The winners of the Transilvanian International Film Festival’s 21st edition were announced on Saturday evening, June 25.

The festival’s grand prize, the Transylvania Trophy, went to Utama, Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s debut film. The film, which tells the story of an elderly Quechua couple herding llamas in the Bolivian highlands, whose livelihood is threatened by a severe drought, won over TIFF spectators and was also awarded the main competition’s Audience Award.

Icelandic filmmaker Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson won the Best Director Award for his film Beautiful Beings, a story about a teenage boy raised by a clairvoyant mother and his group of non-conforming friends.

For their roles in The Night Belongs to Lovers, actors Laura Müller and Schemci Lauth, were awarded the Best Performance Award.

Lithuanian writer and director Dovile Sarutyte’s A Feature Film About Life, a film inspired by the real-life experience of her father’s death and the funeral that she had to put together, won the Special Jury Award.

A number of Romanian films were also awarded.

Miracle, Bogdan George Apetri's second feature film, a psychological thriller starring Emanuel Pârvu and Ioana Bugarin, won the Romanian Days of Film Award for the Feature Film section.

The Romanian Debut Film Days Award was given to up-and-coming filmmaker Alina Grigore for her coming-of-age story, Blue Moon.

Victor Canache's debut, The Goat and Her Three Kids was awarded the Audience Award for the most popular Romanian film.

The FIPRESCI Prize, awarded by the jury of the International Federation of Film Critics went to the feature film Immaculate, directed by Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark.

The winner of the What's up, Doc? section was the documentary You Are Ceauşescu To Me, directed by Sebastian Mihăilescu.

The Romanian Film Days Award for the Short Film section was awarded to Aurică, A Dog’s Life, directed by Mihai Dragolea.

The awards ceremony also featured a special moment, where actress Maia Morgenstern was presented with a Lifetime Award, in homage to her significant on-screen career. The actress spoke a few words on the occasion: “This moment of homage moves me very deeply and sincerely. It is a moment of assessment. When you ask yourself, what did you have to give up? And I'm deeply grateful to TIFF and everyone who made this moment possible. I'm grateful to each and every one of you!”

maia@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: TIFF Facebook page)