SEASON 2024-2025
AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
BAKUNAWA FEST XI AWARD WINNERS
GRAND BAKUNAWA FOR BEST SHORT FILM
MU, Javier Méndez Cañada I Spain
2025 I 14 min I Live-Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In MU, the image of the father is a monstrous metaphor finding in the cow a gross and highly physical counterpart so that when the animal is butchered, one feels the old myth has once more been fulfilled - the patriarch annihilated to release the life of another generation. It is an old tale told and retold, proof that archetypes live on in arts. For this, the Grand Bakunawa for Best Short Film is awarded to MU by Javier Méndez Cañada of Spain, a film that is cautionary in the old biblical sense of the word and yet never losing its gritty and graphic appeal.
GRAND JURY PRIZE
LA IDENTITAT DEL VENT (Uncertainty Principle) Andre Brugnara Petry I Spain
2025 I 15 min I Live-Action, Sci-Fi, Drama
The question of existence is not being asked anymore; it is the post-apocalypse and we humans know that we exist only insofar as we know each other to exist. Living with a quantum condition, two beings - lovers perhaps or friends - will need to look for each other in a world where the only certainty is being assured the other is always, will always be there. In this cinema, the filmmaker makes us realize there are other ways of sensing, other modes of being, multiple parallel universes. For this, the Grand Jury Prize is hereby given to LA IDENTITAT DEL VENT (Uncertainty Principle).
BEST ANIMATED FILM (tie)
SHE AND HER GOOD VIBRATIONS
Olivia Griselda, Sarah Cheok I Singapore
2023 I 11 min I Animation, Comedy
SHE AND HER GOOD VIBRATIONS demonstrate how humor allows the modern woman to cope with her sexuality. Through what seems like a vibrator with a life of its own, we see how we are both embarrassed and relieved that the instrument for gratification can be liberating, exhausting, and amusing.
For accomplishments in the technology and arts of animation, She and Her Good Vibrations has been judged as one of the two BEST ANIMATED FILMS for Bakunawa Fest XI.
BEST HORROR FILM
IMAGO
Rafa Dengrá Oliver I Spain
2024 I 11 min I Live-Acton, Horror
Two sisters are into telling each other stories. For the last time, the other sister assures the other, to play along and listen to her story. The storytelling brings the two sisters into a tale of fear that, in the end, causes us to doubt what is happening and what has not.
IMAGO shows that terror happens best in our mind and for this it is our BEST HORROR FILM.
CITATION FOR PERFORMANCE
GEORGIA EYERS, AN ARTIST'S CURSE
Steven J Mihaljevich I Australia
2024 I 11 min I Live-Acton, Horror
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In AN ARTIST’S CURSE, the actors are not only human presence; they allow us to respond to the experiences surrounding them even as we continuously wonder how in the end they will endure or survive the story. For An Artist’s Curse, the core of the narrative lies in the face of that person.
In recognition of GEORGIA EYERS’ performance, the Board of Jury cites her ability to embody both fragility and strength with quiet intensity. Through nuanced gestures and expressive restraint, Eyers transforms the film’s haunting narrative into a deeply human experience.
BEST ANIMATED FILM (TIE)
EHA VARI (THE SHADOW OF DAWN)
Olga Stalev I Estonia
2024 I 15 min I Animation, Folk Fantasy
In The SHADOW OF DAWN, an old fairy tale is narrated in the woods where a woman and her shadow takes on a human agency. The usual tests for the heroine take place, with the woman being pursued by a man and the latter being rejected . Soon, the dark secrets of the forests are revealed in this stop-motion animation full of color and splendor. For accomplishments in the technology and arts of animation, The Shadow of Dawn has been judged as one of the two BEST ANIMATED FILMS for Bakunawa Fest XI.
CITATION FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY
CANTO
Guilherme Daniel I Portugal
2024 I 15 min I Live-Acton, Horror
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When one is viewing CANTO. one is awed by the sense of color that is pervasive in the film. There is also a remarkable tradition of lighting that is present in the palette of this cinema, proof that films are basically a visual enterprise.
The cinematography by Guilherme Daniel captures the search for the supernatural, weaving atmosphere and personal tension through each frame. For this, the film CANTO is given a Citation for Cinematography.
CITATION FOR UNIQUE VISION OF THE FUTURE
PARKING AREA
Masuyama Toro I Japan
2022 I 9 min I Animation, Sci-Fi
The Bakunawa Fest XI’s Board of Jury recognizes PARKING AREA for its depiction of the city and the so-called evolving impact of urbanization on human interaction and its unconventional portrayal of urban life. Through its minimalist visual language of lines, grids, and empty spaces, this intriguing Japanese animation reimagines the geography of the modern city - one almost devoid of human presence yet resonant with meaning. For this, it is cited as unique in depicting animation of the future.
