a desire to belong, something rare evolves: a look back that is at the same time also a look ahead. Because memory is confronted with oblivion. The own mother’s beginning dementia makes this not a tragedy, but an emotional, richly illustrated road movie, whose mission it is to reconstruct the own biography, so that future generations will have a view of their Family Ties, to draw on the motto of this year’s festival edition. We, for our part, can feel very fortunate that Jola Wieczorek has also shared this history with us, which is why we are awarding the Local Artist Award / Material Prize to her wonderful film DAYS YET UNKNOWN.
Special Mention:
HERZBLUTWIESE STADTWERKSTATT
Claudia Dworschak, Tanja Brandmayr, AT 2026
Jury Statement:
The jury would first like to give a Special Mention to a film acting as an important monument to a local institution and, even more, as long overdue food for thought on art, city history, and feminism.
CROSSING EUROPE Innovation Award – Local Artist
initiated by ANIMA PLUS – Verein zur Förderung der Animationskunst
€ 2000,- powered by Land Oberösterreich Kultur and Linz Kultur
FROM SOMETHING TO NOTHING
Michael Heindl, AT 2026
Jury Statement:
On the through street of progress, nature usually gets the short end of the stick, also in this part of the world. Economic interests are literally knocking down the tree population’s protective role. How one can approach this big issue in the short form of a seven-minute film, in a way that is aesthetically ambitious and appealing, is shown by our winning film in the Local Artists Innovation Award category. Over 3000 single frames of tree barks form the starting point of this audiovisual work of art where beauty and menace are pushed together – until, at the end, the banality of concrete is revealed. The Innovation Award Local Artist goes to FROM SOMETHING TO NOTHING by Michael Heindl.
MIOB NEW VISION AWARD
Jury: Davide Abbatescianni (IT), Ivan Bakrač (ME), Katharina Stumm (DE)
MIOB New Vision Award 2026
€ 3.000,- powered by MIOB | Moving Images – Open Borders
VETRE, PRIČAJ SA MNOM / WIND, TALK TO ME
Stefan Djordjevic, SR/SI/HR 2025
Jury Statement:
For its deeply personal yet universally resonant exploration of grief, the MIOB New Vision Award goes to VETRE, PRIČAJ SA MNOM / WIND, TALK TO ME, which transforms loss into a quietly inventive cinematic language. Blending documentary and fiction with remarkable fluidity, Stefan Đorđević's film captures the fragmented textures of memory with warmth, humour and emotional honesty. Through its intimate family portrait, it finds moments of light within mourning, revealing the enduring bonds that shape us. A tender and imaginative debut that speaks softly, yet lingers long after it ends.
The film will be shown on 3 May at 19:00 at Moviemento (Movie 2).
The elaborate press release, logo, festival motif and press photos are available as usual on our website.
Comprehensive press release HERE: