Prague Independent Film Festival

Prague Independent Film Festival (PIFF) () is an international film festival held annually in August in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. The festival focuses on independent cinema. Festival founder and director is Diana Ringo.

History 2016 Prague Independent Film Festival was held for the first time on 15–18 August 2016 in the cinemas Kino Evald, Kino Atlas and Kino Lucerna. The festival program consisted of 33 films. Opening film of the festival was Rocco has Your Name by Angelo Orlando. Angelo Orlando won the Best Screenplay award and the leading actor Michele Venitucci received the Best Actor award.

Grand Prix of the festival – The Golden Eagle – was awarded to the Bulgarian drama film Sinking of Sozopol by Kostadin Bonev.

Shamim Sarif received the Best Feature Film award for her espionage drama Despite the Falling Snow based on the best selling eponymous novel written by herself. Rebecca Ferguson was awarded Best Actress and Anthony Head received the Best Supporting Actor award.

Best Animated Film was awarded to The Snow Queen 2 from the Russian animation company Wizart Animation. The film was written and directed by Aleksey Tsitsilin and produced by Timur Bekmambetov.

Best Short Film was awarded to the short film Cora made by Kevin Maxwell, a student of Santa Monica College who was supervised by Salvador Carrasco.

2017 The opening film of the festival was Collector by Alexei Krasovsky. Alexei Krasovsky received the Best Director, Gustav Meyrink Prize and Konstantin Khabensky received the Best Actor award.

The film Maya Dardel, written and directed by Magdalena Zyzak and Zachary Cotler received the Best Screenplay award and Lena Olin received the Best Actress award.

Train Driver's Diary directed by Milos Radovic received the Grand Prix, Best Feature Film and Lazar Ristovski received the Best Actor prize.

Gallery

Winners

2026 Best Feature Film The Watchmaker — Jonas Lawes

Best Short Film The Ghost Writer — Todd I. Gordon

Best Director Ed Stoppard — The Confession

Best Actor Mark Bonnar — The Confession

Best Screenplay Alice_FSB — Adam Marchand

Best Editing At What Cost? — Elena Walsh O’Brien

Best Cinematography Katerina Borovic — Ninna Palma

Best Art Direction Monile — Marcello Bedoni

Best Music Video Siddharta – In the Sky — Ven Jemersic

Best Documentary Hans & Kjell — Silje Reistad

Best Animated Film Thiefish — Evelyn Dale, Madhava Kinnicutt

Best Comedy Film The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry — Derek Frey

Best Experimental Film Symbol of the Solar Soul — Zhao He

Best Unproduced Script The Last Street — Kevin Ryan

2025 Best Feature Film I Never Said Goodbye — Yev K'banchik

Best Actor Artur Smolyaninov — I Never Said Goodbye

Best Actress Kristin Griffith — The Reckoning

Best Director The Reckoning — Alex Breux

Best Short Film Night of Resolutions — Dylan Gouze

Best Short Film Director Russell De Rozario — This Damnation

Best Documentary Kazbegi — Yakiv Antypenko

Best Unproduced Screenplay Come Monday — Graham Streeter

Best Cinematography The Split — Lindsay Kent, Lauren Kent

Best Art Direction The Mimefia — Julia Pitch

Best Experimental Film Providence: Electric Gods II — Joshua Benson

Best Music Video Baby — Nora Rosenthal

Best Animated Film Tiny Teaching Tales — Julie Anne Burch

2024 Best Feature Film Stampila — David Larson

Best Director - Feature Film Giant's Kettle — Markku Hakala, Mari Käki

Best Director - Short Film Lobster Trial — Catherine Dyer

Best Actor Clark Freeman — All That Remains

Best Short Film Arachne — Tommy Creagh

Best Art Direction Love Intense — Raja Hanna

Best Screenplay Zeke — Darrell Bridgers

Best Editing David Valdez — This is Not My Beautiful House (directed by Mark Tompkins)

