Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025 Best Documentary and Best of Fest winner: JD Donnelly’s The Hold
YORK’S Aesthetica Short Film Festival has concluded its landmark 15th anniversary edition by announcing 2025’s award-winning filmmakers: a new generation of talent poised to shape the future of screen culture.
For 15 years, Aesthetica has been the home of new voices in film, where tomorrow’s BAFTA and Oscar nominees and winners are first discovered.
Across five transformative days, from November 5 to 9, York welcomed filmmakers, delegates and industry professionals from more than 60 countries worldwide, underscoring the BAFTA-qualifying festival’s significance as an international platform for storytelling and creative exchange.
This year’s winners, selected from more than 300 films spanning 15 categories, represent the best in innovation, creativity and emotional storytelling. Audiences were reminded that the filmmakers, writers and artists celebrated here are the stars of tomorrow, destined to become household names on the international stage.
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025 Best Director: Reiff Gaskell for Cuerpos
2025 Award Winners
Genre awards:
- Best Advertising: Swimming With Butterflies – Karl Stelter
- Best Animation: Wild Animal – Tianyun Lyu
- Best Artists’ Film: Mother Company – Alexandros Raptotasios; Konstantinos Thomaidis
- Best Comedy: Dating In Your 20s – Lily Rutterford; Lucy Minderides
- Best Dance: Spoken Movement Family Honour – Daniel Gurton
- Best Documentary: The Hold – JD Donnelly
- Best Drama: El Corazón – Oscar Simmons
- Best Experimental: We Will Be Who We Are – Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda
- Best Fashion: Fugue – Nastassia Nikè Swan Yin Winge
- Best Family Friendly: Girls Together – Christie Arnold
- Best Music Video: Tank – Garath Whyte
- Best Thriller: Scope – Emma Moffat
- Best VR & Immersive: Xian’er (Chinese Immortals) – Fang Zhou
- Best Game: Blue Prince – Dogubomb
- Best Feature (Documentary): Torn – Kullar Viimne
- Best Feature (Narrative): Disremember – Matthew Simpson
- Best Podcast: Reality Looks Back – Anne Jeppesen
Craft & special awards:
- Best Director: Cuerpos – Reiff Gaskell
- Best Cinematography: Baby – Simisolaoluwa Akande
- Best Editing: No One Really Knows Me Well – Gaia
- Best Screenplay: Giants – Alex Oates, Andy Berriman
- Best of Fest: The Hold – JD Donnelly
Festival Highlights: Five days of creativity, performance and innovation
A Global Programme of Film
Aesthetica 2025 screened more than 300 films across multiple venues, representing genres from drama and documentary to experimental work and immersive VR projects. Filmmakers from around the world attended in person, sparking conversations and collaborations that extended beyond the cinemas into York’s streets and cafés. The festival’s international scale reinforces its role as a launchpad for talent on a global stage.
Masterclasses and industry insight
THE festival’s Masterclass series offered audiences unparalleled access to industry leaders, including:
- Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
- Jasmin John (Adolescence, Boiling Point)
- Mick Audsley (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire)
Industry organisations such as Aardman, BBC, Film4, Framestore, The New York Times, ITV, Industrial Light & Magic and Ridley Scott Associates shared insights into directing, screenwriting, post-production and the creative use of emerging technologies.
Beyond the Frame: Live performance, comedy & music
York Theatre Royal played host to live events and performances:
- Comedy Night with Sophie Duker & Friends, featuring Eleanor Tiernan and Bella Hull.
- Silent Cinema with Live Score, featuring Louise Brooks in 1928’s Beggars Of Life accompanied by bass player Mark Kermode’s band The Dodge Brothers and Neil Brand.
- Mark Kermode in Conversation with Surround Sound co-author Jenny Nelson, exploring the role of music in film storytelling.
- The New Music Stage, showcasing ten emerging acts, with Universal Music A&R and singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti attending.
The poster for Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025
Immersive & Interactive: The EXPO, VR & Games Lab
THE VR & Games Lab pushed the boundaries of storytelling through interactive and immersive media. The Podcasting Lounge celebrated excellence in audio storytelling, while the York UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO highlighted cutting-edge innovation across digital media, visual effects and design. Workshops for children and teens in filmmaking, animation, and coding nurtured the next generation of creative talent.
UK Film Production Summit
THE UK Film Production Summit, held at The Grand, York, brought together more than 150 leading production companies, development executives and commissioners. Chaired by Ridley Scott Associates, discussions explored The Future of Production: Scripted, Unscripted, Film, TV & Streaming, with sessions on AI, virtual production, global streaming and investment models.
Mark Herbert, CEO of Warp Films, delivered a keynote speech on independent storytelling and the future of British production, joined by representatives from BBC Films, Film4, Working Title, Paramount, Clerkenwell (Baby Reindeer), Scott Free and many more.
Festival director Cherie Federicosaid: “Aesthetica is about discovery, ambition, and possibility. Over five days, York becomes a place where the next generation of talent is seen first, where ideas collide, and where creativity thrives across every discipline – from film and music to VR, games and podcasts.
“This festival is the beating heartbeat of the UK’s creative sector, a space where innovation, culture and storytelling converge, shaping the future of our industry.”
Continuing online
AESTHETICA 2025 continues online until November 30, offering audiences the chance to catch up on all the films, see the winners and discover the brightest and boldest talent in screen from around the world. This digital extension ensures the festival’s creativity, innovation and international spirit can reach audiences across the UK and globally. Visit: www.asff.co.uk.