MOTELX 2025 Announces Méliès d’Argent Winners

With another successful edition behind us, MOTELX 2025 concluded its 19th edition in style. Over seven thrilling days, Cinema São Jorge once again became the ultimate temple of terror, hosting international genre films, industry events, and immersive experiences for audiences. As the festival came to a close, the winners of this year’s Méliès d’argent awards for Best European Feature and Best European Short Film were revealed.

And the Melies d’argent winners are…

The winner of the Méliès d’Argent Award for Best European Fantastic Genre Feature Film at Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival is “Her will be done” directed by Julia Kowalski.

In the bloom of youth, solitary Nawojka dreams of a future far away from the family farm where she works and spends her days. With Sandra’s return to her small community, Nawojka starts experiencing episodes of a hidden nature, similar to those of her deceased mother, as well as the manifestation of impulses she seeks to repress at all costs. “Hell is other people”, Jean-Paul Sartre wrote— a sentiment echoed by his compatriot, filmmaker Julia Kowalski, in this shadowy feature that screened at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. In this coming-of-age tale, framed by the horrors of a rural world ruled by men and their deadly games of denunciation that spiral into full-blown witch hunts, desire becomes the deadliest of sins, and redemption, an utter impossibility.

Jury statement:
“The Jury’s choice this year for the Méliès d’argent Award – Best European Feature Film – goes to a work that is captivating from the very first moment. The film leads us into the mystical and the unsettling in a remarkably organic way — never gratuitous, never obvious, but always with notable emotional depth and complexity. At first glance, the themes it explores may seem straightforward. But as the narrative unfolds, multiple layers of meaning are revealed, bringing to the surface a grotesque perversity far deeper than initially perceived. It is precisely this ambiguity — its refusal to provide easy answers — that makes the film more engaging and, above all, more powerful and visceral. This is not just a film — it is a challenge, a confrontation, a provocation to reflection. It asks us: What is it that we should truly fear? For its bold narrative, its haunting atmosphere, and the emotional and psychological intensity it evokes, the Méliès d’argent Award for Best European Feature Film is presented to: Her Will Be Done (Que ma volonté soit faite)“

Jury

Miguel Honrado Miguel Honrado holds a degree in History from FCSH, at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and a postgraduate degree in Curatorship and Exhibition Organization from ESBAL/Fundação Gulbenkian. Since 1989, he has been active in cultural production and management, taking part in major national and international projects,including Europália, Expo 92, and Expo 98. He has maintained a close connection with contemporary dance, served as Artistic Director for Teatro Viriato, and chaired both EGEAC and Teatro Nacional D. Maria II. From 2016 to 2018, he was Secretary of State for Culture. He has also served on the Board of the Fundação Centro Cultural de Belém, and is currently Executive Director of Metropolitana.

Rui Alves de Sousa Rui Alves de Sousa has been a voice on Antena 1 since 2022, presenting the programs “De Olhos Bem Fechados,” “Pranchas e Balões,” “Mortinhos por Sair de Casa,” and “A Hora da Pop.” He previously worked in publishing, the music industry, film production, and health communication. He also created the podcasts “À Beira do Abismo,” “Escolhe Tu!”, and, more recently, “Imperdoável.” He has written for several websites, and is one of the new editors at À Pala de Walsh. He has also performed stand-up comedy and theater, with new plays currently in development.

Cristiana Miranda Cristiana (Lisbon, 1983) is a director and producer. She studied Media Studies (Film) at the University of Westminster, in London, where she began her career with short films for the Discovery Channel. She quickly gained international recognition in advertising, directing campaigns for Johnnie Walker, McLaren, NOS, Super Bock, L’Oréal, and working with stars such as Fernando Alonso, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, and Lewis Hamilton. In 2013, she founded her production company Playground, producing award-winning campaigns in Portugal and abroad. Her best-known works include the commercial Chuva de Azeitonas (Oliveira da Serra), the acclaimed futsal women’s national team film, and the TV series “Princípio, Meio e Fim” (SIC).

The winner of the Méliès d’Argent Award for Best European Fantastic Genre Short Film at MOTELX is “Amarelo Banana” directed by Alexandre Sousa.

Another sleepless night leads a man to a strange community living in his building. He quickly finds himself fascinated by this unusual group of people who, in order to escape an oppressive urban reality, have chosen to surrender completely to a life of absolute illusion.

Jury statement:
“For its masterful and original approach to creating a unique and macabre universe; For its skill in building expectations and evoking emotion through a well-developed script and excellent editing; For its impeccable aesthetic and a superb, understated sound design that elevates the world of the film; And for the surprising and profoundly unsettling sensation resulting from the viewing experience, the jury awards the prize for BEST EUROPEAN SHORT to: Amarelo Banana, by Alexandre Sousa (2025, Portugal / Hungary).“

Jury 

Cláudia Jardim She is the co-artistic director of Teatro Praga, where she works as a creator and performer. She has also established creative partnerships with Patrícia Portela, Cão Solteiro, and Plataforma 285. Other highlights include her translation of Heiner Müller’s “Quartet” and directing several workshops at Teatro Viriato, Fórum Dança, CNB, and Escola Dança e Arte in the city of Praia (Cape Verde), as well as at associations such as A Avó Veio Trabalhar, Universidade da Terceira Idade da Junta de Freguesia da Misericórdia, and Mais Skillz, among others. She regularly collaborates with visual artists Vasco Araújo, Javier Nuñez Gasco, João Pedro Vale, and Nuno Alexandre Ferreira. She was part of the cast of João Pedro Rodrigues’ film “Fogo Fátuo”. In 2023, she published “O Diário de William Shakespeare”, co-authored with Diogo Bento, Sara & André, and Sara Mealha.

Teresa Vieira With a master’s degree in Communication and Arts (FCSH/NOVA), Teresa Vieira is currently the artistic director for BEAST — International Film Festival. A film critic, she also works as a cultural journalist for Antena 3 and as the Portuguese correspondent for Cineuropa, while contributing a monthly column to À Pala de Walsh. She collaborates with several film festivals as a guest programmer, and occasionally takes on the role of DJ (“soft”).

Manuel Baptista He began his career in 1994, at SIC, later joining Multicena as an assistant to Jorge Paixão da Costa, and subsequently working as a director at Endemol. From 2006 onwards, he focused on developing online projects in the Algarve and establishing a multi-camera team in the region. In 2014, he founded the Loulé Film Office at the Loulé City Council, which he has coordinated ever since. He is also the founder of Monstrare — International Social Cinema Exhibition, Algarve Film Week, and the initiative “Filmes com Estrelas — Cinema Português ao Ar Livre” (Films with Stars — Portuguese Cinema in the Open Air). He is a member of the Portuguese Film Academy.