# Prague Independent Film Festival

Prague Independent Film Festival (PIFF) (Czech: Pražský festival nezávislých filmů) 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

* Actor and director Konstantin Khabensky receiving his honorary award from the festival director
* Director Anna Eriksson presenting the film M
* Actor and producer Lazar Ristovski at the presentation of Train Driver's Diary
* Lazar Ristovski presenting the film Train Driver's Diary
* Directors Magdalena Zyzak and Zachary Cotler presenting the film Maya Dardel
* Director Angelo Orlando and musician Saro Cosentino presenting the film Rocco Has Your Name
* Angelo Orlando presenting the film Rocco Has Your Name
* Sinking of Sozopol screening
* Kostadin Bonev with the Grand Prix

## Winners
### 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 - Pryatalas v vannoi — 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