Best Debut The Only Way Out is Through — Nicole Catania

Best Animated Film I'm Hip — John Musker

Jury Award - Gustav Meyrink Prize John Musker — I'm Hip

Best Experimental Film Giant's Kettle — Markku Hakala, Mari Käki

Best Cinematography Villa Mink — Darron Carswell

Best Documentary Erik's Midwestern Boyhood - Erik Jakobsen

Best Music Video Won't Be Around — Terry Blade

Best Unproduced Script THE PRODIGAL — Thomas O'Malley

2023

Best Feature Film Unfix — Directed by Graham Streeter Best Director Anna Eriksson — W Best Actress Anna Eriksson — W Best Film Score You Are The Story — Music by Saro Cosentino & Tim Bowness Best Short Film The Intermission — Directed by Ben von Grafenstein Best Short Film Director Yusuke Ishide — The Master of Sento Best Cinematography Cactus — Directed by Dimitris Zouras Best Art Direction Anna Eriksson — W Best Animated Film A Boat in the Rain — directed by Yoana Atanasova Best Screenplay A Rush of Peace — written by M Hayward Scott & directed by Jake Lockett Best Documentary Film Egypt — Directed by Erik Jakobsen Best Experimental Film Achilles — Directed by Adam Morris Best Music Video Kogersin — Directed by Malik Zenger Best Unproduced Script The Dream of America — Written by Bo Svenson

Honorary Mentions Damon Mckinnis — Unfix Natalie Brown — Slut Chain Margaux Tiltman — Oh Claire! Christopher Willis — The Book of Disquiet

2022 Grand Prix The Road to Galena — Directed by Joe Hall

Best Director Joe Hall — The Road to Galena

Best Feature Film Troubled Minds — Directed by Raitis Abele & Lauris Abele

Best Short Film The Turn of the Screw — Directed by Chris Fretwell

Best Actor Luke Mably - The Ghost Writer

Best Cinematography Sally Leapt Out Of A Window Last Night — Directed by Tracy Spottiswoode

Best Art Direction The Ghost Writer — Art direction by Belle Mundi

Best Screenplay Troubled Minds — Raitis Abele & Lauris Abele

Best Documentary Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters — Directed by Kevin Konrad Hanna & Jim Demonakos

Best Musical A Minute To Midnight: A Musical — Directed by Caue Barcelos & Patrick Flanagan

Best Experimental Film CANAL — Will Rahilly

Best Animated Film Kuwonererwa — Ronald Kabicek

Best Music Video Got to move — Oltscho

Best Unproduced Script Mad Bad Dangerous to Know — Written by Leonora Pitts & Emily Robinson

Honorary Mention (Student Film) Righteous — Directed by Ethan Grossman 2021 Grand Prix The Final Stand — Directed by Vadim Shmelyov Best Director The Final Stand — Directed by Vadim Shmelyov Best Feature The Stairs — Directed by Peter "Drago" Tiemann Best Cinematography Sashka. A Soldier's Diary (ru) — Directed by Kirill Zaytsev. Cinematography by Vladimir Klimov Best Screenplay Sashka. A Soldier's Diary — Directed by Kirill Zaytsev. Screenplay by Ivan Klochko & Igor Konyaev. Best Documentary OLEG — Directed by Nadia Tass Best Documentary ex aequo The Great Suppression: How Covid-19 Reignited the Fight for Life & Liberty — Directed by Deborah Wright Best Actor Sergey Bezrukov — The Final Stand Best Supporting Actor John Schneider — The Stairs Best Music Score The Final Stand — Score by Yuri Poteenko Best Short Film The Stench — Directed by Won Jang Best Short Film Director Radda Novikova — Moscow Slide Best Experimental Geneva Jacuzzi's Casket — Directed by Chris Friend Best Student Film Old Cliff Rising — Curtis Roland Best Art Direction The Swamp — Directed by Erkki Perkiömäki Best Animation Feeling Lonely — Directed by Julian Nazario Vargas Best Music Video Mari Kraimbrery by Hiding in the Bathroom — Directed by Serghey Grey

2020 Grand Prix Lost Transmissions — Directed by Katharine O'Brien Best Feature Film Man from Beirut — Directed Christoph Gampl Best Director Raimundas Banionis — Purple Mist Best Screenplay Purple Mist — Raimundas Banionis Best Actor Simon Pegg — Lost Transmissions Best Actress Juno Temple — Lost Transmissions Lucie Vondráčková — Beyond her Lens Best Short Film Unknown Mother — Wai Yin Wong Best Music Video Nice Shoes — Directed by Jonathan Lawrence Best Student Film Out of Touch — Directed by Bobby Murphy Best Art Direction Eerie Fairy Tales — Directed by Meet Sander Best Documentary Living in the Age of Miracles — Directed by Mia Tomikawa Best Cinematography Man from Beirut — Cinematography by Eeva Fleig Best Animated Film Spectre's Bride — Directed by Francesca Borgatta Best Experimental Film Last Film — Directed by Martiros Vartanov

