The jury is pleased to award the first prize for Best International Film to Sultana’s Dream for its imaginative and striking use of animation. The film creates a captivating, dreamlike world that bridges different times and places, highlighting both the ongoing oppression of women and the power of fantasy to imagine a more equitable future.

Herguera’s choice to use three different styles of animation enriches the film’s narrative. The collaboration with Mehndi artists adds a cultural layer, visually connecting the film to the original Bengali text of Sultana’s Dream. Reviving Rokeya Hossain’s 1905 feminist vision, the film not only imagines Ladyland – a utopia where women rule and men are confined – but also brings forgotten voices like Hossain’s to modern audiences.
The sound design and music balance the film’s playful and serious tones, further increasing the film’s emotional impact. Blending fantasy, interior worlds, testimony and realism, Sultana’s Dream offers a powerful and well-crafted exploration of gender, history and imagination.