Honorable Mentions: January 2026

Best Indie ShortThe Colors of Shade by Imhotep Coleman (USA)

Best Drama ShortThe Air Between Us by Newton Mayenge (USA)

Best Documentary ShortIt’s All About Lowridin’ by Estevan Oriol (USA)

Best Romantic Short: Haunted Harmony by Genevieve Mairiko Wilson and Christopher Bryan Gomez (USA)

Best Dark Comedy ShortThe Alchemy of Strangers by Joshua Longfellow Wright (USA)

Best Film Noir ShortDemesne by Juaquin Sebastian Rosales (USA)

Best Thriller ShortWhy Her by Jonathan Elia and Tommaso Furgione (Italy)

Best Fantasy ShortEternal Eclipse by Julen X. Chavarria (USA)

Best Student ShortDugout Canoe by Wang Hongzhen, Chen Qisheng, Weng Jiali, Xu Yuan, and Lì Zixuan (China)

Best Women ShortMukti by Neha Srivastava (India/USA)

Best LGBTQ Short: Mayfly by Jun-Ting Zhou (USA)

Best MicrofilmAsh and Mira Present: Cooking Up Love by Dan Rathke (USA)

Best Music VideoNadie Sabe (No One Knows) by Elias Weinstock, Roman Gonzalez, Christian Mondragón, and Mattthew Mesa (USA)

Best Web Series/TV PilotSave Our Well by Stuart Berry and Harry Davies (UK)

Best Web and New MediaImagine a World Without Pain by Alina Zheng (USA)

Best Parody ShortAsh and Mira Present: Cooking Up Love by Dan Rathke (USA)

Best Female Director: Rachel Keaton for Joshua Tree (USA)

Best Male Director: Sam Anderson for Character Actor (USA)

Best Student Female Director: Flora Jiang for Blue Hour (China)

Best Student Male Director: Wang Hongzhen, Chen Qisheng, Weng Jiali, Xu Yuan, and Lì Zixuan for Dugout Canoe (China)

Best First Time Male Director: Frank Doucet for The Fa’a’amu Children (France)

Best Young Filmmaker: Samantha Leeds for The Upright Hustle (USA)

Best Actress: Genevieve Mairiko Wilson for Haunted Harmony (USA)

Best Actor: Daniel Jiawei Li for Mayfly (USA)

Best Acting Duo: Knight Padilla and Malia Daito for Demesne (USA)

Best Ensemble Cast: Joy Villa, Trish McDougall, Dan Allalemdjian, and Jeremy Lifsey for An Unwelcome Guest (USA)

Best Cinematography: Nicolás Torre Spika and Julián Kominek for Character Actor (USA)

Best Editing: Dirk van Sloten for Haunted Harmony (USA)

Best Production DesignYou Are Special (Ukraine)

Best Visual FX: Patrick McNerney for The Sanguine (USA)

Best Original Score: Joshua Pacey and Oliver Lodge, with Hiatus for S I C K (UK)

Best Short Script: Hannah and the Honeydew Shortage by Daniela Di Salvo (Canada)

SEMI-FINALISTS

PLATINUM AWARDS

GOLD AWARDS

SILVER AWARDS

BRONZE AWARDS

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