IRON BOY, THEIR TOWN and A GIRL UNKNOWN named Best Films at the 49th LUCAS Film Festival
The 49th edition of the LUCAS Film Festival, organized by DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, concluded on Thursday, October 1, with a festive awards ceremony. IRON BOY, THEIR TOWN, and A GIRL UNKNOWN received Awards as the Best Feature Films for young audiences in their respective sections. In the Competition »Teens«, HIJRA was honored with the Award for an Outstanding Cinematic Achievement. The Awards for the Best Short Films went to TILL THE STARS RISE in Competition »Kids« and SANDY FANNIES in Competition »Teens«. Festival director Julia Fleißig congratulated the award winners in the DFF Cinema.
Competition »Kids«
Award for the Best Short Film (€2,000)
Sponsored by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen
TILL THE STARS RISE (TW 2025. D: Yu Yu)
- German Premiere at LUCAS -
When a comet brushes past Earth, people’s biorhythms are thrown out of whack. Only three hours a day remain before they fall into a tired sleep. A shared wish gives them strength: to finally see the stars in the night sky.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Kids«
If the day only had three hours, what would matter most? In the stop-motion animated film TILL THE STARS RISE by Yu Yu, we experience a world without fear, where everyone helps each other, where people spend as much time together as possible, where they focus on the essentials and trust one another. Solidarity and friendship stand above all else; duties become secondary. In this imaginative, utopian world, everyone—including the audience—is welcome. This universal story, told poetically and tenderly, gives all age groups pause for thought. Framed by a beautiful score, this film whisks us away to a foreign world and lingers long in the mind.
Honorable Mention for Best Feature Film
BRAVE CAT (CL 2026. D: Gabriel Osorio Vargas)
Long ago, wildcat Kona’s mother was kidnapped by a circus. When it reappears in the forest years later, Kona takes up the pursuit. Reluctantly, she takes along the guard dog puppy Colin, whom the circus left behind. Together with the escaped bear Bernardo, they try to catch up with the troupe before they board a ship. On their journey, Kona must prove her courage and grow beyond herself, while also learning to trust and let go of the past. The film combines digitized, handmade models in a colorful felt look with 3D computer animation. In this way, it recalls classic stop-motion films yet remains a contemporary animated adventure.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Kids«
The feature film BRAVE CAT by Gabriel Osorio Vargas impressed us greatly with its detailed mix of stop-motion and animation. It tackles important themes such as friendship, solidarity, courage, and overcoming prejudice. The story of Kona searching for her kidnapped mother is both exciting and emotional. We were particularly struck by the potential impact of the mix of cute and frightening imagery.
Award for the Best Feature Film (€5,000)
Sponsored by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen
IRON BOY (FR/BE 2026. D: Louis Clichy)
Christophe just tips over: while eating, at school, in church, on the tractor, when photos are being taken. Because something is wrong with his back, he must wear an iron corset from now on. Christophe’s world loses its balance—as if it weren’t enough that he can’t live up to his father’s expectations! But then Christophe discovers playing the organ—which leads to even more problems as it becomes increasingly clear that his parents’ farm is in great financial difficulty. In an airy drawing style, the animated film tells the story of a boy who must find his place in the world between the expectations of others and his own dreams.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Kids«
IRON BOY by Louis Clichy tells the story of Christophe, who grows up in rural France in the 1980s and seeks his place in a world that begins to tilt. The corset he is fitted with is more than just a medical necessity. The animated film, drawn in a unique watercolor style where large images are framed in beautiful colors with great tenderness, tells a deeply touching story, thanks in part to the outstanding screenplay. With magnificent sound design and a beautiful score, the film uses subtle humor to tell of complex characters, relationships and solidarity, the power of music, and how to brave life’s storms.
Competition »Teens«
Best Short Film Award (€2,000)
SANDY FANNIES (NO 2026. D: Ingrid Runde Saxegaard)
- German Premiere at LUCAS -
Aurora spends the day naked with her mother on a lonely beach. Between honesty and embarrassment, the time out opens up intimate conversations about love and sex, first times, and deep desires. But then a confession causes the mood to shift.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Teens«
The short film touched us all deeply—through the beautiful, profound conversations between mother and daughter and the incredible acting performance of both actresses. It was a beautiful film in which they exposed themselves not only physically but also internally by talking about their intimate secrets and experiences. It was a great experience to see this incredible short film together on the big screen. SANDY FANNIES definitely deserved the award for best short film because of the beautiful story between the mother and the daughter.
Award for an Outstanding Cinematic Achievement (€2,000)
Sponsored by the Patrons Circle of the DFF
HIJRA (EG/IQ/SA/GB 2025. D: Shahad Ameen)
Sarah and Janna travel to Mecca with their grandmother for the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage. When teenage Sarah suddenly disappears during a stopover, the strict grandmother decides not to tell the father for the time being. Instead, she sets off alone with twelve-year-old Janna to search for her older granddaughter. Chance brings the two together with Ahmed, who becomes their driver and companion. Their journey takes them north through the Saudi desert. With breathtaking images of the rugged landscape, the film shows different perspectives on a society that imposes strict rules on women, and lets its protagonists navigate between acceptance, resistance, and escape in their search for freedom.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Teens«
For enchanting our hearts with absolutely breathtaking images of landscapes that deeply underpin the audience’s sense of the spirituality of the journey; for the fact that the country’s landscapes correspond perfectly with the inner landscapes of the characters’ souls, making the cinematography an unforgettable experience and a visual triumph that unfolds its full impact on the big screen…
Honorable Mention for Best Feature Film
ALMOST FOREVER (SE/FI 2026. D: Lia Hietala, Hannah Reinikainen)
Award for the Best Feature Film (€5,000)
THEIR TOWN (US 2026. D: Katie Aselton)
Actually, Matt is just the backup: after Abby’s boyfriend suddenly no longer wants to play the lead role alongside her in a school play, the shy teenager is involuntarily recast as Abby’s partner. A short meeting, during which they actually only wanted to go through their lines, turns into a long night that takes Abby and Matt across the city. They talk and talk: about the past, about the future, about insecurities, about longings. A wonderfully charming, almost outrageously sympathetic film about two young people from different backgrounds who learn a lot about each other and reveal a lot about themselves in just a few hours.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Teens«
This film was truly moving and offered the perfect balance between profound conversations and funny moments as Matt and Abigail grew closer. As a teenager, you felt understood on so many different levels, and it was beautiful to see this simple yet also very beautiful and profound story on the big screen. The film perfectly showed that things are not always as they seem and that everyone has their own struggles. We felt that THEIR TOWN should win the award for Best Feature Film because it was outstanding.
Zou Jing’s feature film debut traces the childhood and youth of Wang Juan over several years, as she is passed from foster family to foster family from an early age. Affection proves to be only a fleeting experience for her. What remains, however, is the desire to find a permanent home. With her latest parents in the city, a sense of security still remains elusive. Nevertheless, the girl repeatedly experiences moments in which she feels she has arrived. This feeling is sensitively captured by the camera and accompanied by minimalist music by Valentin Hadjadj. To counter the uncertainty and repeated uprooting in her life, Wang Juan is left only with self-assertion.
Statement of the Jury in Competition »Youngsters«
Every film within the competition granted us an insight into different worlds, cultures, and experiences. But one of them stayed in our memories in particular: the cinematography, the sound, and the acting performances rounded off A GIRL UNKNOWN perfectly. Together with a strong narrative in which a young person goes through difficulties that many of us can recognize ourselves in one way or another, everything came together as a whole.