Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2025 Berlin 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 Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival winners!
Winners: Berlin Network Round Shorts
Gigóia – Navigating a Legacy
Director/Writer/Producer: Pedro Patricio
Producer: Fábio Scalon
Country of Origin: Brazil
Genre: Documentary, Short
Synopsis: Located in Rio de Janeiro, Ilha da Gigóia holds a legacy built by the boatmen of the Carioca Venice. Once settled by fishermen seeking access to abundant marine life, the island became home to a tradition that continues to this day: the crossing to the mainland.
The boatmen, the protagonists of this story, share their journeys, challenges, and dreams passed down through generations—from the first wooden canoes to modern chalanas and motorboats. However, rapid urbanization and poor sanitation threaten the local biodiversity, endangering the survival of this cultural heritage.
With resilience, the boatmen keep this tradition alive, fostering social, cultural, and tourism initiatives in the region. Yet the question remains: how long can this legacy endure?
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Documentary, Best Cinematography
Gaining senses
Director/Writer: Adrien Machado
Producer: Olivier Capelli
Country of Origin: France
Synopsis: Vincent returns from external operations after a killing and reintegrates civilian life in his native region of the Pyrenees.
Behind his insomnia is a disorder linked to Agathe, whom he dreads finding.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Narrative, Best Actor (Arcadi Radeff)
Waiting For Kalki
Director/Writer: Nimay Goswami
Producer: Siddharth Joshi
Country of Origin: India
Genre: Drama, Art-house
Synopsis: Waiting for Kalki is a story about a day in the life of Vishnu, a daily wage leather tannery worker, stuck in the monotonous loop of poverty. He is waiting to welcome a mysterious guest to his home, who is believed to have the ability to transform human lives.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Art Direction
FIZR
Director/Writer: Rani Nasr
Producer: Rouba Noureddine
Country of Origin: Lebanon
Genre: Short
Synopsis: Issam takes refuge in an abandoned cabin after a violent confrontation with the mayor, who had shot his cat. His friend Raafat finds him there and offers to help him until tensions pass. Issam’s relentless anger at the mayor’s tyranny clashes with Raafat’s cautious pragmatism. The story reflects the tension between two opposing forces in society—the loud but righteous versus the silent but complicit.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Acting Ensemble
Thirteen
Director/Producer: Viktoria Windhab
Writer/Producer: Tom Bezhanishvili
Country of Origin: Austria
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Psychological thriller
Synopsis: Thomas, a successful tax associate, receives an unexpected phone call while driving home, which triggers a series of events that could threaten his carefully cultivated life.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Director
MOLA - MOLA ODDITY
Director/Writer: laurent nathan grey
Producer: Stink films CHINA
Country of Origin: France
Genre: Music Video
Synopsis: Mola Mola pinky Mola. Could you take me home. Anywhere out of the winter’s tale
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Music Video
CHAIN
Director/Producer: LING HAN
Producer: TZU-YING HO
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Proverb, CGI Animation
Synopsis: "Chain" is visually stunning and emotionally rich, expressing nature's survival instincts and prompting viewers to ponder life's deeper questions. We sincerely recommend this film to fans of animation and proverbs.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Animation, Best Post-Production
Winners: Berlin Network Round Features
The Deserter
Director/Producer: Christoph Baumann
Writer: Christiane Heckes
Producer: Julia Jückstock
Country of Origin: Germany
Genre: Feature Documentary Film
Synopsis: Tyrol, 1945, the last days of second world war. At a remote mountain hut, the severely injured, deserted SS soldier Anton and the Jewish woman Hannah meet. Initial mistrust turns into feelings between the two. But the danger is ever present. For both of them, the war is far from over. The Deserter is a story about war and guilt, but also about compassion and humanity.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Narrative
BIRDLIFE
Director/Writer: Heimir Freyr Hlodverssin
Producer: Hether Millard
Country of Origin: Iceland
Genre: Feature
Synopsis:Jóhann Óli has been bird watching with all his heart and soul from a young age. He has always had an unwavering interest in photography and is actually the first professional bird photographer in Iceland. The passion for birds and photography became the trigger for the most popular bird book of all time in Iceland “ The Icelandic bird guide”. Jóhann´s interests extend beyond the world of birds; he is fascinated by all the masterpieces of nature. For half a century he has been an active nature activist. He was the chairman of bird conservation for 25 years and fought, among other things, for the restoration of various wetlands in Iceland. Jóhann Óli has been photographing birds for about half a century and is still at it. In the documentary we meet a unique man who has dedicated his life to birds and nature conservation. “Being in nature in the presence of birds is extremely rewarding but photographing them also makes the experience deeper and more lasting”.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Documentary
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.