A total of 33 feature films and five short film compilations were screened at the festival, alongside 14 events.

The award for best Estonian genre film went to the historical thriller "Vari" ("The Shadow"). Directed by Jaak Kilmi, the film follows poet Juhan Liiv as he investigates a series of mysterious murders in his hometown in 1894.

"The gripping plot keeps the audience engaged and thinking and the acting is masterful. The filmmakers successfully created an atmosphere that was both period-appropriate and mystically foggy, which complemented the story perfectly," explained the jury, which included Lääne County Coeducational High School students Kaspar Plans, Karen Loorens, Kaspar Kants, Marie Linda Nerman and Kristofer Kaabel.

The jury named "Ära ole uhke" ("Don't Be Proud") by Elis Rumma as the best short Estonian genre film. Created as a graduation project at Tallinn University's Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, the film is based on Piret Raud's short story "Pink."

"Despite having few events, the film conveyed an enormous amount of meaning. It created a pleasantly uncomfortable feeling that compelled viewers to watch to the end. A brilliant concept executed with excellent craftsmanship," the jury stated.

The audience chose Irish director Aislinn Clarke's folk horror film "Fréwaka" as its favorite. It was followed by Norwegian director Viljar Bøe's body horror film "Above the Knee" and Toomas Aria's action film "Justice 3."

For the fourth time, the audience award was determined using an interactive online platform that allowed viewers to share their reactions — scary, sad, gross and awesome. "Fréwaka" received the highest number of responses. The grossest film was "The Ugly Stepsister," the saddest was "U Are the Universe," the scariest" was "Fréwaka" and the most awesome was "Justice 3." Among the short films, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School student Johanna Viskari's "Augusti karjäär" (play on words: "August's Quarry" or "August's Career") received the most audience reactions.

The European short fantasy film competition, named after Georges Méliès, was won by Portuguese filmmaker Gonçalo Almeida's sci-fi film "Atom & Void."

"This film is not only a remarkable technical feat but, like all great science fiction, also a deep exploration of human nature and an unsettling reflection on our future and the control we exert over the universe," said the jury, which included Hardi Volmer, Katrin Sangla, Anna Hints and Laurence Boyce.

The winning film will now compete for the Golden Méliès award for the best European fantasy film.

Special mentions went to French director Mark Middlewick's romantic fantasy drama "Crave" and Spanish directors Santi Amézqueta and Héctor Zafra's animated film "Paradise Buffet."

The festival's best sci-fi film award, the Navigator Pirx, is headed to Ukraine. It was awarded to Pavlo Ostrikov's "U Are the Universe," a galactic love story set among the last humans in a post-apocalyptic cosmos.

"The film was at once ordinary and fantastical, entirely human and profoundly inhuman, wildly humorous yet tragic, playing on the full range of emotions. The outstanding acting tied all these elements together, resulting in a superb film that leaves no one indifferent," said the jury, which consisted of Veiko Belials, Ene Kallas, Jüri Kallas and Kalver Tamm.

This year's HÕFF, held for the 20th time, attracted more than 5,800 film enthusiasts — surpassing the previous record, set in 2019, by 400 attendees.

Festival director Helmut Jänes expressed heartfelt thanks to the audience. "I am especially delighted that we celebrated our 20th anniversary with such a result, which reflects the trust of our viewers. We've gained a new audience that, true to our motto, is not afraid — even horror screenings ended with happy faces. In terms of emotion, this was certainly the best HÕFF ever," he said.

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