Studio 8

Life and Beauty

Mila & Sal’s The Cost of Joy Receives Honourable Mention at Festival of the Moving Image 2025

An audacious new voice in experimental cinema emerges.

In a year that saw over 1,000 films submitted to the prestigious Festival of the Moving Image, Mila & Sal’s short film The Cost of Joy has been awarded an Honourable Mention – Emerging Filmmaker Award. Recognised for its bold creative vision and striking originality, the film has resonated deeply with audiences and jurors alike, standing out as a compelling contribution to the experimental and political moving image genre.

A Story of Resistance, Reclamation, and Renewal

At the heart of The Cost of Joy lies a deeply human story. Mila and Sal—two individuals from divergent backgrounds, both shaped by strong events in their lives—find themselves at a pivotal crossroads. Bound by societal expectations, trauma, and systems that have defined their lives, they make the radical choice to break away. What follows is not a traditional love story, but a story of self-determination, where joy is no longer something to be earned, but claimed.

“Happiness is not a reward. It’s a right.”

This defining line echoes throughout the film, grounding its experimental form in a message that is both timeless and urgently contemporary. With stark cinematography and an unflinching narrative structure, The Cost of Joy challenges the viewer to rethink the meaning of freedom, fulfilment, and emotional survival in a world full of unchosen rules.

Breaking Conventions with Intention

True to its genre, the film defies conventional storytelling. Visually poetic and politically resonant, The Cost of Joy blurs the line between documentary realism and dreamlike allegory. It is less a narrative with a beginning and end, and more a cinematic manifesto—a visual protest against the quiet violences of conformity.

Mila & Sal’s collaborative direction is unafraid to take risks. Their artistic synergy brings a visceral tension to the screen, making the audience feel every moment of fear, rebellion, tenderness, and triumph. This Honourable Mention not only acknowledges their individual talents but celebrates the power of creative partnerships that challenge the mainstream.

A Rising Voice in Radical Cinema

The Festival of the Moving Image 2025 jury praised the film’s ability to “marry political urgency with personal truth,” noting that The Cost of Joy is “a daring meditation on the cost of emotional freedom in a world designed to deny it.”

As recipients of the Emerging Filmmaker Award Honourable Mention, Mila & Sal are now firmly on the radar as artists to watch—filmmakers who understand that telling stories is not just about entertainment, but about changing the way we see the world.

The Journey Continues

With this recognition, The Cost of Joy is poised to reach wider audiences, offering a powerful message to those who have ever questioned the price of peace in a society that rewards suffering. It’s a film that doesn’t provide easy answers but insists on asking the right questions.

Because sometimes, the most revolutionary thing we can do—is to choose joy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *