The International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) announces the winner of the 2026 Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting, which was presented during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 8 July 2026.
The Semiramis Award celebrates the creative contribution of casting directors, whose work is fundamental to discovering talent, shaping performances, and bringing stories to life. It recognises outstanding achievement in casting among films nominated by ICDA members in participating countries. Every year, members in each country select a single film to represent their national casting community. An international jury of casting directors then narrows the submissions to five nominees, plus one additional Wild Card nominee. The Wild Card selection provides an opportunity to recognise exceptional casting work that may not fit neatly within a single country’s submission.
Winner of this year’s Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting is Stéphane Batut (France) for Nouvelle Vague (directed by Richard Linklater). The Semiramis statuette was presented to him by ICDA President Lana Veenker, Kryštof Mucha, the Festival Executive Director of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, as well as esteemed Czech Actress Ana Geislerová at KVIFF.
The nominees for the 2026 Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting were
Lena Paaske
WEIGHTLESS (VÆGTLØS) (Denmark, 2025)
Directed by Emilie Thalund
Stéphane Batut
NOUVELLE VAGUE (France, 2025)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Stavros Raptis
PATTY IS SUCH A GIRLY NAME (Greece, 2026)
Directed by Giorgos Georgopoulos
Amy Rowan
CHRISTY (Ireland, 2025)
Directed by Brendan Canty
Simon Borka Otterstål
KEVLARSJÄL / KEVLAR SOUL (Sweden, 2025)
Directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht
Nikki Barrett
BRING HER BACK (Wild Card Selection, 2025)
Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the ICDA members on this year’s award committee: Ellen S. Michelsen, Maurilio Mangano, Hermina Fatyol, Ulrike Müller, Catrin Wideryd, Nancy Bishop, Florentina Bratfanof, Tusse Lande, Armando Pizzuti, Kirijana Nikoloska, Donna Morong, Harika Uygur, David Färdmar, Susanne Ritter, and Dalia Survilaite.
We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for the excellent support in hosting our award, as well as to our long-time partners Filmmakers Europe and Spotlight UK.
