‘Flow’ Cleans Up At 2025 Emile Awards, ‘I Died In Irpin’ Takes Top Short Honors

The Emile Awards, Europe’s top ceremony dedicated to animated filmmaking, took place on November 16 in Tallinn, Estonia, where Flow added to its historic legacy and Anastasiia Falileieva’s I Died in Irpin strengthened its resume heading into awards season.

This year’s ceremony recognized outstanding achievements in categories ranging from writing and character design to sound and music, culminating in the prestigious Best of the Best honors for both feature and short films.

One of this year’s unique highlights was the unveiling of the 2025 Emile Awards trophy, designed by Estonia’s Nukufilm Studio. The design pays tribute to Heino Pars’ classic film Nail (1972), and marks the centenary of one of Estonia’s animation pioneers.

The Emile Awards are organized by the European Animation Awards Association (EAA), which was established to honor the legacy of animation trailblazers Emile Reynaud and Emile Cohl. Nominees are selected from winners of qualifying European festivals, and a committee narrows the field to five finalists in each category. The final winners are chosen by a dedicated jury.

In addition to the competitive awards, the ceremony also preempts the awarding of the Lotte Reiniger Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual’s exceptional contributions to the art of animation. The recipient will be revealed during the Black Nights Film Festival on November 21.

2025 Emile Awards – Winners List

• Best Animation in Feature Film:
  Sultana’s Dream, Isabel Herguera
• Best Soundtrack in a Feature Film:
  Flow, Gints Zilbalodis
• Best Backgrounds & Character Design in a Feature Film:
  Flow, Gints Zilbalodis
• Best Writing in a Feature Film:
  Pelikan Blue, László Csáki
• Best of the Best Feature Film:
  Flow, Gints Zilbalodis
• Feature Film Nominee:
  Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds, Benoît Chieux
• Best Backgrounds & Character Design in a Short Film:
  Joko, Izabela Plutcinska
• Best Sound Design & Music in a Short Film:
  Winter, Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki, sound designer Michal Fojcik
• Best Animation in a Short Film:
  Wander to Wonder, Nina Ganz
• Best Student Film:
  Pear Garden, Shadab Shayegan
• Best of the Best Short Film:
  I Died in Irpin, Anastasiia Falileieva