The jury of the Palermo Independent International Film Festival
proudly announces the laureates of the February 2026 season.
Dir. Michel K Parandi
In the near future, twins Bax and April struggle to survive on the fringes of a decaying city. When April disappears without explanation, Bax plunges into the city's criminal underworld, unsure whether he's uncovering the truth or losing his mind.
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Dir. Giulio Novelli
Diego and Giovanni, inseparable friends, face the battle against the degenerative illness shaping Giovanni's life, always finding a reason to joke. Through laughter, tears, and moments of deep connection, they know their bond is about to face the most painful farewell.
Dir. Salvatore Bongiorno
A family fleeing the bombings seeks shelter in an abandoned farmhouse. In the dead of night, a mother weaves a magical tale inspired by Sicilian mythology to soothe her children's fears — a story that will haunt them for a lifetime.
Dir. Louis Momméja
At his own birthday, Moody only wants one thing: to escape the party he never wished for. But chasing him down, wanting to know if he liked his gift or not, his friends force Moody to choose what he wants in life.
Dir. Chris Darril
Lana Benton, threatened by the gelid Mr. Kyn, must confront bizarre creatures between the human world and a mysterious kingdom as she follows the last traces of her best friend who escaped from the austere Bunny Hall orphanage.
Dir. Bill Haney
Narrated by Mark Ruffalo, this inspiring story follows Phil Sharp's journey from a Kentucky farm boy to Nobel laureate — whose 1977 discovery of RNA splicing rewrote the rules of molecular biology and ignited a life-saving scientific revolution.
Dir. Lino Palena
A Japanese woman lives unknowingly caught between the grind of a monotonous job and a secret life she leads at night. On the brink of an emotional collapse, she becomes aware of the deep rift that divides her into two distinct personalities.
Dir. Ioan Gavriel & Anja Franziska Plaschg
To look at the outside world from your hideout, while madness reigns around you. Two relationship models, two spheres of consciousness, collide — leaving behind hollow shells clinging to themselves while wandering off into the dark night.
Dir. Francesco La Mantia
Set in a Sicilian context, CIUNNA — dominated by the monotony of a marriage that cages him — decides to clumsily take action, unleashing a series of paranormal events that will bring him, ironically, back to square one.
Dir. Don Scardino
Jake Watson has been on the road for ten years since his wife passed away. When his grown son dies, he comes home to a life he walked out on. One rainy afternoon he picks up Catriona Walsh — a Nashville singer with her own secret.
Dir. JAMIL NAJJAR
Inspired by a true story — Jad follows the journey of Ahmed, whose life is turned upside down when his brother falls into a critical state. Trapped in an overcrowded public hospital, Ahmed discovers a reality he had never truly perceived before.
Dir. Sasha Beauregard, Markos Mavroleon, Isabel Nash
Four unruly volcanology students arrive at Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna, to test G.L.A.D.I.S — their prototype eruption prediction device. But as their priorities shift and romances simmer, all readings point to catastrophe: guaranteed.
Dir. Clement Lefer
In the Seto Inland Sea, the abandoned post office of Awashima was transformed into a sanctuary for undelivered letters. At 91, postmaster Katsuhisa Nakata continues to care for these fragments of memory — a cinematic meditation on time, absence, and words that may never be read.
Dir. Don Scardino
Catriona sets his poems to music, and Jake begins to heal — as they both find their way home.
Dir. Chris Darril
A dark animated fairy tale — with an original soundtrack that transports the audience between the human world and a mysterious kingdom.
Dir. Don Scardino
One ride becomes a two-week road trip. A story of loss, healing, and finding your way home — with a screenplay the jury unanimously celebrated.
Dir. Elisa Adelaide Faccioni
The ticking metronome marks the days of Adele and her daughter Sara. Adele suffers from Alzheimer's and is not ready to admit it. But even when memory fades, the heart continues to remember — though its form is imperfect.
Dir. Tom Logan
Sally dreamed of finding hidden treasure. What she found was more than she bargained for.
Dir. Remi Gangarossa
Before the world knew her as a legend, Marilyn Monroe endured a childhood marked by trauma and a career shaped by relentless pressures — as she confronts her past and wrestles with what it means to be enough.
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