Audience Award Winners 2024
Did you know that all UK premieres and short films are eligible for audience awards at the Cambridge Film Festival?
Every year, we ask the wonderful Cambridge Audience to score the films they see at the Festival. After working through over 2,300 votes, we’re thrilled to announce this year’s winners!
BEST SHORT FILM:
From over 40 short films in competition this year, a foreign language animation for children and families scored an incredible 4.66 out of 5 to take home the Audience Award for Best Short Film. Huge congratulations to MAGIC CANDIES from director Daisuke NISHIO.
CFF Shorts programmer Abby Pollock:
"As the Shorts Programmer for the 43rd edition of the Cambridge Film Festival, I am thrilled that Magic Candies, directed by Nishio Daisuke has won this year’s audience award. This beautiful short film, presented in Japanese, explores themes of friendship, family, and magic, resonating deeply with audiences of all ages. It’s especially inspiring to see a foreign language film celebrated by such a diverse audience, reflecting an evolving appreciation for subtitled cinema among English-speaking viewers. We are truly pleased to award Magic Candies this prize, and we congratulate the entire team for creating such an enchanting and moving story."
Honourable Mention: At the other end of the short film spectrum and close behind MAGIC CANDIES in audience voting, director Franz Bohm’s ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is a powerful story about a father and son running a makeshift hospital in a warzone who face a tough choice when enemy soldiers approach.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
It’s always a delight when the audience responds to a documentary with an important or challenging message. When that is (for the second year in a row) a film from CFF’s Environmental Strand, it is particularly heartening. THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD, by director and guest of the Festival Ben Judkins is an engaging documentary that shines a light on the well-being of our oceans. Told from the point of view of surfers from around the world, the film offers us a unique perspective on the challenges and possibilities we face to protect our seas and the marine life they are home to and offers hope and advice on what we can actually do in an age of greenwashing and shoulder shrugging from many of those responsible for environmental damage.
It is a mark of the person and his love of film that director Ben Judkins's immediate reaction to winning the Audience Award was:
“I don't think mine was the best documentary, but I'm honoured.”
Following up with:
“Thanks again, y'all, " I am SO THRILLED AND HONORED to have won the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary. So glad I came out, met all of you, connected with the audience — I’d do it all over again! Only regret is not punting while in Cambridge — next time!”
Everybody at CFF is delighted for Ben, and we look forward to seeing what comes next for the documentarian.
BEST FICTION FEATURE:
Tereza Kotyk's NEBELKIND—THE END OF SILENCE rounds out this year's audience awards and proves that films can resonate with audiences and festival juries at the same time! Fresh from securing the Golden Punt Jury Award for Best Discovery Title, NEBELKIND—THE END OF SILENCE now takes home our audience award for best fiction feature as well. A beautiful and visceral feature with an incredible central performance from Klara Meliskova, NEBELKIND, which had its international premiere at CFF, is a worthy winner and an absolute Festival highlight.
In addition to her kind words about winning the Golden Punt, Tereza Kotyk had this to say about securing the audience award:
“The day can’t get any better … It truly moved me (winning the Golden Punt), and it is incredible to see now that this film has moved both the jury AND the audience. This is superb!”
Find out more about the Golden Punt Jury award and this year's Youth Lab Jury winner!