Filmmaker Hanna Hulda Hafþórsdóttir has been awarded the second annual prize, which honors the legacy of Icelandic filmmaker and producer Eva Maria Daniels, who died in 2023. As the 2025 Daniels prize winner, Hafþórsdóttir will receive industry mentoring and 1.5 million Króna to put towards her next project.
Hafþórsdóttir’s winning short, “In Rhythm,” is described as a “poignant coming-of-age film that follows a young girl’s journey to reconnect with her childhood best friend through their shared passion for dance, ultimately revealing the bittersweet beauty in letting go and embracing life’s inevitable transitions.”
“In our second year honoring Eva Maria Daniels, it was a lively deliberation with many excellent contenders,” said jury chair and Daniels’ long-time producing partner Riva Marker. “But ultimately we were won over by Hanna’s short lm, In Rhythm, which showed echoes of early Andrea Arnold in its naturalistic and urgent exploration of girlhood.”
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival Sets May 28 Opening Night and Lifetime Tribute to Director Costa-Gavras
The 19th edition of the festival will be held across 6 days, from May 27 to June 21. The nonprofit organization brings filmmakers from Greece and Cyrpus, as well as films about Greece, to Southern California. The Festival will host the 11th Discovery Days forum, which gives filmmakers an opportunity to “workshop their feature film projects.”
The 2025 edition of the LAGFF will also present a lifetime tribute to director Costa-Gavras.
“We are thrilled and honored to present the lifetime achievement Orpheus Honorary award to Costa-Gavras, the legendary icon of world cinema,” said LAGFF artistic and festival director Aristotle Katopodis. “His presence highlights LAGFF’s 19 years showcasing Greek cinema’s impact and aspirations worldwide. Culture, social issues, identity, dreams, and personal stories continue to inform the cinematic landscape that Greek and Cypriot filmmakers choose to explore.”
Costa-Gavras will receive the 2025 Honorary Orpheus Award at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on the festival’s opening night May 28. The event will also feature a screening of Costa-Gavras’ 1969 film “Z.”
Friday, April 11
Gravitas Ventures to Release ‘The Lost Princess’ on Digital and VOD
Gravitas Ventures has acquired romantic action thriller “The Lost Princess” and is set to release the film May 13 on digital and VOD platforms.
The film is directed by Hicham Hajji and follows American billionaire Alec Touati as he’s transported via an ayahuasca trip to Morocco, where he meets Hanna and learns about “her mother’s tragic tale of an arranged marriage and a secret affair,” per the official logline.
“We’re thrilled to add ‘The Lost Princess’ to our diverse slate,” Kevin Scheid, Gravitas Ventures’s sales manager, said in a statement. “The film combines an international appeal with thrilling drama, stunning visuals and passionate storytelling. Hicham Hajji has created a film that not only delivers a thrilling adventure but also touches on universal themes of love and sacrifice, making it a story that will stay with audiences long after the credits roll.”
The film won best cinematography at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. Ayoub Lamrani was the cinematographer.
Hajji penned the script with Jean-Daniel Camus and Jonathan McConnell. The cast includes Cillian O’Sullivan, Gary Dourdan, Soraya Azzabi, Eric Roberts and Robert Knepper.
“At its core, ‘The Lost Princess’ is about the search for identity—how our past shapes who we are, and how we navigate the complexities of self-discovery,” Hajji said in a statement. “It’s a film that blends adventure and emotion, and I’m happy to be partnering with Gravitas Ventures, who share our vision and believe in the film’s potential to resonate with U.S. audiences.”
Thursday, April 10
Atticus Ross to Receive BMI Icon Award for His Film and Television Scores
Atticus Ross will receive the BMI Icon Award — which recognizes his composition work for film and television — at the BMI Film, TV and Visual Media Awards on May 14.
The awards will be held in Beverly Hills. Mike O’Neill, BMI president and CEO, and Tracy McKnight, BMI vice president, creative, film, TV and visual media, will host.
Ross, working with Trent Reznor, has composed the scores for Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” and “Queer,” David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and “Gone Girl” and Trey Edward Shults’s “Waves,” among other films. The pair also scored the HBO series “Watchmen.” Ross also composed the score for “Shōgun,” collaborating with his brother Leopold Ross and Nick Chuba.
“Atticus Ross’ unique ability to merge innovative sounds with cinematic storytelling has left an indelible mark on the industry, and we’re thrilled to recognize his extraordinary talent and achievements with the BMI Icon Award,” McKnight said in a statement. “His exceptional contributions continue to inspire and shape the future of music in film and television.”
Ross has previously earned 19 BMI awards. Past BMI Icon Award winners include Alexandre Desplat, Ramin Djawadi, Rachel Portman, James Newton Howard and John Williams.
Tuesday, April 8
Diego Luna to Host Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards
Diego Luna is set to host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on April 29.
The “Andor” actor and executive producer will present 14 achievements at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. In addition to reprising his role as Cassian Andor from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in the upcoming “Andor” Season 2, he received a Golden Globe nomination for the limited series “La Máquina” and has appeared in “Y Tu Mamá También,” “Frida,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Narcos: Mexico” and the upcoming “Kiss of the Spider Man” alongside Jennifer Lopez, which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to his acting work, Luna has also directed several films, including “Cesar Chavez” and “Mr. Pig,” and co-founded the Mexican production company La Corriente del Golfo.
The 14 achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards, represented by 37 individual recipients, have demonstrated a record of added value to the motion picture industry. They will also be presented with an Academy Award of Merit as a recognition to individuals who have developed or supported captioning technology in film.
Scientific and Engineering Award honorees include Jayson Dumenigo for the development of the Action Factory Hydrogels aimed at fire stunt safety; Thijs Vogels, Fabrice Rousselle, David Adler, Gerhard Röthlin and Mark Meyer, for the creation of Disney’s ML (machine learning) Denoiser, which has been adopted for animation and CGI; and Nir Averbuch, Yair Chuchem and Dan Raviv for Sound Radix’s Auto Align Post 2 for blending of multiple moving microphones during postproduction.
In a previously released joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said: “As part of the Academy’s mission to celebrate artistry and innovation in filmmaking, we are honored to recognize the exceptional contributions of this year’s Scientific and Technical Awards recipients.”
Previous hosts include Natasha Lyonne, Margot Robbie, Jason Segel, Patrick Stewart, David Oyelowo, John Cho, Leslie Mann and Nia DaCosta.
