On Wednesday afternoon, the awards for the Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival were presented at the Puskin Cinema. At the event, which was characterized by the festival's typical large-scale yet intimate atmosphere, filmmakers, jury members, and audiences celebrated the most exciting new works from the Hungarian and international short film scene together. This year's grand prize winners include the story of a teenage girl living in a panel block who occasionally turns into a bear, and an animated world built on myths. As Friss Hús is an Oscar-qualifying festival, these two films have moved one step closer to competing for the Academy Award.
"We are used to short films taking center stage in Budapest during Friss Hús. This year, we faced a relatively strong competitor with the Champions League final, but even they couldn't defeat Friss Hús and the short films. The festival has never received this much attention; a record number of articles have been published about us, and the audience numbers have also broken all records—and there are still more screenings to come," said founding festival director Dániel Deák at the award ceremony.
The Friss Pitch Grand Prize Goes to Toldi lányok (Toldi Girls)
At the XII Friss Pitch forum, the most promising short film projects competed against each other. The grand prize of the pitch forum, the Nándor Lovas Award, was won by Flóra Chilton's animated documentary project, Toldi lányok (Toldi Girls). According to the jury, the project processes the lives of women and girls living in deep poverty in an extremely sensitive and artistically sophisticated way, while the animated form, drawing from the world of children's drawings, becomes an organic part of the storytelling. The jury's evaluation highlighted the strength of the creative and production team behind the film, as well as the professional collaboration established with the Real Pearl (Igazgyöngy) Foundation.
The Special Mention from the Friss Pitch jury went to Mila Taraczky’s film project Kortalanság (Agelessness). The jury highlighted the story of a unique, hard-to-define relationship that is unusual, uncomfortable, yet deeply human at the same time.
The Special Mention from the Association of Hungarian Feature Film Directors jury was awarded to Eszter Kisházy and András Soós for their project Oázis Center.
The Association of Hungarian Feature Film Directors Award, offered by KRAFT Rental, went to Fanni Szántó's project Veled a nyár (Summer with You). The jury praised the emotional power, personal nature, and authentic character portrayal of the script, emphasizing that they would love to see the finished film in next year's Friss Hús program.
Bear in a Panel Block
The Award for Best Hungarian Live-Action Short Film and the accompanying 300,000 HUF cash prize went to Zsuzsanna Konrád's work Valami vad (Something Wild). The film's protagonist, Zsófi, who is preparing for her entrance exams, occasionally turns into a bear. When she does, the huge, sluggish animal turns her family's life upside down: rumbling through the apartment, terrifying her parents and younger brother, while the neighbors also grow increasingly suspicious of the strange noises. According to the international jury, the film realizes its unique vision with a sharp concept and mature cinematic storytelling in every element.
Totem Animals and Ancient Initiation Rites
The Award for Best Hungarian Animated Film and the 300,000 HUF cash prize went to Zsuzsanna Kreif's film ADGWA-ATA. This unique animation leads into a mystical world: three young girls are abducted by an Amazon tribe, and through an initiation ritual, they enter a parallel dimension where they must face their totem animals made of huge, vibrating, colorful snakes. According to the jury's evaluation, the piece creates a completely new universe with its original vision, distinctive visual world, and unique female perspective.
Friss Hús is the only Oscar-qualifying festival in Hungary: this means that the two winning Hungarian films are automatically placed on the longlist from which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selects the Oscar-nominated films.
Professional Awards with Valuable Offerings
For the first time this year, the Association of Hungarian Film and Video Editors presented the Mihály Morell Award for Best Short Film Editing. The recognition was won by Judit Czakó for editing the animated film Citrom és márvány (Lemon and Marble), directed by Kata Lovrity. The winner received a DaVinci Speed Editor hardware device worth 150,000 HUF and the accompanying lifetime DaVinci license.
The Magyar Telekom Award for the Most Promising Director Under 30—along with a cash prize of 300,000 HUF offered by Magyar Telekom—was presented to Júlia Csaplár for her film Északi part (North Shore). The jury highlighted the delicate and nuanced portrayal of family and human relationships.
The Association of Hungarian Feature Film Directors Award for Best Short Film was won by Mihály Fárizs's work Végem (I'm Done).
Additional Hungarian Winners
The Friss Hús Student Jury Award went to Réka Dubinyák’s film Szeplőtelen (Immaculate).
