The Norwegian gathering honoured three Nordic productions: Dag Johan Haugerud’s Love, Liselotte Wajstedt and Marja Helander’s In My Hand, and Åse Svenheim Drivenes’ Teenage Life Interrupted.

On Saturday 18 January, the Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF) wrapped up its 2025 edition with a closing ceremony held at the Kulturhuset. This year’s event ran from 13-19 January. Before the screening of the closing pic - James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown - seven awards were presented to honour the best titles screened at the festival.

Over the years, TIFF has affirmed itself as a popular community festival, and a key meeting point for local and international film industry professionals alike.

On this occasion, the festival’s top honour, the Aurora Award, was granted to Scandar Copti’s Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar). The prize, awarded to the best film in the competition programme, comes with a 50,000 Norwegian crowns bursary. The jury, made up of Iram Haq, Sean Price Williams, and Vasil Gjurovski, praised the film for its cinematic excellence.

Next, the international critics’ prize, awarded by the Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI), went to Love (Norway) by Dag Johan Haugerud. The jury members Amber Wilkinson, Hélène Robert, and Jan Storø lauded the helmer’s poignant storytelling.

Presented by the Federation Internationale des Cine-Clubs (FICC), the Don Quixote Award was bestowed upon Louise Courvoisier’s Holy Cow (France). The jury, composed of Mike Murphy, Maciej Gil, and Eva-Maria Schneider-Reuter, also gave an honourable mention to Gaucho Gaucho (USA/Argentina, 2024) by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Peace Film Award, spotlighting films addressing violence and conflict, was awarded to The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany/France/Iran) by Mohammad Raoulof. The jury included Andrea White Hveding, Alexis Pineda Angeles, and Marc Lanteigne.

Moreover, the Tromsø Palm for Best Short in the Films from the North programme was awarded to In My Hand (Norway/Sweden/Finland), directed by Liselotte Wajstedt and Marja Helander. The jury for this award featured Volker Kufahl, Elisabeth Rasmussen, and Endre Lund Eriksen.

For the first time, a feature-length prize in the Films from the North programme was also handed out. The winning title, Åse Svenheim Drivenes’ Teenage Life Interrupted (Norway), received a €2,500 bursary. The jury included Þóra Ingólfsdóttir, Katja Gauriloff, and Morten Røsrud.

Finally, François Ozon’s When Fall is Coming (France) scooped the Faith in Film Award, which celebrates films engaging with religion’s role in society. The prize includes a hand-painted icon from the Carmelite monastery in Tromsø. The jury consisted of Mette Arnstad, Aslaug Eidsvik, and Carl Axel Reibo Gundersen.

Here is the list of this year’s award winners:

Aurora Award

Happy Holidays – Scandar Copti (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar)

FIPRESCI Award

Love (Kjærlighet) – Dag Johan Haugerud (Norway)

Don Quixote Award

Holy Cow (Vingt dieux) – Louise Courvoisier (France)

Honourable Mention

Gaucho Gaucho – Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (USA/Argentina)

Norwegian Peace Film Award

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Dâne-ye anjîr-e ma’âbed) – Mohammad Raoulof (Germany/France/Iran)

Tromsø Palm for Best Short

In My Hand – Liselotte Wajstedt and Marja Helander (Norway/Sweden/Finland)

Tromsø Palm for Best Feature

Teenage Life Interrupted (Uten synlige tegn) – Åse Svenheim Drivenes (Norway)

Faith in Film Award

When Fall is Coming (Quand vient l’automne) – François Ozon (France)