On April 26, 2025, the International Auto Film Festa held its annual Award Ceremony to announce and celebrate this year’s winners. The event took place at AXIS GALLERY in Roppongi, Tokyo, and brought together nominated artists, industry professionals, media representatives, and a wide range of car enthusiasts from all walks of life.
Co-hosted with LeGarage, with Live Streaming Available
The ceremony was co-hosted with LeGarage, a lifestyle store for grown-ups who see cars as the ultimate toys. LeGarage recreated the vibe of their physical shop within the venue, adding a sense of playful sophistication and atmosphere that captured the imagination of guests.
Thanks to the support ofDigital Design Studio Inc., the event was also live-streamed, attracting many viewers from around the world.
Introduction of Special Awards
Two special awards were presented for the first time: the Team UKYO Award and the Best Cars of the Year Award. The segment began with an introduction to both awards, followed by the announcement of the winning works.
Former F1 driver Ukyo Katayama took the stage to present the Team UKYO Award, while Peter Lyon, a committee member, presented the Best Cars of the Year Award.
Team UKYO Award
SUBARU BRZ STI sport PURPLE EDITION
Director : 890
[Japan]
Best Cars Of The Year Award
VRIDEN – Snow Drifting In Sweden
Director : Oskar Albert Joakimson
[Kingdom of Sweden]
Introduction of IAFF 2025 Nominated Works
The 24 officially nominated films for IAFF 2025 were then introduced.
All nominated works are available on YouTube via the following playlist:
IAFF2025 Official Selection Playlist
Announcement of Media Partner Awards
Awards were also presented by our supporting media partners. In addition to the returning CAR GRAPHIC Award and 8speed.net Award, this year saw the addition of the PRONEWS Award.
Shinichiro Ehara and Tom Inokawa took the stage as representatives of the media partners.
CAR GRAPHIC Award
Guggisbärg
Director : Kathrin Wuescher
[Switzerland]
8speed.net Award
Pena’s Special Hauling
Director : Anssi Kasitonni
[Republic of Finland]
PRONEWS Award
Cope Cope Copen
Director : Sakashita Nobuyoshi
[Japan]
Announcement of Category Awards
Continuing from last year, two Excellence Awards were also presented:
Drama Category [Excellence Award]
Promotional Video Category [Excellence Award]
These awards were established to allow a broader and more diverse range of works to be recognized. IAFF Executive Committee members Masahiro Terada and Yoshiyuki Shimizu presented this segment.
Drama Excellence Award
NIGHT SHIFT
Director : Pranav Bhojwani
[United States]
Promotional Video Excellence Award
No award was selected for this category this year.
Announcement of IAFF 2025 Grand Prix
The Grand Prix is awarded to the work that received the highest overall score based on the jury’s scoring system.
IAFF 2025 received a record 499 entries from 73 countries. The following work stood at the very top:
Grand Prix Award
Memory Lane – A Love Letter to the Jaguar E-Type
Director : Nick Skinner – Bridge Classic Cars
[United Kingdom]
Introduction of Attending Directors
We were also honored to introduce the directors of nominated films who attended the event in person, each of whom shared a brief comment.
This year’s selection included a remarkably diverse age range—from junior high school students to university students and professional filmmakers. Notably, many of the international directors who submitted works were also quite young.
Closing Remarks from IAFF Ambassador & Partner
To conclude the ceremony, IAFF Ambassador Yumi Yoshida and Mr. Dai Watanabe from LeGarage, our co-hosting partner, offered their remarks.
Ms. Yoshida had a unique experience this year: she submitted her own film, which earned a nomination based on evaluations by international jurors.
A Reception Filled with Smiles
Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a casual and joyful reception. Attendees mingled freely, sharing stories and conversations throughout the evening.
