The international film festival i-Fest took place in Palermo from December 9 to 15, once again bringing together filmmakers, producers, and film professionals from around the world. One of the central events of this year’s festival was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to actor, director, and producer Lazar Ristovski, in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contribution to European and world cinema. As part of the festival program, audiences had the opportunity to watch the films “The White Suit” and “Train Driver,’s Diary” which, in different ways, highlight the richness and diversity of his artistic body of work.
In its official statement, the i-Fest international jury highlighted the following:
“An actor who has left a profound mark on European cinema, capable of turning every role into a passage toward the complexity of the human soul and its contradictions. Lazar Ristovski, an actor, director, and producer of international renown-has moved through genres, eras, and cinematic languages with rare acting power, bringing to life characters that remain memorable not only for their stage presence but also for the emotional and moral depth they embody. From the major successes that brought him international recognition-above all Emir Kusturica’s “Underground”- to auteur films, theatre, and his own directorial work, Ristovski has forged a path in which the art of acting becomes a radical exploration of identity, history, and the wounds of the contemporary age. His work is a continual reflection on the power of gesture, voice, and gaze: on cinema’s ability to be both mirror and memory, a collective ritual and a personal confession. In every role, Ristovski carries with him an understanding of acting that unites instinct and discipline, experience and risk, tradition and reinvention. His stage presence-magnetic, restless, and profoundly human has contributed to redefining the Balkan cinematic imagination, demonstrating how pain, irony, nostalgia, and life vitality can coexist in a singular, powerful narrative vibration. His career bears witness to cinema as a medium of emotion, reflection, and universal dialogue. For these reasons, the i-FEST International Film Festival awards Lazar Ristovski the i-FEST Award 2025″
