The Jury, composed of Ljubica Beljanski-Ristić, Andrea Gotovina, and Aleksandar Švabić, after thorough consideration and collective reflection on all festival performances, has reached the following decisions and statements regarding this year’s awards.
- CLOUD (OBLAK)
The Cloud Award, presented for a stage work whose completeness and artistic integrity make it the central and most distinguished ornament of the “Theatre Sky of PUF,” is awarded to: JE_BURNT OFFERING performed by 99 Art Company (South Korea)
The performance is, in every sense, a representative achievement in the aspiration to create a new Korean dance language that connects tradition, contemporaneity, and the exploration of the ontological value of human existence. Its concept is clearly and powerfully established, providing a solid foundation and a distinctive performative quality. The live musical accompaniment significantly enriches the atmosphere, creating a strong sonic identity that permeates the performance. A profound respect for both art and performance tradition is evident throughout, drawing the audience ever deeper into an experience that becomes almost meditative.
JE_Burnt Offering succeeds in creating a sense of ritual that transcends its cultural origins and becomes universal, speaking to the shared human condition. Every theatrical element builds upon the previous one, gradually unfolding and connecting everyday life with the elevated dimension of ancient ritual. The liberating interplay of movement, rhythm, sound, and contemporary ritual performance redefines the notion of the burnt offering, translating it into the experience of modern
humanity—people consumed by repetitive routines and the gradual loss of meaning in their own lives. By paying tribute to arduous and demanding labour, the performance delivers a powerful message about the longing for, and necessity of, preserving meaningful time in the pursuit of a life worthy of human dignity. - WIND (VJETAR)
The Wind Award, presented for research-oriented artistic achievements that anticipate change and bring fresh perspectives to the “Theatre Sky of PUF,” is awarded to: BALL performed by KTO Theatre (Poland)
This performance establishes, from its very beginning, a clear and compelling atmosphere of a dance and musical ritual. It is a work of contemporary dance overflowing with energy, whose hypnotic character intertwines the rhythms of both past and present. It is a grand, polyphonic and richly layered story about dance, told passionately and dynamically through an abundant musical selection, a constantly transforming scenography, evolving costumes and props, and remarkable combinations of gestures, details and expressive theatrical imagery. Ball unfolds as a sequence of dance episodes spanning diverse musical genres and historical periods, without relying on a conventional linear narrative. Throughout the performance, the ensemble remains entirely present and deeply committed to the material, demonstrating exceptional physical discipline and remarkable performative precision. The intergenerational cast radiates strength, cohesion and accuracy within a multilayered structure that appears deceptively simple, yet demands unwavering concentration and sustained energy. The result is a visually striking and highly effective transformation that becomes a unique choreographic chronicle of the circulation of energy within human relationships. Through a constant counterpoint of wildness and tenderness, surrender and restraint, rhythms and dreams, unexpected outbursts of love, rivalry, emotional collisions and the fleeting nature of ecstatic moments, the performance ultimately confronts us with the harsh realities of life and the enduring consequences of crises, conflicts and war. - DROP (KAPLJA)
The Drop Award, presented for an individual or collective achievement that, through its distinctive contribution, heralds renewal and leaves a lasting mark on the “Theatre Sky of PUF,” is awarded to: OBJECT TRANSITIONS INTO SUBJECT #SPINE created and performed by Nikolina Komljenović (Croatia)
The space of this performance is the body. Its time is the here and now, in which the author exposes her own physicality and pain, intertwining the physical and the mental, the external and the internal, while exploring impossibility as possibility. The body is not treated as an object but as a space of continuous transformation, where subjectivity reshapes itself into an expression of inner reality. The performance becomes a journey toward reclaiming the body as subject and as freedom, an act of raising one’s voice that grants the subject public visibility. The slowness of movement and the simple, deliberate actions of bending and stretching—rendered intensely painful by the deformation of the spine—become points of resistance and challenge rather than obstacles to overcome. These performative layers redefine the experience of pain as an activist impulse toward self-care. By generating new meanings and raising questions about identity, social norms, and the reclaiming of agency and control over one’s own body, the performance examines the complex relationship between body, culture, and society. Ultimately, it is the artist’s invitation to collectively reflect not only on our individual struggles but also on our shared strength through the acceptance of difference and vulnerability. - LIGHTNING (MUNJA)
The Lightning Award, a special Jury Award presented for an outstanding contribution and exceptional achievement in individual theatrical components (music, scenography, costume design, etc.), is awarded to: MANDRAGORA by Art Organization 21:21 (Croatia)
This performance moves through and between the realms of dance ritual and concert, emerging from the encounter and mutual attentiveness of one musician and three dancers. Created out of the need to generate a shared energy connecting contemporary theatre, dance, and music, the work explores the exhaustion of contemporary society, a society built upon conflict and human exploitation, within a space marked by fracture and suppressed solidarity. The ritual of weaving, inherited from women’s labour traditions, is presented as a metaphor for resistance, self-organisation, and the foundations of community—something that is never simply given, but must continually be recreated. The stage space therefore becomes a place where archetypal, instinctive and collective impulses are awakened. Its theatrical signs reveal an effort to create multiple layers of meaning through free association, improvisation and the invocation of the past, allowing the present to be questioned and better understood through a shared experience that ultimately becomes an invitation to healing. - THUNDER (GROM)
Finally, the Jury has dedicated its most special and entirely internal award, THUNDER (GROM), to Branko Sušac, the founder and creator of PUF. This is the first year in which the festival has taken place without his physical presence, yet not without his enduring spirit. His masterfully conceived vision—bringing together collisions and encounters that reflect the experience of contemporary humanity, here and now—remained entrusted to the artists, each of whom became an indispensable part of PUF’s enduring code of perseverance. A vibrant, powerful and inseparable festival concept emerged, one that pulsed with its own artistic life and with an unwavering commitment to dialogue through theatre. It encouraged both artists and audiences to question their individual roles, as well as our shared responsibility within the society and the world we inhabit.
Through this award, the Jury pays tribute to Branko Sušac’s lasting artistic legacy—a legacy that continues to inspire, connect and resonate through every new edition of PUF.
