Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2025 Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival!
The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.
The judges' scores have been combined with the audience's choices, and after careful scrutiny, it's our pleasure to announce the Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival winners!
Winners: Amsterdam Network Round Shorts
Scenario
Director/Writer/Producers: Kazunori Miura
Producers: Riku Machida, Akihiro Mitsuishi
Country of Origin: Japan
Genre: Shorts
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Narrative, Best Director, Best Actor (Ayaka Onishi)
Synopsis: In a near future where every decision is guided by artificial intelligence, a devoted couple must confront the terrifying consequences of surrendering their humanity to a machine that dictates even the fate of their unborn child.
ZAG, Tall Trees Have Deep Roots
Director/Writer: Clara Maria Wetzel
Producers: Riham Ezzaldeen, Mariela Muchico
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Documentary, Short
Synopsis: The Araucária tree and the Xokleng people are one. To ensure their survival, a small family takes on the mission of saving their sacred tree.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Documentary
Prism
Director/Writer/Producer: Conrad de Menil
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Short Narrative
Synopsis: In the near future, a Man confronts the death of his family and learns to piece his life back together again in this short film inspired by Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom by Ted Chiang
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Art Direction
This Is The Beginning
Director/Writer: Atticus Athill
Producer: PK Fellowes
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Short, Drama
Synopsis:In the dark clumsiness of grief, a father and daughter attempt to find their way back together.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Acting Ensemble
IRADOH - 3 Acts of Brotherhood
Directors: Kaique Alves, Thiago Eva
Producers: Eduardo Saraiva, Juliana Furtuoso,Priscila Pina,Mônica Cason
Country of Origin: Brazil
Genre: Music Video
Synopsis: Inspired by real events and the alarming number of women who go missing in Brazil each year, this musical short film tells the story of a mother who vanishes without a trace—leaving behind three young sons.
As they grow, each son takes a radically different path: one becomes a musician, one becomes a lawyer, and the other falls into crime. The film explores how trauma, environment, and individual choices shape human destiny—underscoring how the absence of a mother can echo through generations.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Post-Production, Best Cinematography
Trust the Legehness
Director: Anna Verloren van Themaat
Producer: Stepahnie Burger
Country of Origin: South Africa
Genre: Music Video
Synopsis: ‘Legehness’ is a playful twist on the word ‘Lekker,’ blending Afrikaans and English—a phenomenon that Peach, the vocalist from Van Pletzen, refers to as ‘Mengels.’
The word Lekker is used as an adjective or adverb to positively describe almost any Afrikaans experience. But ‘Trust the Legehness’ is more than just a phrase—it’s a philosophy, a mantra, a way of life. It’s about trusting in all that is good.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Music Video
Winners: Amsterdam Network Round Features
Mexico Day Zero
Director/Writer: Pablo Siciliano
Producer: Tyler Gildred,Gisela Magadan
Country of Origin: Argentina, Mexico, United States
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: Are you aware that Mexico is the world's number one consumer of bottled water?
This film brings awareness to the water crisis in Mexico and the ways to solve it, interweaving visual poetry and the reasons for the problem.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Documentary
The Well
Director: Tereza Kopacova
Writers: Miro Sifra, Kristina Majova
Producers: Michal Prokes, Michal Reitler, Martin Ruzicka, Jindrich Motyl
Country of Origin: Czech Republic
Genre: Feature Documentary
Synopsis: Generations of Czechoslovaks know this case. But this isn’t just history. It could happen anywhere. To anyone. Maybe even to someone you know. In 1968, an ordinary family in the quiet village of Vonoklasy became part of a tragedy that still raises unsettling questions. Could it have been prevented? Was it fate, genetics, or something much harder to define? How do mental health, inherited trauma, and silent struggles shape the choices people make? The Jelínek family’s story spans five decades. In 1932, at a village dance, a soldier named Standa wins over the young and beautiful Marie. He is charming, funny, and devoted to making her happy
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Narrative
16th Annual Lift-Off Season Awards
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination. At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.