Winners Crowned at 5th Return International Film & Art Festival Gala Ceremony
- Returniaf
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
WEIMAR, October 26, 2025 – The 5th Return International Film & Art Festival concluded on Saturday with a grand gala ceremony at the mon ami cultural center, where the winners of this year’s competition were announced. Held from October 23 to 25 at Kino mon ami, the festival transformed Weimar into a vibrant hub for international cinema under the motto “Civilisation: Did You Read the Terms & Conditions?”
After reviewing over 600 submissions from 80 countries, 26 short films were selected across three categories: Fiction, Animation, and Documentary. From these 26 films, a distinguished jury chose one winner per category. In addition, an Audience Award was determined by festivalgoers during the event.
WINNERS of the 5th
RETURN International Film & Art Festival 2025:
Best Animation: Boudoir Doll by Dandan Luo (China)
Best Documentary: Forty Days Road by Ali Ziani (Germany/Morocco)
Best Fiction Film: Ben’s Birthday by Robert Decani (Germany)
Audience Award: Som Doma by Luca-Els Mauritz and Lukas Mutschler (Germany)
The winners were selected by a jury composed of veteran German actor Christian Kahrmann; internationally acclaimed actor Rainer Bock, known from Better Call Saul and Inglourious Basterds; and documentary filmmaker Yvonne Andrä, co-founder of the film collective 1meter60.
In addition to the film screenings, the festival featured a themed art exhibition showcasing seven renowned artists. The film program was complemented by a diverse series of workshops covering topics such as animation, film production, film analysis, and political poster design. A particularly noteworthy workshop, titled “Shaping the Future of Media Speculatively,” invited participants to explore visions, utopias, and the evolving role of media in a changing world.
The event culminated in a gala celebrating the unifying power of art and film. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us and look forward to the next edition of the festival!
Special thanks go to our main sponsors and partners — the Thuringian State Chancellery, the City of Weimar, the Partnership for Democracy (PfD), and the Sparkasse Mittelthüringen — as well as our professional partners Nivre Film Studio, Bigchild Animation, the Bauhaus University Weimar, and Autohaus Kornmaul. Their generous support made the festival’s high quality possible. We sincerely thank everyone who contributed and eagerly await the next edition of the festival!#
