The Ealing Film Festival People’s Choice Award is a prestigious annual honour, awarded to the film that receives the most audience votes during the festival, celebrating the public’s favourite selection from the year’s screenings.

After counting several hundred votes, the winner was BonBon Track in Cyprus, directed by Olkan Erguler. In second place was Alleged, directed by Joe Foster, and in third place was Rocket Girl, directed by Anna Cottrill.

The people have spoken and they have made their choice! We received more than six hundred votes for the films we screened online at the end of our 2023 festival. And we can reveal that the winning film – the People’s Choice – is SKIVE, directed by Corinna Elleschild, from Bristol.

This coming-of-age film tells the story of a teenage boy and girl who meet up while they are playing truant from school. Corinna studied filmmaking at the University of the West of England and is an admirer of the social realism approach of directors like Ken Loach. She says she hopes SKIVE will speak to the younger generation about their current concerns.

In second place is Double Down, written and directed by Emir Yener. Emir has just completed a BA in Film at the University of Westminster. His entry is a
cautionary tale about a young man with a serious gambling addiction.

In third place is If…Then…Now (Si seulement…peut-être) written and directed by Anne Kmetyko from Montreal in Canada. She was awarded a Master’sdegree in Cinema from the city’s university. Her film tells the story of a man’s desperate search for his soulmate, who is swept away by a tsunami.

Many congratulations to all the filmmakers who sent us their work, and to everyone who showed their support by voting for their favourite film.

Wolf by Nicolas Mouren.

Breach by Mia El Chaar.

I wait for the dawn Luca Pappalardo, Italy

Congratulations to Luca Pappalardo, whose film ‘I wait for the dawn’ has won the People’s Choice award! Luca is a 19-year-old student from Sicily, living in London while he studies filmmaking at MetFilm School.His stylish film, shot in black and white, was a finalist in the Student category, and received a special mention from our judge Rebecca Harris for its fine cinematography.

Almost three thousand votes were cast for the People’s Choice. The runners-up included Roller, Nude Triumphant, Ava’s Silence, and Manifesting a Monster. Well done to everyone…we hope to see you back for our 2021 festival!