Award Winners Summer 2026

Best Documentary Feature

This is Soho

Ahmed Peerbux

United Kingdom

Best Feature Film

Pater Noster

Moutaz Kotrob

Philippines

Best Short Film

Deserter

Anthony von Seck

Canada

Best Documentary Short

In between waves

Britt Vanhaelen

Belgium

Best Indie Short

The Decision

Susibel Espaillat

Dominican Republic

Best Animated Film

Last Lines

Greg McLeod

United Kingdom

Best Experimental Film

CLARA’S WINTER JOURNEY

Christina Zurbruegg

Austria

Best Comedy

Friday Dispatch

Nathan McCoy, Ryan Hensley

United States

Best Actress

My Sunset Shadows

Daniela Vega, Luisirene Hernandez (directed by Francisco Alberto Pérez)

Dominican Republic

Best Comedy Screenplay

FIANCÉ NAVIDAD

Rosa Costanza

United States

Best Actor

BROTHER IN LAW

Maciej Kosiacki (directed by Szymon Jakubowski)

Poland

Best Debut Filmmaker (Feature)

Nothing to See Here: Watts

Michael Soenen

United States

Best Debut Filmmaker (Short)

Mutual Silence

Nicos Verdiev

Russian Federation

Best Director – Music Video

Werther

Young Kim

South Korea

Best Director

Maya

Aditya Ingale

India

Best Action / Crime

CPA

Gabriela Revilla Lugo

United States

Best Film on Social Justice

Seats at the Table

Chris Farina

United States

Best Drama Screenplay

MINA

Negar Saddigh

United States

Best Drama

LUCY

Bastien Leblanc

France

Best AI Film

Chitin & Love

Kessy "Kci" Eberlein

Germany

Best Sci-Fi

Divine Jealousy

Sean Brown, Mason Meloy

United States

Best Asian Film

Berkeley Days

Clifford Kai Kwong Choi

Hong Kong

Best European Film

Fabio’s Journey

Simon Schlömer

Germany

Best American Film

The Proctor

Ed Huether

United States

Best African Film

AZO

Sandra Luce

Côte d'Ivoire, France

Best Female Director

Meet Me on a Rock

Marie Bryan

Ireland

Best Australian Film

Holiday

Charlie Biedermann

Australia

Best Production Design

Sherlock Holmes and the True Believer

Danna Wilberg

United States

Best Mobile Shot Film

The Letter of the Law The Movie

Rick E. Cutts

United States

Best Horror

We’ll Be Right Back

Lorena Stefania De Maddalena

Switzerland

Best Historical / Period Film

Memories of the Warsaw Ghetto

Alexander Genievsky

United States

Best Indie Feature (Low-budget)

REMORSE

Quinn Saunders

United States

Best Feature Screenplay

Oceans Wild

Norman Hunter

United States

Best Male Director

My House

Tim Yao

United States

Best Short Screenplay

THE BUSINESS OF HEALTH

Luis Escobar

United States

Best Micro Short Film

ZOYA

Ben Hopwood, Andrew Phizacklea Phizacklea, James Waterhouse, Andrei Zayats, Harry Lister Smith, Stephan Erdman

United Kingdom

Best Music Video

Dollar

Prijomas Pojebleskus

Latvia

Best Score / Soundtrack

Timeless : Animated Visions

Susan Mey Lee Lim, Christina Teenz Tan, Samudra Kajal Saikia

Singapore

Best Original Song in a Film

The First Tear

Bo Kim

South Korea

Best Cinematography

Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear

Paul Taublieb

United States

Best LGBTQ+ Film

The Last Take

Brian Foyster

United States

Best Student Film

Wings of Inthanon

Theo Sahawat

Thailand

Best Sound Design

Dear Baltimore

D. Rica Wilson, Kiyla O Mighty, Justin C Hardee

United States

Best Super Short Film

Wistleblowers

Giuseppe Portoghese

Italy

Best Thriller Screenplay

Bah Humbug

Jo Garrett

United States

Best UK Film

The Vanishing Act

Fallon Westlake

United Kingdom

Best TV Pilot Script

Powder Keg

Meghan Allen

United States

Best Visual Effects (VFX)

SPEED or PERISH

Seth Ickerman

France

Best Web Series / Episodic

Arlington Heights

Eric Ayala

United States

Best Silent Film

Slithering Tides

Merlin Vanland

Finland

Best BIPOC Filmmaker

Sophia’s Story: 2005

Dontae Hill

United States

Best Film on Technology/Future

Coffee with Claude

Kevin Cowan

United States

Best AI-Generated Film

Vaelena

Kenneth Ching

Singapore

Best Supporting Actress

First String 2: The Greenwood 20: Quest for the Great Dante

Leslie Zemeckis (directed by Dean George Christakis)

United States

Best Fantasy

Aurora Sky

Eleanor Veness

United Kingdom

Best Editing

THE YOUTUBER

Joshua Meszaros

Ireland

Best Western

Under the Western Skies

Natalie Aramendia

United States

Best Ensemble Cast

The Baby Clause

Maty Young

United States

Best Student Screenplay

Mr. Money Man and the Big Load

Steven Cooper Mosley

United States