Award winners, Summer 2026

Best Feature Film

Broken Burden

Mario Kanaet · Croatia

Best Short Film

War Babies

Lan Deal · United States

Best Indie Feature Film (Low-budget)

Maestro Roman Toi Beautiful songs I dedicate to you

Kalli Paakspuu · Canada

Best Indie Short Film

Keep the Cow from Popping

Dmitry Gorozhanin · Russian Federation

Micro Short

The Last Voyage

Michelle Therese Congues · Australia

Debut Director – Feature

All the love, SUNG-JIN

Min-Jae Kim · South Korea

Debut Director – Short

The 2nd Best Coffee

Daniella Sasaki · United Kingdom

Best Student Film

20 Years of the Herbert Pixner Project

Elias Zifreind, Laura Pfister · Austria

Best Documentary Feature

Public Access

David Shadrack Smith · United States

Best Documentary Short

The Sound of Paper

Mandi Gorenstein · United States

Best Music Video

Xera - Crystal Corals

Carlos Diaz Sanchez · Spain

Student Screenplay

Meet Me on a Rock

Marie Bryan · Ireland

Best Production Design

YUAN

Prijomas Pojebleskus

Historical / Period Film

Ticket, Please

Rod Lara · Australia

Sci-Fi Film

Cold Heart

Will Carter · United States

Best Director – Music Video

I am in the morning

Anna Guseva · Ukraine

Best Visual Effects (VFX)

SPEED or PERISH

Seth Ickerman · France

Best Animated Film

BRIDGE -My Little Friends-

Kazuyuki Ishihara · Japan

Best Actress

After

Kimberley Robins (directed by Tony Hunter) · United Kingdom

Best Experimental Film

Memories: Jose de Jesus

Lesley Elizondo · United States

Best Female Director

Kate And Jack Are Just Friends

Aubrey Arnason · Canada

Romance Film

KINDA LOVE

Tobia Berti · Italy

Thriller Film

Central's Baby

Cornell Hubert Calhoun III · United States

Drama Film

Unspoken

Catalina Rodriguez · Colombia

Best European Film

Hide and Seek

Rositsa Trayanova · Bulgaria

Best AI-Crafted Film

LAW BENEATH THE BRIDGE

Umut Emre Erkan · Türkiye

Best Mobile/Vertical Film (Shot on Phone)

GRIEVING

Blanca Rosas · Algeria, United States

Best LGBTQIA+ Film

LOVE LANGUAGE

Zapoida Francis · Germany

Comedy Film

I had an affair with my husband

Joe Jminnella · United States

Best Web Series / Episodic

Classic Car EnVy

Jim Masi · United States

Western Film

Korla

Josef Cauchi · Malta

Best African Film

Troublemaker

Michael Chidozie Onah, Gbenga Salu · Nigeria

Best Ensemble Cast

AT HEART, GRATITUDE

Herve Marcotte · France

Fantasy Film

The Courier from the Northern Hills

Alexandra Lee · Russian Federation

Best Editing

LOST KINGS OF BIOKO

Oliver Goetzl · Germany

Best Original Song

Migrating Fears

Solon Solomon · United Kingdom

Best Male Director

The Wildman of Shaggy Creek

Jesse Edwards · United States

Horror Film

Il Regalo "The Gift"

Loris Mazzeo · Switzerland

Best Child/Young Actor

The Thrift Store Dress

Matthew Harmantas (directed by Suresh Cedrick Pereira) · Canada

Best UK Film

Hide

Ian Sciacaluga · United Kingdom

Best Australia & New Zealand Film

Ms. Information

Gwen Isaac · New Zealand

Best Sound Design

Pater Noster

Moutaz Kotrob · Philippines

Best Cinematography

BROTHER IN LAW

Szymon Jakubowski · Poland

Best Actor

The Collaborator

Rudi Dharmalingam (directed by Travis Hodgkins) · United States

Best USA Film

Emily or Oscar?

Chris M. Allport · United States

Best Asian Film

Maya

Aditya Ingale · India

Best Original Score / Soundtrack

PATH

Firouz Farman-Farmaian · France

TV Pilot (Script)

Anthony & Cleopatra

Stephen J Willis · United Kingdom

Comedy Screenplay

MR. POLO LOUNGE: A COMEDY, PART I

Kevin Michael Irvine · United States

Medium-length Script

Remaining at the Dacha

Tee Jay Pettit · United States

Feature Screenplay

Bah Humbug

Jo Garrett · United States

Short Screenplay

Dang Dong - Episode 1: Feng Shui is Here Today

Mark Absher · United States

Drama Screenplay

Five Defiant Women

Vivianne Rosenberg · Philippines

Thriller Screenplay

Strikezone

David Franklin Nighbert · United States