On Saturday evening, the 15th anniversary edition of the MikroFAF festival came to an end at the Balkan Cinema with the presentation of numerous awards and a screening of the winning films.
From Thursday to Saturday, 52 films from different parts of the world were screened in the competition program, covering different genres and formats, including animation, documentary, fiction, and experimental films. In addition, the film “Next to You” by Stevan Filipović and short animated films from the guest festival Anibar from Peja were shown in the special program. A short film made during the animation workshop at KC Magacin was also presented before the award ceremony.

The jury, consisting of Ivana Todorović, Predrag Terzić and Granit Karagjyzi, awarded the following prizes:
The Mikropolis Prize for the best DIY film went to “Shirin’s Bitter Tears” by Iranian author Amin Falah.
The Mikropolis Prize for the best independent film was shared by “A Summer’s End Poem” by Chinese author Lam Can-Zhao and “Lines” by Ivan Stojković from Čačak.
The prize for the best student film was shared by “Olympic Trash” by French author Erik Semeskhin and “Walks That Won’t Happen” by Mina Simendić from Belgrade.
This year’s festival motto, “Fresh Frames”, focused on young people and topics that appeal to them and promote their further cultural development. A youth jury had the opportunity to award two prizes:
Anja Bilanović, Lazar Živković, and Sado Musić awarded the prize for the best junior film to “Who’s in My Selfie?” by Vid Markovinović, a student at Laza Kostić High School in Novi Sad.
The Special Fresh Frames Award went to “Emotional Landscape” by Nađa Repman from Sombor.

In addition to the main prizes, special mentions were awarded to films that made a strong impression on the jury:
In the DIY category, a special mention was awarded to “Escape from Irena” by Irena Antin from Novi Sad.
In the Independent Film category, a special mention went to the Iranian film “Shooti” by Shiva Taheri.
In the student film category, the honourable mention went to “Where Are You, Sisters?” by Uma Zuban from Novi Sad.
In the Junior Film category, two high school graduates received a special mention: Mila Boranijašević from Belgrade for “16” and Elena Matleković from Zagreb for “Across the Amplitude”.
A special mention in the “Fresh Frames” category went to the animated film “Tech Check” by Zlatelina Tsokova from Bulgaria.
The Audience Award went to “If I Survive” by Bogdan Spirić from Belgrade.

In addition to the regular Mikropolis statuettes by artist Ana Bošković, the prizes also included contributions from festival partners: the Academic Film Centre DKSG, Dereta, the Faculty of Media and Communication, Službeni Glasnik and annual tickets for the repertoire of the Reflektor Theatre and the Kolarac Art Cinema.
Congratulations to all, and see you next year in an even fresher edition!
The 15th MikroFAF is organized with the support of the Western Balkans Youth Cultural Fund. This multi-year project is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO).