Chloé Zhao’s latest film Hamnet emerged as the standout winner at this year’s San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF), taking home both the Best Gala Film (Jury Award) and the Audience Choice Gala Award.

The adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare, portraying the grief and enduring love said to have inspired one of literature’s most celebrated tragedies.

Dual victory for Hamnet and recognition for Matter of Time

Hamnet’s dual recognition placed it firmly at the centre of SDIFF’s 2025 edition, which ran from October 15th to 19th. Meanwhile, Eddie Vedder’s music-infused documentary Matter of Time received the Artistic Director’s Award for its fusion of live performance footage and a personal exploration of the fight to cure a rare childhood disease.

According to festival organisers, this year’s selection spotlighted “stories of resilience, artistry and human connection,” spanning a broad international field.

Full list of SDIFF 2025 winners

Other award recipients included:

• Best Feature: Aontas (Ireland)

• Best Documentary: Standout: The Ben Kjar Story

• Best International Feature: Hello Mother (Mongolia)

• Best Ensemble: Fantasy Life

• Best Comedy: For Worse

• Best Women Film Series: The Fisherman (Ghana)

• Best Shorts Track: Charmingly Short

• Best Short Documentary: The Opening Address

• Best Short Narrative: Sally, Get the Potatoes

• Best International Short Film: Kong Kong

• Best Animation: Forevergreen

• Best Student Film: Echoes of the Wild

Audience-voted winners included Montenegro’s Obraz for Audience Choice Feature — also representing the country in the International Feature Film Oscar race — alongside Standout: The Ben Kjar Story and A Quiet Love, which shared Audience Choice Documentary honours. The Audience Choice Short award went to Rise.

A global spotlight for independent film

The festival’s Foreign Film Track, presented in partnership with the House of Pacific Relations, continued its mission to champion international storytelling. The collaboration also marked the House’s 90th anniversary as a cultural landmark in Balboa Park, representing 35 global cultures.

SDIFF closed with its Culinary Cinema programme on October 19th, hosted by Shawn Styles from CBS8’s Cooking With Styles. The event paired a gourmet buffet at the Capital One Café with a screening of Mads K. Baekkevold’s culinary drama The Chef & the Daruma.