Rúnar Rúnarsson's O takes home the Danzante Award in Spain

Rúnar Rúnarsson's short film O, starring Ingvar E. Sigurdsson, was awarded the DANZANTE Award this past weekend, the top honor at the 53rd Huesca International Film Festival in Spain. The film is directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson and produced by Heather Millard.

This recognition is especially significant because the Huesca Film Festival is an Oscar-qualifying event, meaning the award grants the film eligibility for the 2026 Academy Awards shortlist.

The jury of the International Competition awarded the prize to O for its raw emotional depth and visual poetry. The film, which portrays the psychological intimacy of a man in crisis in just 20 minutes, is praised for its formal and narrative mastery: “The film offers a sensitive and subtle immersion, where every gesture carries great weight,” the jury noted.

“We're, of course, over the moon to receive this incredible news,” said producer Heather Millard. “It's been quite a journey. Rúnar was nominated for an Oscar back in 2006 for The Last Farm, which followed shortly after winning the DANZANTE Prize in 2005 for that very film. We premiered both When the Light Breaks and O, last year, and it's been an extraordinary year for both. We're incredibly proud of all the amazing people who worked on these films and made them a reality.”

O premiered at the Venice Film Festival in the fall of 2024. Since then, it has screened at numerous international festivals. This is the film's eleventh award and it is also shortlisted for the 2025 European Film Awards.