Director Óliver Laxe’s cinematic odyssey, Sirât, earned the top honor at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, taking home the prestigious Sirât Gold Hugo Winner award in the International Feature Film Competition. The French-Spanish co-production was lauded by the jury for its visceral, genre-defying vision. The film follows Luis and his son, Esteban, on an increasingly desperate search for their daughter/sister, Mar, who disappeared in the mountains of southern Morocco.
The emotionally charged road movie contrasts the vast, alien landscape of the Moroccan desert with the pulsating, raw energy of a massive, underground techno rave. This hypnotic sensory experience finds a father and son distributing missing person flyers as they pursue the only lead: following a group of ravers deeper into the burning wilderness. Their journey becomes an existential reckoning, forcing them to confront personal limits and hidden grief.
Adding to its critical success, the Sirât Gold Hugo Winner has been making waves on the international festival circuit. It previously earned the Jury Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, cementing Laxe’s reputation as a daring and radical filmmaker. Critics have universally praised the thriller for its stunning cinematography and its ability to blend raw human drama with an overwhelming soundscape.
Winning the Sirât Gold Hugo Winner award ensures a higher profile for the film as it moves into wider distribution. Laxe’s masterpiece, co-written with Santiago Fillol, is an unforgettable modern-day pilgrimage that transcends the threshold between life and death. The festival’s highest award celebrates Sirât as one of the year’s most significant achievements.
