The 23rd ZFF Closes: “Wind, Talk to Me” Wins the Golden Pram for Best Feature Film

Following the awards ceremony and the official closing of the festival, audiences will still have the chance to enjoy the winning films and select program titles on Sunday

With the awards ceremony and the screening of Jim Jarmusch’s new film Father Mother Sister Brother on Saturday, 15 November, the 23rd Zagreb Film Festival was officially closed in a packed CineStar theatre. Alongside festival representatives, director Boris T. Matić, executive director Lana Matić, and artistic director Selma Mehadžić, the closing ceremony was honoured by the presence of film editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Syrian producer Emir Külal Haznevi, Brazilian screenwriter Tibério Azul, French director Léo Favier, and many other well-known figures from the cultural and public sphere.

The best feature film was decided by Sarajevo director, screenwriter, and editor Una Gunjak, German film critic and producer Meinolf Zurhorst, and Italian film curator and producer Nicola Marzano. The jury unanimously awarded the Golden Pram for Best Feature Film to Wind, Talk to Me by Serbian director and photographer Stefan Đorđević. The award was accepted on Stefan’s behalf by the film’s coproducer Vanja Jambrović.

“For its honest, authentic, and attentive approach that gives us a deeply emotional family drama, that instead of relying on conventional dramatic tools adopts an evocative soundscape and a visual lyricism to create a cinematic poem,” the jury explained.

The Short Film and Checkers jury, composed of last year’s winner of the national short film program Sara Alavanić, director of the Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival Bard Ydén, and award-winning Croatian documentary filmmaker Ivan Ramljak, presented awards in three categories.

The Golden Pram for Best Croatian film in the Checkers program was awarded to the short film Shallow Ground by Jozo Schmuch, “a touching portrait of remnants of life after the war, as seen through a dying woman’s reconciliation with her long-lost son, who went missing 30 years ago”.

The Golden Pram for Best Short Film was awarded to Family Sunday by Mexican director Gerardo Del Razo, who used “a simple circular structure from a bystander’s point of view to amplify the sometimes horrific nature of Mexican life.”

The Candidate for Best European Short Film – Prix Vimeo of the European Film Awards 2026. is God is Shy by French director Jocelyn Charles which is “at its core a very humanistic and honest representation of our common need for knowledge, even if it means destruction of oneself.”

Producers Tina Tišljar, director Bruno Anković, and writer–filmmaker Dora Šustić awarded the Golden Bicycle for the Best Film in the Together Again program to Sentimental Value by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, a work of “exceptionally complex and impressive directing, emotional depth, lavish and imaginative dramaturgical structure, and outstanding ensemble cast.”

Although there were no special mentions among the awards of the 23^rd ZFF, the Together Again jury praised the film The Voice of Hind Rajab by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, “primarily because it reminds us of the brutality of the times we live in”.

The five-member youth jury consisting of Maša Batinović, David Jurić, Kali Martinović, Greta Mikec, and Erika Uda, awarded the PLUS Award for Best Film to Wild Foxes by Valéry Carnoy. “We loved the innovative exploration of the theme of vulnerability, the depth of the characters, and the emotional value of the film”, the jury members explained, adding that they would also like to highlight My Father’s Shadow by British-Nigerian director Akinola Davies Jr. for its outstanding cinematic achievement.

Vigo Krakar, Tea Kranjčec and Tin Sušec awarded the KinoKino Award for Best Film as decided by the Children’s Jury to the animated film Savages by Claude Barras, which “talks about the importance of preserving nature and shows we can be drivers of change”.

During the closing ceremony, festival director Boris T. Matić and artistic director Selma Mehadžić shared the excellent results of this year’s festival with the audience. “Once again, we enjoyed great attendance and a high number of sold-out screenings,” they highlighted, expressing their gratitude to everyone who makes the festival more magical and better year after year.

The organizers also took the opportunity at the end to thank the City Office for Culture and Civil Society, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Creative Europe – MEDIA Sub-programme, the Kultura Nova Foundation, the Zagreb Tourist Board, as well as numerous sponsors, embassies, cultural institutes, and media partners. Special thanks were extended to the dedicated festival team and the loyal audience, without whom the Zagreb Film Festival would not exist.

The festival in Zagreb continues Sunday, November 16, with screenings at CineStar Branimir, MSU, and KIC, and some of this year’s titles will also continue to be shown in local cinemas of the Cinema Network as part of the ZFF Travels program.