Hong Kong Arthouse Festival Spotlights Rising Talent in 2025 Awards

This week marked the 11th year of the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival. The official selection featured 30 wonderful independent films, carefully selected out of the numerous submissions from all over the world. The festival’s Streaming Selection, remains available until 17 July, more info on the website: https://www.hongkongfilmfestival.com.

Kris De Meester, the curator of the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival, expressed great satisfaction with this year's event turnout:

“Looking back on this year’s HKAFF, I’m filled with gratitude and pride. Curating a bold, thought-provoking selection of both local and international film gems—and seeing them light up a packed theatre—is nothing short of a dream. We’re incredibly fortunate to receive such a wealth of daring, original submissions year after year. And honestly, I can’t wait to dive into the next edition.”

We are pleased to share with you today the 2025 Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival award winners, chosen by the jury panel:

Best Narrative Feature Film

Marry, Fuck, Kill (United States) by Ian Berry

Best Documentary Feature Film

Rojek (Canada) by Zaynê Akyol

Best Narrative Short Film

A Mother Goes To The Beach (Portugal) by Pedro Hasrouny

Best Documentary Short Film

The Other Side of Despair (Switzerland) by Varsy Buchmann

Best Animated Film

The Core (Romania) by Robert Obert

Best Experimental Film

Gaslight (Hong Kong) by Bijou Octavia, Chloe Brooke

Best Underground Film

Ahead, Far Ahead (Hong Kong) by Leong Hin Wu

Best Super Short Film

When the hawk comes (Armenia) by Lilia Li-Mi-Yan, Katherina Sadovsky

Best Music Video

Wood Dove (United States) by David Jonathan Orr

Best Hong Kong Film

The Light (Hong Kong) by Angus Wong

Congratulations to all filmmakers! The festival would also like to say a big thank you to The Bigger Screen for their continued support, and to all guests for coming out for a great evening of cinema. See you back next year!

A new Call for Entries for Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival 2026 has been launched on FilmFreeway, submit your film now: https://filmfreeway.com/HongKongArthouseFilmFestival.

ABOUT HKAFF:

The Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival is all about celebrating the unique voices of the world. At its heart, art is about celebrating the unique voice and message that we each possess. Sometimes loud, often quiet, occasionally bold and brash, and perhaps even shy, that singular voice should speak to others and by doing so, help them to better see themselves. This vision of film as a medium that inspires and challenges - and supporting the filmmakers who create these works - is the mission of the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival.