The awards ceremony of the Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival took place on Wednesday afternoon. At the festival’s first Oscar-qualifying edition, two Hungarian films moved a step closer to Oscar nomination: Deadweight (Dögsúly) by Bese Komáromy was named Best Hungarian Live-Action Short Film, and Glasshouse (Üvegház) by Katalin Sárdi won Best Hungarian Animated Film. Zsófia Tóth received the Best Actress award for her role in The World Should Perish (Világvége) directed by Péter Hajmási, while the Best Actor award went to Benjámin Lengyel, who starred in Big Feelings (Két felnőtt), directed by Fanni Szántó. The Magyar Telekom Award for the Most Promising Director Under 30, along with a 300,000 HUF cash prize, was given to Kristóf Zsolt Tóth for his film Across (Túlpart) and Denisa.
At the ceremony of this first Oscar-qualifying edition of Friss Hús Budapest, awards were presented in categories including Best Hungarian and International Film, Best Animation, and Best Acting, as well as for Best Hungarian Script Development and Project Pitch. Audience awards and special jury prizes were also announced. The full list of winners is available here.
“We received more attention than ever before, showcased more films than ever before, and welcomed more of you than ever before – which is both a great responsibility and a joy for us. Friss Hús aspires to be a creative platform for short films and culture: we want to reflect on the world around us, the challenges and conflicts, but without sinking to the level of the public discourse around them. We wanted to offer you seven days where we could rise above it all, be present, and have exciting conversations about the future,” said founder and festival director Dániel Deák at the awards ceremony.
HUNGARIAN COMPETITION AWARDS
The official jury for the Hungarian competition program – animation filmmaker Flóra Anna Buda, Laurent Crouzeix (co-director of the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival & Market), and Anne Gaschütz (director of Filmfest Dresden and selector for Locarno’s Pardi di domani) – selected the following winners. The acting awards were presented by this year’s Fresh Stars (Friss Csillagok), Orsolya Bukovszky and Emília Pigler.
The Best Actress award went to Zsófia Tóth (The World Should Perish, dir. Péter Hajmási) “for her strong performance in the role of a daughter visiting her mother, amidst tenderness, tensions and turmoil over the course of one night.”
The Best Actor award went to Benjámin Lengyel (Big Feelings, dir. Fanni Szántó) “for a performance that showed us vulnerability and depth, for being so casually out there.”
The Magyar Telekom Award for the Most Promising Director Under 30 (with 300,000 HUF cash prize) went to Kristóf Zsolt Tóth for Across and Denisa, “for demonstrating a capacity to work effectively across different genres, including the subtle art of comedy.”
Special Mentions were awarded to: The Last Drop (Az utolsó dobás) by Anna Tőkés, “for its immersive soundscape, compelling glimpse into the competitive world of gymnastics, and creative storytelling”; and Dog Ear (Kutyafül) by Péter Vácz, which the jury praised as “a mature direction and a genuine approach in the writing. We couldn’t just passed by it without giving it a special mention.”
The Best Hungarian Animated Film award, including a 300,000 HUF cash prize, went to Glasshouse (Üvegház by Katalin Sárdi. According to the jury: “This film stood out for its bold approach to narrative and universe-building. It’s gripping, surprising, and bizarre – a trippy narrative told in a mesmerizing animation style.”
The Best Hungarian Live-Action Short Film award, also with a 300,000 HUF prize, was given to Deadweight (Dögsúly) by Bese Komáromy, “for its distinctive take on a woman’s journey to free herself from the monster lurking in the dark, this film blends nuanced horror elements with flashes of dark humour to striking effect. A confident and compelling work, it showcases a young director with a clear artistic vision and strong command of tone, atmosphere, and storytelling.”
The Student Jury Prize (jury: Mihály Dudás, Lili Dzvonyár, Tibor Ócsai) was awarded to Péter Vácz’s Dog Ear (Kutyafül). The jury said: “We chose this film for its unique, charmingly childlike animation style and for its meaningful message that resonates across age groups. It even moved us to tears with its subtlety, and it stood strong among the live-action films.”
