Xposure International Film Awards honours top filmmaking talent
Held as part of the 9
th
International Photography Festival, the 2025 awards expanded upon last year's success, receiving an impressive 834 submissions from filmmakers worldwide, a significant increase from the inaugural year.
The awards ceremony, held during the festival in Sharjah, celebrated the power of film to evoke emotions, challenge perspectives, and connect global audiences. With four categories - Short Film, Animation, Cinematic Arts, and Documentary Feature - the event highlighted the diversity and innovation within the filmmaking community, paying tribute to excellence in storytelling.
Celebrating global visual storytelling talent
This year's awards were presented by His Excellency Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), and Her Excellency Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB. Each category showcased incredible talent, with winners and runners-up representing a broad spectrum of cinematic visions.
In the
Short Film
category, Iranian filmmaker
Payam Mahmoudi Kurdistani
took home the top prize for his captivating film
Nietzschean Suicide
, while
Andrea Devicenzi
from Italy was recognised as the runner-up for his impactful work
Crossing The North
.
The
Animation
category celebrated dynamic visual storytelling, awarding
Andrés Aguilar
from Spain first place for
The Strange Case Of The Human Cannonball
and naming
Mustafa Keskin
(Turkey) the runner-up for his film
Ari-6427
.
The coveted
Cinematic Arts
category recognised
Mehrshad Karkhani
from Iran, whose film
Bruise-Lips Tulip
stood out for its artistic depth, while
Giants Kettle
by Finnish filmmakers
Markku Hakala
and
Mari Käki
earned the runner-up position.
The
Documentary Feature
category, renowned for showcasing impactful narratives, crowned
Jurgen Buedts
and
Sahim Omar Kalifa
from Belgium as winners for their exceptional work
Iraq's Invisible Beauty
. Portuguese filmmaker
Diogo Andrade
earned the runner-up title with his poignant documentary
Sikat Subar – A Hidden Colourful Feather
.
This year's event also celebrated individuals whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the filmmaking industry and made Xposure 2025 possible with their efforts. The event honoured 10 luminaries, with the names including Academy Award winners and change makers
.
Brent Homann,
Franklin Leonard,
Glenn Gainor, Jerome Pink, Maitha Alawadi, Martin Desmone Roe, Pippa Erlich, Roger Horrocks, Siraj Jhaveri and Travon Free were presented with tokens of appreciation.
Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) Xposure 2025 is taking place in Aljada, Sharjah until February 26. To plan your visit, see
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