The Awards

The awards for Best Videodance and Best Documentary were presented at the ceremony, held on 29 November at Teatro do Bairro. This year’s line-up showcased 72 works in the Videodance category and 18 in the Documentary category, showcasing a diverse range of contemporary dance films from around the world.

The award for Best Videodance at dancescreen 2025 went to 'HAMMER' by Zacharie Ellia. This 16mm film is a self-produced work positioned between punk and contemporary dance. Directed by Zacharie Ellia and choreographed by Keren Lurie Pardes, the film features performers from the Paris Opera Ballet and beyond. Here, the camera shifts from the stage to the energy of the pit, placing raw physicality at the centre of the experience. 

Choreography: Keren Lurie Pardes 
Cinematography: Tom Black 
Camera: Vassili de Vintcha, Loris Witwicki 
Interpretation: Marion Morçier, Justine Agator, Milo Aveque, Juliette Bettencourt, Olivia Bouis, Raphaël Dalconte, Adam Fontaine, and others

Honourable Mention

Honourable Mention in this category went to 'The Joy and Sorrow of Time', a poetic reflection on future, memory, and the emotional weight of time, by Sara Jordan (Denmark). Through movement, text, and a minimal visual language, the film meditates on the duality of what is imagined and what inevitably fades.

‘Bull’s Heart’ by Eva Stefani has taken the Best Documentary award at dancescreen 2025. This compelling film offers a multifaceted portrait of Greek artist Dimitris Papaioannou as he develops a new work during the pandemic period, capturing both the intensity of his creative process and the atmosphere of uncertainty surrounding it. The result is a rare insight into artistic discipline, vulnerability, and the quiet determination that drives creation.

Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography: Eva Stefani, Dimitris Papaioannou, Breanna O’Mara, Tina Papanikolaou, Damiano Ottavio Bigi, Šuka Horn, Jan Möllmer, Łukasz Przytarski, Christos Strinopoulos, Michalis Theophanous 
Camera: Eva Stefani, Aimilia Milou, Pavlos Kosmidis 
Sound: Aimilia Milou, Kostas Varybopiotis 
Editing: Panagiotis Papafragos 
Executive Production: Afroditi Panagiotakou, Dimitris Theodoropoulos 

Honourable Mention
The Honourable Mention went to 'I froze' by Anouk Suntjens (Netherlands). This short documentary follows the dancer Gianine Strang, who loses confidence in her body after trauma-induced dizziness, and her journey towards recovery through movement.