"Faith. Love. Hope. These are nothing more and nothing less than the spiritual pillars of civilisation formed in the Christian tradition. But we were convinced by the courage and radicalness with which the author brought these three spiritual powers into dramatic questioning. We found the horrific consistency with which this story of the fight between good and evil is told to be both thrilling and lasting. We experience the willingness to be a victim in a person beyond any sense of heroism or romantic glamorisation. This is troublesome. And that is why it is stimulating. The author succeeds in using simple means to open our eyes to what the human soul, for better or for worse, will always be: a puzzle. And we left the theatre with this feeling: damned and without redemption, but not entirely hopeless."

"The jury was unanimously delighted by 'Short Term 12'. Destin Cretton succeeded in making that rare work of art that tells a sad story in a manner that is not only suspenseful, but also as complex as its colourful characters necessitate. He discovered faces that leave a distinct impression, actors who capture the empathy of the audience and hold it to the very end."

"The themes of our times are what define this film: rural exodus and impoverishment, exploitation and poverty in the Moloch of overcrowded metropolises. Director Sean Ellis filmed this story in a language that is foreign to him - and yet still always manages to hit the right tone. He is emotional, yet never impassioned; poetic, yet never tawdry; raw without any hint of cynicism. A social drama that becomes a thriller, breathless and unstoppable. "Metro Manila" deserves to be seen by many. This film belongs in the cinema."

"Roman Polanksi reaches the highpoint of his artful staging of psycho duels, which he began more than fifty years ago with "Knife in the Water" ("Nóz w wodzie"), with his film "Venus in Fur" ("La Vénus à la fourrure"). Polanski realised a masterful adaptation of Leopold Sacher-Masoch's intimate power and role-playing games with the ingenious actors Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric."

"We chose 'Felix' because it is a film that address a variety of topics such as racism and family conflicts. It also shows how important it is to pursue your dreams. We especially liked the wonderful South African jazz music that is interwoven throughout the film. Felix also deals with serious subjects in a humorous and understandable way."

"This film is about AIDS in developing countries and the fight for affordable medicine. The western pharmaceutical industry prevents the manufacture of generic (affordable non-brand name) drugs and decides who may live and who must die. The omnipotence of the industrial associations (in this case the WTO - World Trade Organisation) is very well researched and made appallingly clear. A film that serves as a call to arms." Tied with Dast-neveshtehaa nemisoosand (2013).

"Iran in the 1990s. We follow two secret service agents who are out to spy on, torture and murder their fellow men. A quiet, dark and fully concentrated journey into the absolute despair of living under a totalitarian regime. The universal political message is the existence of the film itself. The fact that it exists shows that it is possible to live a self-determined life even under the most horrendous of circumstances and to create an epic work." Tied with Fire in the Blood (2013).