Germany-Ukraine drama wins Tokyo's Ethical Film Award

Isabelle Stever's I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming has won the Ethical Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, according to Variety. The film is a Germany-Ukraine co-production, which means companies in both countries helped finance and make it.

The prize goes to films that take up social issues. The festival says it wants to raise awareness of problems such as the environment, poverty and discrimination. The award was created in 2023 and is sponsored by Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese trading and investment company.

The jury was led by Japanese actor Isomura Hayato. Two other films were named as nominees: Brazil's Amadeo and the Hypothetical New World, directed by Brenda Lígia and Edu Felistoque, and Australia's Time and Tide, directed by Vee Shi.

The winner receives a certificate and a cash prize of 200,000 yen, which is about $1,270.

The win comes during the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs from October 26 to November 4, 2026. Its screenings and events are spread across the Hibiya, Yurakucho, Marunouchi and Ginza districts in central Tokyo. With the festival closing on November 4, the award arrives in the final days of the programme.

For a festival, an award like this matters because it puts a film in front of buyers and programmers who are looking for their next title. Ethical awards are small compared with the big prizes, but they give a film a clear label and a public moment. Festival prizes like this one often shape which films get a second look from distributors in the months that follow.