“I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming,” a Germany-Ukraine co-production about a transgender man unable to leave Ukraine as war closes in, won the Ethical Film Award at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival. Isabelle Stever, the film’s director, couldn’t make the trip to Tokyo for the Nov. 2 ceremony and accepted by video.
The jury’s choice was unanimous, and it came after more than an hour of debate, according to the festival.
What the Ethical Film Award recognizes
Sumitomo Corporation has backed the award since its launch in 2023. It spotlights films that raise awareness of social issues such as discrimination, poverty and the environment. Recent winners include Mati Diop’s “Dahomey” in 2024 and Luciano Vidigal’s “White House” in 2025.
This year’s jury paired actor Hayato Isomura, a two-time Japan Academy Film Prize winner who hosts the Shizuoka Film Festival in his home prefecture, with three college students from the festival’s student PR team.
They chose from three titles in the festival lineup. “I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming” beat Brazil’s animated “Amadeo and the Hypothetical New World,” directed by Brenda Lígia and Edu Felistoque, and Australia’s “Time and Tide,” directed by Vee Shi.
A love story under fire
Stever’s wife, Ukrainian screenwriter Anna Melikova, wrote the script, drawing on the experiences of friends. Markus Bright plays Oleh, and Tania Myronyshena plays his partner, Olya.
The story begins in Kyiv at the end of 2021, shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Oleh, who is trans, tries to get out of Ukraine, but the gender listed on his documents stops him. He remains in the country with Olya, and as the bombing nears, the couple are pushed toward a choice between protecting their identities and staying alive.
Why the jury chose it
Isomura pointed to how much the film takes on at once: the war, gender, discrimination against Russians living in Ukraine and questions of language, Eiga.com reported. He said it made him wonder whether he could hold on to his own way of life in that situation, and he praised how keenly the couple’s breathing came through from the screen, to the point that it hurt.
The jurors also hoped the award would lead more people to see the film and spend some time thinking about it, Variety reported.
Stever’s message from afar
Stever recorded her acceptance during a break from teaching at a film school, and she used it to widen what “queer” means.
“Queer is not only referring to LGBTQ+. It is, as well, referring to something that is not normalized,” she said. “And we all know if everything would be normalized, we would stop breathing.”
She went on to say that forced normalization is what happens under autocratic regimes, where people have to conform to set standards and have no other options. Ukrainians, she said, are fighting “so people can still breathe in this country.”
The festival will send Stever her certificate and 200,000-yen prize, about $1,270, at a later date.
What’s next for the film
The Tokyo win caps a busy festival run. “I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming” had its world premiere on Aug. 7 in the international competition at the Locarno Film Festival, then played the main slate of the New York Film Festival.
X Verleih will open the film in German theaters on Feb. 25, 2027. Outplay Films is handling international sales.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
