Homepage April 2025

This year’s German Film Critics’ Honorary Award goes to Klaus Eder, retiring General Secretary of FIPRESCI, for lifetime achievement in the service of international film criticism. He headed FIPRESCI for 38 years, from 1987 to 2024, during which time he shaped it into what it is today: an umbrella federation of international film critics associations with 50 national sections worldwide and 36 additional countries represented individually. The German Film Critics Association also understands the honorary award for Klaus Eder as a tribute to FIPRESCI, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“A completely new concept of “Slow pitch” presentation of future projects, inclusion of radio documentaries, expanding to digital platforms, and online voting”: discover the interview with the Artistic Director of ZagrebDox Nenad Puhovski.

At Visions du Réel, film critics jury distinguished To the West, in Zapata by David Bim: “In a constantly changing and insecure world, we would like to highlight a timeless and an exceptionally beautiful depiction of everyday life struggle set in a brutal, almost mythical, environment. The quality of this film lies, among other things, in the extraordinary black and white imagery complemented by the intense surrounding sounds. Although the observation is framed in a rough way, it values tenderness and love at a very fundamental level”. The reports can be found here.

In Istanbul, The FIPRESCI jury awards Lesson Learned “for its elegant structure and powerful voice. Set in a school, the film tackles urgent social and political issues in contemporary Hungary. With emotional precision, humor, and outstanding work with child actors, director Bálint Szimler moves beyond conventional social critique, mocking cowardice, narrow-mindedness, and aggression to offer a bold and humanist reflection on sacrifice and the pursuit of freedom”.

At Hong Kong International Film Festival, film critics awarded The Botanist by Jing Yi. “This film is a beautifully cinematic introduction to Kazakh culture, caught between tradition and modernity, told with subtle awareness through the eyes and voice of a young boy. It’s a visually astonishing coming-of-age narrative, with great attention to minute details and carefully arranged composition in both still and moving shots.” Reports will follow here.