EMIFF closes with record attendance and the Spanish premiere of Widow Clicquot

The Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF) closes its 13th edition with a fantastic gala at the Palau de Congressos in Palma, gathering film directors, actors, other industry professionals, and movie lovers who didn’t want to miss this unique evening dedicated to cinema.

After an Intense Week of Screenings, Professional Events, and Panels, the 13th Edition closes, despite the superstitions around the number and the last-minute absence of Annette Bening, with over 5,000 attendees, setting a new record, alongside 13,000 more via the Bitpix platform.

Among the 144 screenings, highlights included Amanece en Samaná, Los Frikis, the Made in Balears series, and 2040, a documentary featured in the Conscientious Cinema series presented by the Mallorca Preservation Foundation and Fundación Mallorca Turismo. Professional activities were also well-received, such as masterclasses by Anthony Dod Mantle, Asif Kapadia, and Kim Magnusson, as well as the launch of the “Script Lab,” which hosted 38 filmmakers.

“We had over a hundred filmmakers from various countries presenting their films in Mallorca this edition, demonstrating the potential of EMIFF and its mission brdging cultures – bridging people” emphasised Sandra Lipski, the festival’s director.

Throughout the evening, EMIFF presented its 24 awards, with Los Frikis by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson taking Best International Feature and Alonso Ruizpalacios awarded Best Director for La Cocina. A notable highlight was the Evolution Vision Award, presented to film director Jessica Hausner.

The night began with a red carpet event attended by hundreds of guests, including Jessica Hausner and Thomas Napper, director of Widow Clicquot, which closed the festival’s program. Following a cocktail reception courtesy of Meliá Hotels, the guests moved to the auditorium, where host and actor Toni Pons welcomed everyone.

Sandra Lipski introduced honoree Jessica Hausner, highlighting her as “a special director with films awarded worldwide.” Upon receiving the Evolution Vision Award, Hausner expressed gratitude, saying, “I’m especially happy to receive this award from a festival that celebrates women. I hope my work inspires other female filmmakers to become the directors they want to be and believe in themselves.”

Afterward, the audience enjoyed the Spanish premiere of Widow Clicquot, which won awards for Best Directing and Best Cinematography Debut. Director Thomas Napper commented, “It’s been a fantastic experience being in Mallorca these days, enjoying the creativity of so many filmmakers.” Reflecting on the film, he added, “It’s an honor to close the festival with my film—it fits perfectly: champagne is for celebrating beginnings and endings. For you, it’s a beginning; you’re seeing the film for the first time, and for us filmmakers, showing it is the end of the process.”

Following the screening, EMIFF’s 24 competition awards, supported by Palma Pictures, were presented. Additionally, four honorary awards were given this year to Annette Bening (Evolution Icon Award), Anthony Dod Mantle (Cinematography Icon Award), Emilia Schüle (Evolution New Talent Award), and Jessica Hausner (Evolution Vision Award).

Alonso Ruizpalacios, who was absent from the event, won Best Director for La Cocina, which premiered at the festival’s opening gala. Saoirse Ronan won Best Female

Performance for her role in The Outrun, and Best Male Performance went to Nahuel Pérez Biscayart for El Jockey. Best Debut Feature went to Jupiter by Benjamin Pfohl, who accepted the award onstage.

For documentaries, Best International Feature went to Flying Hands by Marta Gómez and Paula Iglesias, while Best Short Documentary was awarded to A Body Called Life by Spencer MacDonald.

Local talent from the Balearic Islands was also recognized. Nudos by Ricard Peitx received awards for Best Made in Baleares Short Film and Best Cinematography for Edu Biurrun. In the documentary category, Protagonists by Luis Calero won Best Made in Baleares Feature Documentary, while Guaret by Josep Alorda was awarded Best Made in Baleares Short Documentary. The jury gave a special mention to En Mesquida by Miquel Gomila in this category. In the Best Spanish Short Film category, Mallorcan director Marine Auclair received the award for Terra Blava. Balearic talent continued to shine as Marga Melià won Best Screenplay for Farewell, and Rubén Jiménez Sanz won for Ozara. Student filmmaker Caterina Llabés Massanet was also celebrated for Valenta Valentina.

Amplified by Dina Nase was awarded Best International Short, and Best Cinematography went to Carlos Cuervo for Chiquita Piconera. The Best Music Video award went to Dobriy Zloy (Sirotkin) by Oleg Trofim, and Best Experimental Short was awarded to Greenwash by Andrés Bronnimann.

Palma Pictures sponsored the awards, contributing a total of €25,000.