Brussels Independent Film Festival Wraps Up Another Successful Year, Honors Eleven Winners with Chocolate Prizes

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Brussels, 9 February 2026 - The curtains have closed on yet another edition of the Brussels Independent Film Festival. Spanning seven days, the festival showcased a total of 68 feature and short films hailing from 23 countries, nestled in the heart of Brussels at Cinema Aventure.

Kris De Meester, the festival director:
“Reflecting on this year’s edition of the Brussels Independent Film Festival, I feel above all a deep sense of gratitude. First and foremost, I want to thank the extraordinary filmmakers who entrusted us with their work—without them, there simply would be no festival. It was a privilege to welcome so many of them in Brussels and to hear the stories behind their films, which often proved as powerful as the works themselves.

I was particularly struck by Ryan Youngblood’s Nûr, a conflict-driven short film about the rise of ISIS in Congo, shot on the actual locations of the events and featuring survivors and escapees rather than professional actors. Equally moving was Glen Fulthorpe’s biographical documentary Hooked, an unflinching yet deeply humane journey into the legacy of heroin addiction within his family—an act of confrontation, healing, and ultimately hope.

One of the most emotional moments of the festival came during the acceptance of the Best Documentary Feature Film award for Inferior Shadows by Iranian filmmaker Ramin Khalighi. Unable to attend due to the unrest in Iran, the award was accepted by his sister, who dedicated it to all Iranian people who have lost their lives during the recent uprising. It was a reminder of how cinema can carry voices across borders when those voices are silenced at home.

On a more practical note, I also want to sincerely apologize to audience members for the lack of seating at certain screenings. We are grateful to those who chose to stay, even sitting on the floor, and we take full responsibility for anticipating this better in the future. The growing attendance is encouraging, but it also challenges us to do better—and we will.

This edition reaffirmed why we do this: not for glamour or scale, but for the urgent, human stories that independent cinema continues to tell.”

Eleven exceptional films were bestowed with edible awards, crafted from Belgian chocolate by the esteemed chocolatier Vandenbouhede. Handpicked by the jury panel, the following films emerged as this year's winners:

Best Narrative Feature Film

Glorious Summer (Poland) by Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak

Best Documentary Feature Film

Inferior Shadows (Iran) by Ramin Khalighi

Best Experimental Film

Giant's Kettle (Finland) by Markku Hakala, Mari Käki

Best Narrative Short Film

Two People Exchanging Saliva (France) by Alexandre Singh, Natalie Musteata

Best Documentary Short Film

Hooked (United Kingdom) by Glen Fulthorpe

Best Animated Film

Trump Pinochet (United States) by Gerald Habarth

Best Music Video

The Choolers : Capitaine T (Belgium) by Monsieur Pimpant

Best Belgian Documentary Film

Because We Are Born Girls (Belgium) by Maggie Lung

Best Belgian Narrative Film

Not Alone (Belgium) by Bruno Tracq

Best Underground Film

Burial (Belgium) by Faranak Nateghi

Best Connecting Cultures Film

NŪR (Congo) by Ryan Youngblood

Congratulations to all!

Last but not least, the Brussels Independent Film Festival wishes to say a special thank you to Cinema Aventure,  chocolatier Vandenbouhede, The Bigger Screen, The Tarkovski Grant, Final Cut Magazine, Connecting Cultures Program, TreePlan.org, and Whush, for their contributions in creating this wonderful event.

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