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Sherwan Haji’s short film My Name Is Hope has won the main prize in the Love & Anarchy (Rakkautta & Anarkiaa) Film Festival’s R&A Shorts: National Competition. The jury considered the competition to be of a high standard and was unanimous in their selections.

The film captures the timeless struggle between oppressor and oppressed in an era where forgetfulness becomes the deadliest weapon against freedom. The powerful and moving storytelling of the film, shot inside a Syrian prison cell, impressed the jury: “We hope to see the director’s future works as soon as possible.”

Susani Mahadura’s Try Me <3 received the New Wave Award. The film is about three friends who meet up to take empowering portraits, as each of them has recently endured a difficult period in their life. The award is sponsored by the Finnish Film Foundation and is given for the production of the next film to "a new talent whose short film paves the way for new voices in Finnish cinema."

The audience was also able to vote for their favorite among all the competition films, and they voted exceptionally actively. The Audience Award went to Matalapaine (The Lightning Rod), directed by Helmi Donner. The film is a poetic horror drama about Irina and her grandmother, between whom unspoken words and pent-up emotions grow into a storm. Last spring, the film was selected to La Cinef, the official section of the Cannes Film Festival for short films made in film schools.

Congratulations to all in the film crews!