The winners of the inaugural Gold Rush Pictures Berlinale Talents Lab Awards have been revealed, with projects by emerging directors Marcel Beltran, Subarna Dash and Aliaksi Baloyan selected by a jury from a pool of 18 projects.
Each winner receives a grant of €5,000 ($5,820), as well as support for their stay at the currently ongoing Cannes Film Festival.
The awards are organized by independent international production company and financier Gold Rush Pictures (GRP) in partnership with Berlinale Talents, the filmmaker development program of the Berlin International Film Festival.
The awards were judged by a jury appointed by GRB, made up of British screenwriter and director Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Hot milk, She said), Austro-German author and producer Feo Aladag (When we leave, between worlds) and German director and producer Tom Tykwer (Light, run, Lola, run). The awards will be presented at the Berlinale Talents Rendezvous, which brings together more than 100 graduates of the program in a special event hosted by ARTE and Berlinale Talents.
“The awards represent the growing collaboration between GRP and Berlinale Talents, with GRP also becoming a co-partner of Berlinale Talents from 2027 and 2028, marking the first time an independent production company has supported the Berlinale Talents Lab as a co-partner,” the partners said.
Vladimir Zemtsov, Founder of Gold Rush Pictures, said: “We partnered with Berlinale Talents because they are a vital engine of artistic discovery – and we are very proud to share the first three winners under this grant. Marcel, Subarna and Aliaksi are all exceptionally talented, each bringing a distinct voice and projects full of potential – and it is a great honor to support their films as they come to fruition, and to welcome them to Cannes this year.”
“The Gold Rush Pictures Berlinale Talents Lab Awards celebrate projects where a distinctive artistic voice meets real urgency,” the jury said at the inaugural honors ceremony. “From a strong and diverse field of 18, the jury selected three films that combine bold vision, emotional precision, and a clear sense of authorship. These are the films that transform personal stories into resonant cinematic experiences.”
Here are more details from the judging panel about the winners.
Light fluctuations(Director Marcel Beltran)
“An engaging and highly innovative archival documentary by Marcel Beltran that interrogates the power of images and the fragility of authorship. Through an approach that allows a silent artistic voice to re-emerge, it moves between memory, erasure and reconstruction, exploring the moment when image-making itself becomes a threat, when the system the artist helped shape turns against its creator. With striking contemporary relevance, the project speaks directly to our current moment of contested images and censored narratives. Rich in wonder and mystery, it provokes Profound questions about society, art, and heritage, and promises a film of intellectual and emotional depth and lasting impact.
sitter (Director Alexi Baloyan)
“Aliaksi Baloyan’s stunning, deeply human portrait of a woman pushed to the edge by political and economic realities beyond her control. As politics and love collide, the film traces a journey marked by resilience, heartbreak, and the impossible choices forced upon women in extremism. We were blown away by its originality and urgency. It promises to be intimately intense, while being epic and universal in its subject matter.” sitter It resonates deeply and has the ability to translate lived experience into powerful cinema.
In the heat, on the loop(Director Subarna Dash)
“A bold, exhilarating animated project by Subarna Dash that leaps off the page and announces a unique cinematic voice. It unfolds as a highly exciting blend of genre, style and self-exploration. With its stunning authenticity, emotional depth, passion and innovative visual language, it promises a surprising and deeply personal film. Full of stunning color and sensuality, it’s a stunning, powerful and beautiful vision that we’re eager to see fully realized on screen.”
