Two first films by Georgia’s Akaki Popkhadze and Italy’s Edgardo Pistone triumph at the film competitions. A special mention goes to Nora Arnezeder, star of Hell in Paradise by Leïla Sy
The jury for the international competition, headed by writer, director, producer, and author Santiago Amigorena and made up of Actress Giulia Maenza, actress and filmmaker Donatella Finocchiario, musician Roberto Pischiutta, aka Pivio, and writer and director Paolo Strippoli, have bestowed the 2025 Black Panther Award at the 35th edition of Noir in Festival on:
Brûle le sang (In the Name of Blood) by Akaki Popkhadze
The jury has released the following statement:
“In the Name of Blood is a vibrant mosaic tinged with the hues of blood and the sea, a story of human bonds in Nice as you have never seen it, soiled and violent, transformed by the crime movie genre. The heart of the film is the two brothers’ relationship, rekindled by the thirst for vendetta, against a backdrop of social unrest and a devastating loss. The filmmaker’s raw visceral style is paired with an internal rhythm that reveals his surprising maturity on his first film.”
In the Name of Blood will have a repeat screening tomorrow, Saturday, December 6th, at 6 pm in the Cinema Arlecchino.
The jury also awarded a special mention to:
Nora Arnezeder, the star of Hell in Paradise by Leïla Sy
releasing the following statement:
“The repetition of events sends viewers into an obsessive loop of fear and anxiety that Nora Arnezeder manages to convey with consummate skill and remarkable intensity. The jury’s Special Mention hence goes to the star of Hell in Paradise, Nora Arnezeder.”
On the Italian front, the Claudio Caligari Award for Best Italian Film Noir of the Year, created by Noir in Festival together with IULM and Cinecittà News and now in its tenth year, was also handed out. The people’s jury, composed of young students and film fans, as tradition holds; headed by Giulio Sangiorgio (IULM delegate per la selection); and coordinated by Maurizio Di Rienzo together with film experts Anna Maria Pasetti and Nicole Bianchi (for Cinecittà News); has selected a winner from among the six titles on the shortlist:
Ciao Bambino by Edgardo Pistone
Noir in Festival will be back in 2026, but this coming spring will see it put in another appearance in Milan, thanks to the Lombardia Film Commission, which supports the second edition of the Giorgio Scerbanenco Award for Cinema. This is a film industry accolade honoring the noir genre in fiction, film, and TV series, with the presentation of film or TV series projects based on novels shortlisted or else semi-finalists for the Scerbanenco Award, before an audience of audiovisual professionals who will decree the winner.