The Award for Best Actor went to Lóci Fazakas and Péter Bethlenfalvy for their performances in the film RIFT, which they also co-directed.
The Award for Best Actress was won by Inez Porath-Korontos for her leading role in Szeplőtelen (Immaculate), directed by Réka Dubinyák.
The official jury's Special Mention went to Paul Kurucz’s Charlie Is Not a Boy for its production design and art direction, while the second Special Mention was awarded to Miklós (28), directed by Róza Kereszty and Máté Szilágyi, in the best comedy category.
International Awards
In the international competition program, animated and live-action short films were awarded separately for the first time this year.
The Award for Best International Animated Short Film and the 1,000 EUR cash prize were won by Natalia Mirzoyan’s work Winter in March.
The Award for Best International Live-Action Short Film, also with a 1000 EUR prize, went to Raphaelle Petit Gille’s film Fanny at the Beach.
The two winners thanked the festival for the awards via video messages, and Raphaelle Petit Gille even addressed the audience in Hungarian.
The two Special Mentions of the international competition program went to Joachim Michaux's Un ciel si bas (A Sky So Low) and Jocelyn Charles's Dieu est timide (God Is Shy).
Audience Awards for the various international sections:
- Midnight: Dark Algae (Algues Nouire) - Nathan Vaillant, France)
- Weirdcore: Fried! - Lizzie Watts, United Kingdom)
- International Documentaries: Grape Season (Fasle Angoor) - Ebrahim Hesari, Iran)
- Genre Fever!: Clown Song - Brady Dowad, Canada–United Kingdom–USA)
The Audience Awards for the international competition program and the Queer Dreams section will be announced by the festival at a later date.
Following the award ceremony, the sold-out Friss Hús screenings continue at the Puskin Cinema. During the summer, the presentation of the award-winning works will continue nationwide and at several domestic festivals. Submissions will open next week for the 2027 Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival.
All Awards:
Hungarian Competition Films:
- Best Hungarian Live-Action Film – Zsuzsanna Konrád: VALAMI VAD (SOMETHING WILD)
- Best Hungarian Animated Film – Zsuzsanna Kreif: ADGWA-ATA
- Best Actress – Inez Porath-Korontos (in Réka Dubinyák's film SZEPLŐTELEN)
- Best Actor – Lóci Fazakas & Péter Bethlenfalvy (RIFT, directed by themselves)
- Magyar Telekom Award for the Most Promising Director Under 30 – Júlia Csaplár: ÉSZAKI PART
- Special Mention – Paul Kurucz: CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY and Róza Kereszty, Máté Szilágyi: MIKLÓS (28)
- Association of Hungarian Feature Film Directors Award – Mihály Fárizs: VÉGEM
- Student Jury Award – Réka Dubinyák: SZEPLŐTELEN
- Association of Hungarian Film and Video Editors' Mihály Morell Award for Best Short Film Editing – Judit Czakó (in the film CITROM ÉS MÁRVÁNY / LEMON AND MARBLE, directed by Kata Lovrity)
International Competition Films:
- Best International Animated Short Film – Lumi Saadab Meid: WINTER IN MARCH
- Best International Live-Action Short Film – Raphaelle Petit Gille: FANNY AT THE BEACH
- Special Mentions – Joachim Michaux: A SKY SO LOW and Jocelyn Charles: GOD IS SHY
Audience Awards:
- Queer Dreams – In progress
- @Midnight – Nathan Vaillant: DARK ALGAE (ALGUES NOIRES)
- Weirdcore – Lizzie Watts: FRIED!
- International Documentary – Ebrahim Hesari: GRAPE SEASON (FASLE ANGOOR)
- Genre Fever! – Brady Dowad: CLOWN SONG
Pitch Forum:
- Nándor Lovas Award for the Best Film Idea of the Pitch Forum – Flóra Chilton: TOLDI LÁNYOK (TOLDI GIRLS)
- Friss Pitch Jury Special Mention – Mila Taraczky: KORTALANSÁG (AGELESSNESS)
- Association of Hungarian Feature Film Directors Award (courtesy of KRAFT Rental) – Fanni Szántó: VELED A NYÁR (SUMMER WITH YOU)
- Special Mention from the Association of Hungarian Feature Film Directors Jury – Eszter Kisházy, András Soós: OÁZIS CENTER