The 2025 Göteborg Film Festival have named the nominees for the Ingmar Bergman competition. The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award was established in 2007 by Ingmar Bergman himself, together with Göteborg Film Festival, when he served as the festival’s Honorary Chairman. The award celebrates innovation and artistic courage in filmmaking and is presented to a debut that captures the spirit of Bergman’s groundbreaking and existentially explorative artistry.
This year’s eight nominees represent an impressive range of perspectives, themes, and styles, featuring stories from various parts of the world. The selection group focuses on identifying the most exciting and personal debuts and favorites – some freshly completed, others having premiered in recent months. The Göteborg Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying film festival.
The jury includes Dea Kulumbegashvili, film director from Georgia; Kaltrina Krasniqi, a director from Kosovo and 2022 Bergman Award winner with Vera Dreams of the Sea; and Silje Riise Næss, Chair of the Board of The Bergman Estate on Fårö Foundation.
The nominees for the Ingmar Bergman Competition will be spotlighted during one of the evenings at Studio Draken, the festival’s talk show. The nominees are:
Cactus Pears
Original title: Sabar bonda
Directed by: Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
Country: India, United Kingdom, Canada
Then, the Fog
Original title: Después, la niebla
Directed by: Martín Sappia
Country: Argentina
The Land of Morning Calm
Original title: Achim bada galmaegeineun
Directed by: Park Ri-woong
Country: South Korea
Gülızar
Directed by: Belkis Bayrak
Country: Turkey, Kosovo
On Falling
Directed by: Laura Carreira
Country: United Kingdom, Portugal
Crocodile Tears
Directed by: Tumpal Tampubolon
Country: Indonesia, France, Singapore, Germany
The Last Romantics
Original title: Los últimos románticos
Directed by: David Pérez Sañudo
Country: Spain
Hanami
Directed by: Denise Fernandes
Country: Schweiz, Portugal, Cape Verde
The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award is awarded annually to a debut, or second feature film distinguished by its originality, artistic quality, and bold exploration of existential themes. It is presented by Göteborg Film Festival in collaboration with the Bergman Foundations – the Bergman Center on Fårö, the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, and the Bergman Estate on Fårö Foundation.
Previous winners include Andrea Arnold (Red Road), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Emma Dante (A Street in Palermo), Fernando Guzzoni (Dog Flesh), and Alice Rohrwacher (Corpo Celeste).