International Competition Award: FUCK THE POLIS by Rita Azevedo Gomes

Georges de Beauregard International Award: FRÍO METAL by Clemente Castor

Special mention of the International Competition Jury: COBRE by Nicolás Pereda

French Competition Award: BONNE JOURNÉE by Pauline Bastard

Georges de Beauregard National Award: HORS-CHAMP, LES OMBRES by Anna Dubosc, Gustavo de Mattos Jahn

Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Award: DES MILLÉNAIRES D’ABSENCE by Philippe Rouy

Special mention of the Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Jury: L’AMOUR SUR LE CHEMIN DES RONCETTES by Sophie Roger

First Film Award: FANTAISIE by Isabel Pagliai

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: LOS CRUCES by Julián Galay

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

Claudia Cardinale Foundation Award: FERNLICHT by Johanna Schorn Kalinsky

Cine+ Distribution support Award in partnership with GNCR: MORTE E VIDA MADALENA by Guto Parente

Flash Competition Award: گل‌های شب ِدریا by Maryam Tafakory

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: A PRELUDE by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: CONTROL ANATOMY by Mahmoud Alhaj

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: LENGUA MUERTA by José Jiménez

Alice Guy Award: ABORTION PARTY by Julia Mellen

Renaud Victor Award: BULAKNA by Leonor Noivo

Special mention of the Renaud Victor Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

High School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the High School Jury: MIRACULOUS ACCIDENT by Assaf Gruber

The Second Chance School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the Second Chance School Jury: JACOB’S HOUSE by Lucas Kane

Audience Award: LA JUVENTUD ES UNA ISLA by Louise Ernandez

International Competition Award: FUCK THE POLIS by Rita Azevedo Gomes

Georges de Beauregard International Award: FRÍO METAL by Clemente Castor

Special mention of the International Competition Jury: COBRE by Nicolás Pereda

French Competition Award: BONNE JOURNÉE by Pauline Bastard

Georges de Beauregard National Award: HORS-CHAMP, LES OMBRES by Anna Dubosc, Gustavo de Mattos Jahn

Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Award: DES MILLÉNAIRES D’ABSENCE by Philippe Rouy

Special mention of the Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Jury: L’AMOUR SUR LE CHEMIN DES RONCETTES by Sophie Roger

First Film Award: FANTAISIE by Isabel Pagliai

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: LOS CRUCES by Julián Galay

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

Claudia Cardinale Foundation Award: FERNLICHT by Johanna Schorn Kalinsky

Cine+ Distribution support Award in partnership with GNCR: MORTE E VIDA MADALENA by Guto Parente

Flash Competition Award: گل‌های شب ِدریا by Maryam Tafakory

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: A PRELUDE by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: CONTROL ANATOMY by Mahmoud Alhaj

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: LENGUA MUERTA by José Jiménez

Alice Guy Award: ABORTION PARTY by Julia Mellen

Renaud Victor Award: BULAKNA by Leonor Noivo

Special mention of the Renaud Victor Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

High School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the High School Jury: MIRACULOUS ACCIDENT by Assaf Gruber

The Second Chance School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the Second Chance School Jury: JACOB’S HOUSE by Lucas Kane

Audience Award: LA JUVENTUD ES UNA ISLA by Louise Ernandez

I can feel you breathing into my palm, I Can Feel You Breathing Into My Palm

Alexandra Karelina

70’

The three-part film takes place in a world inhabited only by women. A little girl lives with her mother, who always gets back home utterly exhausted. Over time, the mother’s body turns into stone. The girl walks through an old forest scarred by traces of a bygone war. She discovers an abandoned dugout, where she hears mysterious voices from the past. Her journey intertwines with that of other women from different generations, who in pursuit of higher ideals, make sacrifices that no one can truly appreciate.

Director’s statement

I Can Feel You Breathing into My Palm is an exploration of how female bodies carry the intergenerational impact of war, reinforced by political narratives of self-sacrifice. The story centres on a woman torn between private childhood memories – marked by both care and violence – and social demands from a state that appropriates her pain as ideological fuel. Blending fiction with Soviet newsreels from the 1930s to the 1970s, featuring new mothers in labour, schoolgirls, and factory workers, the film shows how war leaves indelible traces on women’s bodies, which they can pass on. I want to create a setting where the protagonist, driven by distress and political pressure, paradoxically pushes self-denial to the extreme, giving up her existence, body, and identity – and thus freeing herself from the heavy load of her legacy. Inspired by the echoes of WWII resonating through my family and the devastating impact of Russia’s war with Ukraine, the film unfolds as a poetic meditation on the trans-generational transmission of war trauma and the ways it affects women’s bodies and identities. The metaphor of turning into stone highlights the unseen burdens of female reality in an era of escalating conflicts, making it, in my view, a compelling and relevant work for global audiences today.

Technical sheet

  • Production:
    Eversince Gmbh (Pavel Karykhalin, Sergey Yakhontov : pavel@eversince.tv ; @ifp.ge)
    Denapa SAS (Vladimir Nadein, Anton Kurilchik : studio@vladimirnadein.com ; hello@denapa.studio)
  • Budget:
    163 600 €
  • Acquired budget:
    73 620 €
  • Funds:
     ENSAD Nancy Pause programme
  • Shooting countries:
    Georgia, France, Germany