Honorable Mentions: August 2025

Best Indie Short: 7 Hours Behind by Brendan Leung (UK)

Best Drama Short: The Darkness Before Dawn by Myriam Hasson (Israel)

Best Documentary ShortThis Is Where It Happened by Chris Foster (USA)

Best Comedy ShortApple Pi by Ivan Rivero and Jonathan Tippett (USA)

Best Horror ShortBehind The Blackened Heart by Aaron Matthew Lipscomb (USA)

Best Experimental Short: Empathy by Steffi Alte (Austria)

Best Student ShortThe Stranger by Minseo Kwon (USA)

Best Animation ShortNow You’re Talking by Paris Chambliss and Emi Canlas (USA)

Best Women ShortReverb by John Westmoreland and Matthew Westmoreland (USA)

Best LGBTQ Short: Call Me Mother! by Kerry Iona Cooper (USA)

Best Romantic ShortPentimento by Daniel Heechan Lim (USA)

Best MicrofilmTiny Moving Parts by Michaela Friedlander (USA)

Best Web Series/TV PilotMaximum Health Rides: Balancing Act by Ken Grey (USA)

Best Web and New MediaBodies of Work by Rabia Khan (USA)

Best Female Director: Renfang Ke for Cinders (USA)

Best Male Director: Ashish Sharma for Thirty Seven Dollars (Singapore)

Best Student Female Director: Birdie Gilreath for The Painter (USA)

Best Student Male Director: John Westmoreland and Matthew Westmoreland for Reverb (USA)

Best First Time Female Director: Myriam Hasson for The Darkness Before Dawn (Israel)

Best First Time Male Director: Aaron Matthew Lipscomb for Behind The Blackened Heart (USA)

Best Young Filmmaker: Auset Brooklyn Adams for Black(out) (USA)

Best Actress: Emily Corbo for Seeing Zen (USA)

Best Actor: Landon Brooks for Apple Pi (USA)

Best Acting Duo: Casey Schenk and Jordan Nevels for After Midnight (USA)

Best Ensemble Cast: Jessie Ray Payne, Cameron Courtney, and Catie Elaine Hankins for The Beep (USA)

Best Cinematography: Weileng Peng for Memory Jar (China)

Best Editing: Alan McLoughlin for Freestyle Finale: Erlend Fagerli’s Last Season (Ireland)

Best Production DesignLosing Ace (USA)

Best Sound Design: Domenica Leon for Why Is It So Dark? (USA)

Best Original Score: Paul Gilreath for The Painter (USA)

Best Original Story: Ashley Tabatabai for Hamdardi (UK)

FINALISTS

PLATINUM AWARDS

GOLD AWARDS

SILVER AWARDS

BRONZE AWARDS

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