Danny Boyle's 'Ink' Takes Top Prize as Evolution Mallorca Marks 15th Edition

By Elena Vasquez

Danny Boyle's "Ink" has won Best International Feature Film at the Evolution Mallorca Film Festival, which closed its 15th edition on Nov. 4 after drawing more than 10,000 attendees from over 23 countries. Paweł Pawlikowski took Best Director in the international feature competition for "Fatherland," and Jordan Firstman's "Club Kid" won Best Debut Feature after serving as this year's buzzy opening-film gala screening.

The festival ran Oct. 31–Nov. 4 and screened more than 140 films. It hosted nearly 400 filmmakers from around the world. Four guests received career awards: "Black Swan" cinematographer Matthew Libatique, "Conclave" director Edward Berger, "Inglourious Basterds" star Diane Kruger and "Triangle of Sadness" actress Iris Berben. In plain terms: a five-day island festival now attracts a global industry audience four times the size of many established European events.

Festival founder and director Sandra Lipski said: "Celebrating our 15th anniversary with more than 10,000 attendees from over 23 countries and nearly 400 filmmakers from around the world is a source of immense pride."

"Professionals from the United States, Canada, Peru, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark and many other countries have spent these days sharing experiences and projects with Balearic audiovisual talent," Lipski added. "We have achieved our goal of strengthening the audiovisual industry in the Balearic Islands and connecting its professionals with the international filmmaking community. 15 years on, those connections are what inspire us to keep growing."

Who won what?

The full competition results:

• International Feature Films: Best Film, "Ink," Danny Boyle; Best Director, Paweł Pawlikowski for "Fatherland"; Best Cinematography, "Primavera," Daria D'Antonio.
• Debut Features: Best Debut Feature, "Club Kid," Jordan Firstman; Best Director, "Pretty Babies," Tyler-Marie Evans; Best Cinematography, "The End of It," Andrés Arochi.
• International Short Films: Best Short, "Everest," Jon Lange; Special Mention, "Good Morning (Some Kind of Prayer)," Diogo Brito; Best Cinematography, "Khufu," Mahmoud Assi; Special Mention for Cinematography, "Oneiros," Cal Ola.
• Made in Baleares Short Films: Best Short, "Gamberra," Marine Auclair March; Best Cinematography, "Gamberra," Simón García.
• International Documentaries: Best Feature, "Miss Jobson," Amanda Sans Pantling; Best Short, "La Metro," Amanda de Godoi; Special Mention, "The Hardest Working Man," Aaron Cassara.
• Made in Baleares Documentaries: Best Feature, "Amílcar," Miguel Eek; Best Short, "Utopus," Jordi Nadal Perelló.
• Emerging Talent and Special Formats: Best New Talent Short, "Dirt," Isabella Speaight; Best Experimental Short, "What Do You Know About Us," Enzo Paredes Díaz; Best Music Video, "Marcha," Ruben Do Valle.
• Screenplay Competition: Best Feature Screenplay, "Under the Same Sky," Isabella Rose; Best Short Screenplay, "Cuando Caen Los Árboles," Marina Oliveros Verdejo.
• Special Awards: Evolution Icon Awards 2026 for Iris Berben and Diane Kruger; Cinematography Icon Award 2026, Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS; Evolution Vision Award 2026, Edward Berger; Evolution New Talent Award 2026, Pau Aulí.

How did the juries line up?

Spanish actor and producer Marc Clotet ("This is Not Swden") presided over the debut features jury alongside cinematographer Dani Sánchez López, AEC, and actress Neus Cortés. Titus Gust and actress Maria Drăguș judged international features. Producers Alanna Sampietro and Paulo de Sousa and filmmaker Alex Arroyo judged international shorts.

Filmmakers Regine Richards and Gregory Kirchoff judged the Made in Baleares short categories. Daniel Sol composed the Made in Baleares short jury. David Auerbach served on the Made in Baleares documentary jury. Clara Donoso assessed New Talent, experimental film and music video categories. Marina Wagner, Ferran Bex, Joe Eddy, Llorenç Ramis and Kit Hopkins formed the screenplay jury.

What role did local industry play?

The Made in Baleares platform, a showcase and networking program, presented 44 projects connected to the Balearic Islands, including screenplays in the Script Club competition. The showcase included the world premiere of Juan Sut's "Torna." The festival closed with a gala screening of "The End of It," directed by María Martínez Bayona.

The Cinematography Focus sidebar cemented the event's status as a destination festival for cinematographers, with talks and workshops plus discussions on co-production, distribution, women's leadership in the audiovisual sector and sustainability. Participants included Valentina Caniglia, Kim Magnusson, Gabriela Ortega and Matthew Libatique.

Program highlights also featured Stefanos Tsivopoulos's "Elena's Shift," Russell Goldman's feature debut "Sender," produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tyler-Marie Evans's "Pretty Babies."

"The program has received an extraordinary response, with sold-out screenings at CineCiutat, the Rívoli and the Estudi General Lul·lià," Lipski said. "But one of this edition's greatest achievements has been the strength of its industry events: the Script Lab, the Cinematography Focus workshops, and conversations with Edward Berger, Diane Kruger, Iris Berben and Pau Aulí. This combination of cinema, training and professional exchange reflects the identity of Evolution Mallorca."

Clotet attended the closing ceremony alongside "Pretty Babies" director Tyler-Marie Evans, "Sender" helmer Russell Goldman, and actors Marten Semmelrogge, Josep Orfila and Neus Cortés. Pedro Vidal, Regional Secretary for Culture of the Government of the Balearic Islands, and Andreu Ferrer, Island Director of Culture at the Consell de Mallorca, also attended.

With attendance up across screenings and industry events, Evolution Mallorca enters its second decade positioned as both a regional industry engine and an international destination festival.