The 15th edition of international digital film festival Marseille Web Fest wrapped up earlier this month, handing out 11 awards to exemplary online-first series.
The fest, which ran Oct. 9-11 in Marseille, France, showcased 29 fictional and documentary features from creators of nine different nationalities. Along with screenings of each contending series, it offered workshops, conferences, masterclasses and roundtables with industry experts. Discussions this year focused on short-form content, “new digital writing styles,” video podcasts, legal advice for creators, and generative AI, organizers say.
Submitted series were judged by French TV exec Anne-Sophie Maxime, writer Marine Gacem, and documentary director Damien Miloch. Organizers say their judging was “particularly close” this year, “as the 2025 selection was distinguished by its demand and creativity.”
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Judges were particularly complimentary toward Grand Jury Prize winner Sam, by Iranian creator Yazdan Tabrizi. The webseries follows three women–Sadaf, Azadeh, and Mona–living in modern Tehran and share “universal experiences of love, heartbreak, conflict, and reconciliation” despite the “stringent legal restrictions that permeate their society.”
Judges also gave a nod to Focus, which won for Best Web Documentary. Made by creator Agathe Breton, Focus chronicles interviews with premier female athletes Ysaora Thibus, Magda Wiet-Hénin, Élodie Clouvel, Marie Patouillet, and Madeleine Malonga, all talking about the pressures of being at the top. Maxime, Gacem, and Miloch said Focus received its award for “its sensitivity, sincerity, and the strength of its perspective on reality.”
The complete list of winners included…
International Selection Winners
- Jury Grand Prize: Sam, by Yazdan Tabrizi
- Best Director: Moonbird, by Nathan Maynard
- Best Screenplay: Buried, by Charlotte George and Miriam Glaser
- Best Performance: Miriam Glaser in Buried
- Best Original Score: Sadra Imanpour for Sam
Web Documentary Selection Winners
- Best Web Documentary: Focus, by Agathe Breton
French Selection Winners
- Best French SACD Series (tied): The Cart Before the Horse Syndrome, by Marion Lefeuvre, and El’sardines, by Zoulikha Tahar
- Best Director: Breathe Hard, by Arthur Fanget
- Best Screenplay: Kaouther Adimi and Zoulikha Tahar for El’sardines
- Best Performance: Mathieu Coniglio in Mojo, by Charlie Fargialla
- Best Original Score: Thibault Dolmeta for Super-meuf, by Grégoire Lenoir
Episodes of all competing series will remain free to the public on Marseille Web Fest’s official website through Nov. 10, 2025.
The fest will return next year–and between now and then, its organizer Imago Production is working on other projects, including the recently debuted PIXEL.IA, a two-day conference about storytelling in the age of generative large language models.
The first PIXEL.IA was held last month in Nice, France, and brought in speakers including The Man in the High Castle creator Franck Spotnitz, Brotherhood of the Wolf director Christophe Gans, Blueberry director Jan Kounen, and The City of the Lost Children director Marc Caro, plus producers from studios Pathé, Banijay, and Dramanation.
