Palm Springs Film Festival has revealed its 2026 awards winners, with Sirāt taking the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film.
Oliver Laxe’s film, lensed by Mauro Herce, scooped the main prize, beating competition from 43 other titles from the International Feature Film Oscar Submissions programme.
“At a year when the competition featured such a strong presence for stories about children and their parents, this film thrillingly captured our attention with its portrait of a father’s devotion to his son and daughter, as well as the chosen family they encounter along the way,” the jury said in a statement.
“The techno beats by Kangding Ray make their quest exhilarating and enlightening, while the singular vision of director Oliver Laxe conjures an electric sense of aliveness as the journey ultimately asks us to confront death and the hereafter.
“Since Palm Springs is the ultimate film buff’s party in the desert where the mountains meet the sky, we feel it’s only appropriate to award the FIPRESCI Prize to Sirāt.”
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Happy Birthday won Best International First Feature Film, while Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value took Best International Screenplay.
The full list of winners is available below.
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film
Sirât (Spain), dir. Óliver Laxe
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International First Feature Film
Happy Birthday (Egypt), dir. Sarah Goher
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay
Sentimental Value (Norway), dir. Joachim Trier
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actress in an International Feature Film
Nina Ye, Janel Tsai and Shi-yuan Ma — Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan), dir. Shih-Ching Tsou
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature Film
Milan Ondrík — Father (Slovakia), dir. Tereza Nvotová
Best Documentary Award
Natchez (USA), dir. Suzannah Herbert
Special Mention: Yanuni (Austria), dir. Richard Ladkani
New Voices New Visions Award
3670 (South Korea), dir. Joonho Park
Special Mention: Deaf (Spain), dir. Eva Libertad
Ibero-American Award
Runa Simi (Peru), dir. Augusto Zegarra
Special Mention: It Would Be Night in Caracas (Mexico/Venezuela), dir. Mariana Rondón & Marité Ugás
Desert Views Award Winner
Beloved Tropic (Panama), dir. Ana Endara
Young Cineastes Award Winner
Remaining Native (USA), dir. Paige Bethmann
