Prizes totaling $70,000 were awarded to promising new talents from around the world , as part of the closing session of the 13th Edition of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab, at the Venice Production Bridge.
10 projects were pitched in front of an international jury including chief of staff of the Berlin International Film Festival- Florian Weghorn, The FFF Bayern co-head of funding- Judith Erber and Austrian producer Arash T. Riahi, who awarded prizes in the amount of $70,000.

The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab $50,000 Grand Prize, donated by the Beracha Foundation was awarded to “Don’t be a Stranger” by Fillipe Fernandes. Producer - Dora Amorim.
The jury statement read: “Intimacy pervades this project at every take: with its strong characters caught between longing and loss; in the profound depiction of life and love; and even in the portrayal of the everyday working life of someone who is, in the true sense of the word, a deeply caring person. All these elements come together in a film project of the utmost urgency for the director and the team, for the societies in which diversity is increasingly at threat - and hopefully, also with this award, very soon for a worldwide audience”.

The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab Emerging Filmmaker Award in the amount of $20,000 was granted to “Thei night will be White” by Nir Guilat, Producer- Eviatar Moncaz.
The jury statement read: “We decided to award the second prize to a film that not only has a great premise but also promises a celebration of child-like innocence within a society full of pain and trauma. A film that makes us laugh and cry at the same time, a film that embraces the beauty of going after our dreams no matter how banal they might seem for other people. A film that surprises us again and again. A film that brings light to the darkness of the night”.

A special mention from the jury was given to a third project- “Milah”, by Amos Holtzman. Producer Talia Bernstein. The jury statement read: “The quality of all projects was so high that we would have loved to award all of you. However after careful discussions we decided to make an exception and announce a special mention to a story that represents the best of Israeli filmmaking. A film that dares to talk about taboos in the society with complexity and still allow us to laugh about those traumas, even if it’s a trauma about a piece of a penis. Through its human approach Milah has a huge potential to generate and fire up discussions about who owns our bodies: tradition or our own will”.

For the first time in its 13-year history, the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab held its final pitching event as part of the Venice Production Bridge during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

Dana Blankstein Cohen, executive director of the Sam Spiegel School: "In these horrific times, our moral compass compels us to voice the urgent need to end the war immediately. Holding the Lab’s pitching event in Venice underscores the importance of film havens worldwide - safe, creative spaces where filmmakers gather, exchange, and launch films that envision a more compassionate and secure world for all. We carry a creative responsibility to empower Palestinian and Israeli students and filmmakers, to protect freedom of speech, and to preserve the collaborative work of film between creators from diverse backgrounds".

Mor Eldar, Director of the Sam Spiegel Labs adds: “10 Projects from all over the world and from various religions- Christians, Muslims and Jews, shared 8 months of thorough development process together, which culminated in one of the world’s most important film festivals. While working on their first or second films they demonstrated again the power of film to connect people, behind the scenes and in front of the camera”.