Liberations directed by Laurynas Bareiša has won the top prize at the 2026 Berlinale Co-Production Market.
The feature won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, worth €20,000, which went to Lithuania’s afterschool production.
Bareiša’s two previous features are Pilgrims, which won the Venice Horizons prize in 2021, and Drowning Dry, which collected two prizes at Locarno in 2024, including best direction.
This year’s jury members were Pablo Pérez de Lema (ICAA, Spain), Ioanna Stais (Heretic, Greece), and Jonas Dornbach (Komplizen Film, Germany).
A further three cash prizes were awarded to feature film projects at the market, which ran February 14-17.
The second edition of the Gen Z Audience Award, worth €5,000, went to Cura Sana directed by Lucía G. Romero and produced by Filmax’s Laura Fernández Brites and Sendy Palomino Vivar. The jury was made up of five film students from German and French film universities and is targeted at a feature aimed at audiences aged 20-29.
The VFF Talent Highlight Award worth €10,000, supporting a promising project from the Talent Project Market, went to Simon Jaqueme’s The Most Romantic Man In The World which was pitched by producer Olga Lamontanara of 8horses, Switzerland.
The ARTEKino International Award went to Lotus Feet by Amanda Nell Eu, produced by Ghost Grrrl Pictures from Malaysia. The €6,000 award is presented to an “artistically outstanding project” from the co-pro market.
At this year’s edition, the producers of 34 feature projects met with potential co‑producers and financiers.
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