Roll out the red carpet - the overall winners of the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025 have just been revealed during a glittering ceremony at the historic Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
Over 250 people made it to this glitzy celebration of emerging cinematic talent from across the globe - filmmakers, industry professionals and Sony Pictures executives were all in attendance. A wave of well-tailored suits and glamorous gowns descended upon the Scenic Arts Building, a gentle hum of excitement permeating the air.
The Scenic Arts Building itself holds a lot of creative history - giant backdrops had been created in this location in iconic films such The Sound of Music, North by Northwest, Mary Poppins, Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Interstellar, and The Wizard of Oz.
Denny Directo, an Emmy-winning presenter who has graced the stage since the inaugural edition of the awards, kicked off the ceremony with an energetic introduction.
We also had the honour of welcoming the President of Sony, Hiroki Totoki, as well as the CEO of Creo, Scott Gray, who have both emphasised Sony’s and Creo’s commitment to nurturing and elevating new voices in filmmaking.
Earlier this year, we announced the winner of Future Format, Bijan Gashti, who couldn’t be at the ceremony with us. His trophy was picked up by Shamsu Sajeer, Head of Digital image at Sony Middle East & Africa.
The first category winner to be revealed was Student - congratulations to Hayder Hoozeer & Franz Böhm for Rock Paper Scissors, a short film based on a true story about a father and son operating a makeshift hospital at the frontline.
The duo from the United Kingdom and Germany are students at the National Film & Television School in the UK. They were presented the award by Tatsuhito Tabuchi, Vice President, Senior General Manager of Imaging Products & Solutions Business Group at Sony Corporation.
The Animation trophy was awarded to Chilean filmmakers, Santiago O'Ryan and José Navarro for Hermanos Casablanca (Casablanca Brothers) by Minhal Baig, one of this year’s judges and a filmmaker behind acclaimed features We Grown Now and Hala, as well as a story editor for Bojack Horseman.
Their film follows two shellfish divers Antonio and Gabriel Casablanca who are asked to find the body of an army officer’s son during the Pinochet dictatorship.
The Non-Fiction trophy was awarded to British filmmaker Juliet Klottrup for Travelling Home. The trophy was presented to Juliet by Elizabeth Gabler, a member of the jury and the President of 3000 Pictures, a multi-media division at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Klottrup’s film Travelling Home follows Joe Cannon Snr., an English Romany Traveller and retired farrier, as he reflects on his heritage and makes his annual journey to Appleby Fair in Cumbria, UK.
For the final announcement of the evening, the Fiction category was awarded to Colombian filmmaker Rossana Montoya for My Demon. It was presented by Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker and a member of this year’s jury, Jason Reitman (Saturday Night, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno).
Once again huge congratulations to Rossana Montoya (Fiction), Juliet Klottrup (Non-Fiction), Santiago O’Ryan & José Navarro (Animation), Hayder Hoozeer & Franz Böhm (Student) and their cast & crews. Being selected as a winner from over 11,750 films by more than 7,500 creators across 158 countries and territories submitted to the 2025 edition is an incredible feat.
This year’s jury shared thoughts on the winning entries:
“It is truly exciting to look toward the future of filmmaking through the eyes of this incredible group of winners. As new custodians of the craft, each of them brings a particular vision that challenges the status quo as well as breathing new life into the stories we tell. The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards are not only about recognizing this talent — they’re about supporting and empowering those who will shape the industry for years to come, and we are eager to see how they continue to redefine the cinematic landscape."
The Fiction, Non-Fiction and Animation winners each receive Sony Digital Imaging equipment ideal for filmmakers and $5,000 cash prizes. The Student winner and their university each receive Sony Digital Imaging equipment.