2019 Grand Prix M — Directed by Anna Eriksson Gustav Meyrink Prize (Jury Prize) The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands — Directed by Robert Lence, Alexey Tsitsilin Best Feature Film M — Directed by Anna Eriksson Best Director Kostadin Bonev — Away from the Shore Best Screenplay Night Walk — Aziz Tazi Best Actor Mickey Rourke — Night Walk Best Short Film Aji — Anastasia Berezovsky Best Music Video Dark like the night. Karenina-2019 — Directed by Radda Novikova Best Student Film Hinge — Directed by Lisa Ann Mayo Best Art Direction Land of Winter — Directed by Tommy Creagh Best Documentary To tell a Ghost — Directed by Chris Piotrowicz, Stefan Ehrhardt Best Cinematography Away from the Shore — Cinematography by Konstantin Zankov Best Animated Film Burning Bright — Directed by Aaron Bierman Best Experimental Film We are in a Dream — Directed by Henna Välkky, Eesu Lehtola

2018 Grand Prix Octav — Directed by Serge Ioan Celebidachi Honorary Award Konstantin Khabensky Best Feature Film Ivanov — Directed by Dimitri Falkovich Best Director Graham Streeter — I May Regret Best Screenplay I May Regret — Graham Streeter Best Actor Marcel Iures — Octav Best Short Film Mr. Goody — Jason MacDonald Best Music Video #INSTAGRAM — Directed by Valeriya Gai Germanika Best Art Direction Dance to the Party — Directed by Wayne Isham Best Documentary Ballad of the Righteous Merchant — Directed by Herbert Golder Best Cinematography Ivanov — Cinematography by Georges Lechaptois Best Animated Film Moon's Milk — Directed by Ri Crawford Best Experimental Film It Grows Dark — Directed by Benjamin Capps

2017

Grand Prix Train Driver's Diary — Directed by Milos Radovic Best Feature Film Train Driver’s Diary — Directed by Milos Radovic Best Director Alexei Krasovsky — Collector Best Screenplay Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak — Maya Dardel Best Cinematography Rana Kamran — Mah e Mir Best Actor Lazar Ristovski — Train Driver’s Diary Konstantin Khabensky — Collector Best Actress Lena Olin — Maya Dardel Best Short Film The Light Thief — Eva Daoud Best Experimental Film Time — Retrograde — Directed by David Ellis Best Art Direction Ghosts on the Road to Camalt — Directed by Jason Tovey Best Music Video God Came 'Round — Directed by Derek Frey Best Student Film Muñecas — Directed by Ozzy Ozuna Gustav Meyrink Prize (Jury Prize) Collector — Directed by Alexei Krasovsky

2016 Grand Prix Sinking of Sozopol — Directed by Kostadin Bonev Best Feature Film Despite the Falling Snow — Directed by Shamim Sarif Best Director Kostadin Bonev — Sinking of Sozopol Best Screenplay Angelo Orlando — Rocco Has Your Name Best Cinematography Konstantin Zankov — Sinking of Sozopol Best Actor Michele Venitucci — Rocco Has Your Name Best Actress Rebecca Ferguson — Despite the Falling Snow Best Supporting Actor Anthony Head — Despite the Falling Snow Best Short Film Cora — Directed by Kevin Maxwell Best Experimental Film NO SIGNAL — Directed by David Ellis Best Animated Film The Snow Queen 2 — Directed by Aleksey Tsitsilin Best Comedy Film Seth — Directed by Zach Lasry Best Horror Film Woods — Directed by Sean van Leijenhorst Best Art Direction Forgiveness — Directed by Rima Irani Best Special Effects Forgiveness — Directed by Rima Irani Best Music Score Green Lake — Directed by Derek Frey Best Music Video FIRE by The Winery Dogs — Directed by Steven Lyon

Prague Independent Film Festival

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