The Hungarian Feature Film Directors’ Association Prize was awarded by directors Sándor Csoma, Ibolya Fekete, and Ágnes Kocsis. Special Mention went to April Twenty-Seven (Április huszonhét) by Rebeka Hatházi, “for its fresh humor, unusual dramaturgy, light lyricism, and original, life-affirming perspective.”
The Hungarian Feature Film Directors’ Association Prize for The Best Short Film was awarded to a film “that transforms a seemingly simple situation with strong directorial choices. A mother-daughter story told with witty, lifelike dialogue, original visuals, and exceptionally authentic acting, balancing dramatic tension with humor.” The Berger Studios Post-Production Award (worth 1 million HUF) went to The World Should Perish (Világvége) by Péter Hajmási.
FRESH MEET WORK IN PROGRESS AWARD
Alongside its Oscar-qualifying status, Friss Hús Budapest ISFF also elevated its industry programming with the launch of its own film market and industry event, Fresh Meet Market. The Fresh Meet Work in Progress Award honors a promising short film still in production or post-production, aiming to spotlight developing projects and support their growth.
The jury – editor Lili Makk and colorist Máté Ternyik – selected Valami vad (dirs. Zsuzsanna Konrád and Eszter Knopp). They explained: “Valami vad explores folk beliefs, superstitions, and the archaic imagination that shapes our emotions and thoughts – all within the tight space of a Budapest bathroom. The film creatively reimagines Kafka’s Metamorphosis with a distinctly Central Eastern European humor. It sensitively and satirically depicts the intergenerational tensions around social mobility through the eyes of a gifted student. The project has attracted strong interest from sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers attending Fresh Meet Market, who see great potential in it.”
AWARDS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
The jury of the international competition – Jing Haase (curator and short film expert, former festival director of Nordisk Panorama and the Swedish Film Institute), Sadhbh Murphy (Director of Sales and Acquisitions at Network Ireland Television – NITV), Balázs Turai (animation film director), and Zsuzsanna Vincze (lawyer, film director, producer, Director of the National Film Institute at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, and member of the university senate) – awarded the section’s two special prizes to Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz, and O by Rúnar Rúnarsson. The €1,000 prize for Best International Short Film went to WASSUPKAYLEE, directed by Pepi Ginsberg.
The audience award winners in the various sections are:
- MIDNIGHT section: Be Right Back (dir: Lucas Paulino and Gabe Ibáñez, Spain)
- WEIRDCORE section: Las Memorias Perdidas De Los Árboles (dir: Antonio La Camera, Italy)
- QUEER DREAMS: Hi Mom, It's Me, Lou Lou (dir: Atakan Yilmaz, Turkey)
- International Documentaries: Two films received an equal number of votes – Until He is Back (dir: Jacqueline Baylon, USA), and Inside, The Valley Sings (dir: Nathan Fagan, Ireland)
- Best International Short Film: Allégresse (dir: Gillie Cinneri)
FURTHER PRIZES
Pitch Forum:
- Lovas Nándor Award for the Best Film Idea – Drop by Levente Váry and Tamás Erményi
- Special Mention from the jury of the Hungarian Association of Film Directors – Egy szerencsesütiben olvastam by Lehel Siklódi and Donát Pozsgai
- Friss Pitch Animation Special Prize – Boszorkányszombat by Réka Anna Szakály
- Baltic Pitching Forum Prize for the Most Promising Project – Nap Retrográdban by Adél Szegedi
- Special Prize of the Hungarian Association of Film Directors – Praxis by Katica Kozma
Fresh Meet Work in Progress Prize:
- Valami vad by Zsuzsanna Konrád and Eszter Knopp
Balázs Béla Screenwriting Competition Awards:
- Most Promising Project – Mennyország by Kolos Xavér Horváth
- Special Mention – Szentek by Ágnes Hajdu
