The 10th Annual Global Short Film Awards gala was one of the most sought after events in Cannes in May 2025. Held concurrently with the Cannes Film Festival, the gala was a delightful evening celebrating film, fashion and beauty, with music, entertainment, and gourmet delights. The breathtaking view of Cannes harbor from the rooftop of the prestigious Canopy Hilton was the backdrop for the unforgettable occasion.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award to Cuba Gooding, Jr. Mr. Gooding is a well-known major Hollywood actor and winner of an Academy® Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the hit movie Jerry Maguire. He has been in many other major films including A Few Good Men, Gladiator, As Good As It Gets, Norbit and Linewatch. He portrayed Dr. Ben Carson in the film Gifted Hands and OJ Simpson in the FX drama The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. He has also appeared in several Broadway and West End theater productions, has been nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by Emmy-award winning actor and producer Vincent DePaul, who is appearing with Mr. Gooding in the upcoming film A Line of Fire.
A luxury fashion show by designer Andres Aquino – who is also the founder of the Global Short Film Awards – showcased an ethereal collection of luscious hand-printed silk designs celebrating nature and colorful birds from around the world. The collection was styled by Vietnamese fashion powerhouse Cory Couture Productions and featured exquisite hair and makeup styling by the Giuseppe Barra team from Italy. The models included top beauty queens and award winners from many countries, including a group from Prestige Models in Cyprus. This year’s Top Model Award was presented to Sarah Larissa Bruns, a rising star in the field and Miss Germany World 2024. Her experience was documented by RTL TV, one of Germany’s major media outlets.
The fashion portion of the evening also included the showing of a curated selection of menswear creations by rising New York fashion designer Majid Desire.
“Over ten consecutive years, we have cemented our position in Cannes as the most significant short film awards event gala,” says Global Short Film Awards Founder and Director Andres Aquino. “The winning films were selected from dozens of great entries by talented filmmakers from more than 80 countries. We are proud to have achieved this milestone and to bring recognition to these exceptional projects.”
The 2025 Global Short Film Awards winners:
Best Film: Awake
Best Director: Rossano B. Maniscalchi, Nexus
Best Actor: Niklas Agild, Awake
Best Actress: Tind Soneby, Awake
Best Animated Film: Bo and Trash (Spain)
Best Dance Film: Paolo and Francesca (UK)
Best Documentary: It’s Not Dark Yet (Italy)
Best Drama Film: Awake (Sweden)
Best Fashion and Beauty Film: Nexus (Italy)
Best Music Film: The Crumpled (Iran)
Best Science Fiction Film: Triskaidekaphobia (USA)
Outstanding New Film: Echoes by Shubhra Goyal
Wine for the evening was sponsored by Sip Channe, and the wine label’s founder Kavita Channe also co-hosted the event with Vincent DePaul. Ms. Channe is a multi-talented entrepreneur widely recognized for her role as an acclaimed TV host and producer across the sports and entertainment industries, including the NFL, Fox Sports, HBO, VH1 and TLC.
Enhancing the gala was entertainment by singers Yvonne Spark, Lubovnicca and tenor Massimo Cims. DJ Somnous provided the music vibe. International press covered the event.
A special afternoon of film and winning trailer screenings was held the day before at the Loho Auditorium at the Eden Hotel and Spa in Cannes, in partnership with a film project organized by Professor Karl Bardosh of New York University.
