TRANSILVANIA 2023 Awards
Like a Fish on the Moon scoops the Transilvania Trophy

by Mariana Hristova, Cineuropa
June 19, 2023

The first Iranian film to win Transilvania’s official competition impressed the jury with its original idea, while European victors included Family Time, Between Revolutions and Day of the Tiger.

The director of the Iranian movie Like a Fish on the Moon, Dornaz Hajiha, turned out to be the big winner during the 22nd Transilvania International Film Festival awards gala, which took place on Saturday evening at the Lucian Blaga National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca.

In the jury’s citation, Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco highlighted “the originality of its premise, the power of its performances, and the intelligence with which it explored very difficult subject matter,” describing “Like a Fish on the Moon” as “a film that resonated long after it ended.” (Variety)


Like a Fish on the Moon director Dornaz Hajiha receiving the Transilvania Trophy from jury member Michel Franco and special guest Geoffrey Rush.

“It’s such an honor to get this award and thank you for your amazing speech. I was so moved, and I’m so happy that I’m getting this award from Geoffrey Rush. And I was so happy that all the members of the jury understood this film like this,” Hajiha said.

“I really think that it doesn’t matter if you’re a five-year-old kid or a 50-year-old woman. If you are being forced to do things, even if it feels normal, you only feel suffocation and you feel trapped. And you might remain silent,” Hajiha added.

As usual, the Transilvania Trophy was endowed with €10,000. The work of the cast was also singled out: actress Sepidar Tari, as the protagonist, won the Best Performance Award (€1,000), splitting it with Nacho Quesada, who plays the lead role in the Argentinian film The Barbarians. Taking into account the victories by the helmer of the Argentinian-Brazilian drama Charcoal, Carolina Markowicz, who picked up the Best Director Award (€3,500), and Tia Kouvo, who snagged the Special Jury Award (€1,500) for Family Time (Finland/Sweden), a new record has thus been set, since for the first time in the history of the festival, the most important awards went to women.



Between Revolutions (Romania/Croatia/Qatar/Iran) by Vlad Petri was crowned Best Feature Film in the Romanian Days competition, having been picked by the jury for the strong emotions it elicits in viewers. The director will receive a prize of €1,500, plus analogue laboratory services worth €10,000, offered by Cinelab Romania. The fictionalised poetic documentary also received the FIPRESCI Award, while Andrei Tãnase’s Day of the Tiger (Romania) was named Best Debut, a prize endowed with €1,000.

The winner of the second iteration of the What's Up, Doc? competition was Anhell69  (Colombia/Romania/France/Germany) by Theo Montoya, a meticulously documented story of a generation that has to deal with violence in the Colombian city of Medellín. The prize is worth €2,000.

This year’s special guests Oliver Stone and Geoffrey Rush were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards.


Like a Fish on the Moon – Dornaz Hajiha (Iran)



Here is the full list of awards handed out at the 22nd edition:

Main Competition

Transilvania Trophy
Like a Fish on the Moon – Dornaz Hajiha (Iran)

Best Director
Carolina Markowicz - Charcoal (Argentina/Brazil)

Special Jury Prize
Family Time  – Tia Kuovo (Finland/Sweden)

Best Performance (ex aequo)
Sepidar Tari - Like a Fish on the Moon
Nacho Quesada – The Barbarians (Argentina)

Lifetime Achievement Awards
Oliver Stone
Geoffrey Rush

Romanian Days competition

Best Feature
Between Revolutions  – Vlad Petri (Romania/Croatia/Qatar/Iran)

Best First Feature
Day of the Tiger  - Andrei Tãnase (Romania)

Special Mention for a Feature Film
Eagles From Țaga  – Iulian Manuel Ghervas, Adina Popescu (Romania/Slovakia)

FIPRESCI Award
Between Revolutions  – Vlad Petri

Best Short Film
Our Summer Break – Lara Ionescu (Romania)

Special Mentions
Berliner Kindl – Lucia Chicoș (Romania)
Whole Family – Alexandra Diaconu (Romania)

Audience Award
Carbon  – Ion Borș (Moldova/Romania/Spain)

Excellency Award
Horațiu Mãlãele

What’s Up, Doc? competition

Best Documentary
Anhell69 – Theo Montoya (Colombia/Romania/France/Germany)

Special Mention
100 Seasons  – Giovanni Bucchieri (Sweden)