Best ‘Made in Cork’ Short Film
Presented by Jury Hoda Taheri, Tamara Palacios, Aidan Stanley
Winner: Social by Sam O’ Neill
Jury Statement:
‘Add a powerful script to superb ensemble acting and you have a winner’
Special Mention: The Peculiar Saga of Gubu Man
By Renata Glima and Silvio Severino
Jury Statement: ‘A wonderful blend of collage with the fabric of a documentary’
The Blacknight Award for Best Irish Short
Presented by Michele Neylon, Blacknight Solutions
Jury: Joachim Pinhero, Amrei Keul, Boris Hadzjia
Winner: Póg mo Pigeon by Clíodhna Lyons
Jury Statement: ‘The winning film takes us to the Irish countryside in the 1970s. What begins as a childishly playful day in the forest soon becomes a profound experience about friendship, morals, and freedom. For its lovingly detailed animation, absence of dialogue, and breathtakingly harsh ending that opens a universal discourse about who we are and what we might become’
Best International Short
Jury: Paul Bruce, Laima Grazdanovica
Winner: Flow of Being by Helen Unt
Jury Statement: ‘The film invites the viewer into a world that is alive and filled with the tangible textures of life. The director masterfully uses movement as a narrative tool, combined with great sound design and creative animation that lets us experience a world full of heart, love, and the joy of being alive.’
Special Mention: The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing by Theo Panagopoulos
Jury Statement: ‘The dialogue between past and present, explored through the unique lens of found archive, reminds us of the importance of representation for human dignity and equality. The seeds of freedom will blossom one day’
Best Emerging Irish Female Director
Jury: Tara Karajica, Mary Crilly
Winner: After the Bomb by Heather Brumbly
Jury Statement: ‘A moving and courageous exploration of survival, solidarity, and the long road to healing after trauma. The film captures not only the personal toll of political conflict, but also the strength that emerges from shared experience. Through empathy, advocacy, and mutual care, the survivors have created a space where healing — both individual and collective — becomes possible. With emotional depth and sensitivity, After the Bomb honors the past while shining a light on a future shaped by dignity, recognition, and hope’.
Special Mention: The Art of Resistance: The Art of Sumud by Bonnie Boyle
Jury Statement: ‘For its artistic strength, political urgency, and unwavering humanity, this poetic and politically resonant work captures the essence of resistance — not through confrontation, but through culture, creativity, and the enduring spirit of sumud’.
The Louis Marcus Award for Best Documentary
Jury: Grace Carley, Rich Warren
Winner: A Dairy Story by Ian Findlay
Jury Statement: ‘As well as being beautifully shot, it displays strong narrative storytelling, a compelling ecological and compassionate message and a heartwarming- and ultimately heartbreaking – human journey’
Special Mention: Dad’s Lullaby by Lesia Diak
Jury Statement: ‘Offering first hand exposure to the contemporary impacts of war – equal parts brutal and touching’
The Gunther Berkus IndieCork Music Award
Winner: Harry Moore
Jury Statement: ‘This year’s award goes to an artist who encapsulates the vibrant, creative, and thriving spirit of sound art in Cork city and beyond. A singular and generous collaborator, Harry Moore’s career is marked by adventure, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to creativity and community.’
The Spirit of IndieCork Award
Winner: Ronan O’Leary
The ‘Spirit Of IndieCork’ award is presented each year to a filmmaker who epitomises the spirit of independent filmmaking. The recipient of this year’s award is one of Ireland’s leading independent filmmakers, Ronan O’Leary. Ronan’s work is fiercely independent. With a filmmaking career lasting almost forty years, he continues to deliver imaginative and professional work. He’s an admirable standard-bearer for independent filmmaking in Ireland. Over his long career Ronan has produced a rich portfolio of independent films – features and documentaries – all of a very high standard, in both content and production values. We are proud to present the final Spirit Of IndieCork award to Ronan O’Leary.
Award of the Festival
Winner: John Smith – Being John Smith
Jury Statement:
The Award of the Festival goes to a filmmaker who stands at the forefront of experimental cinema for many decades. To create a film of such depth and power as Being John Smith is an outstanding achievement — a memoir, a reflection, and a call to conscience that reminds us what it means to be human in this unpredictable world.
