Announcing 2026’s Jury Winners

September 28, 2026

Animated Short Film

Best Animated Short Film

A Grieving Heart

Directed by Wendy Cong Zhao

From the somber opening line, A Grieving Heart pulls the audience into the nuanced world of a Chinese-American woman as she struggles with her fragmented experience of being a first-generation immigrant. Her desperation to be loved and accepted leads her to cheat on her partner. The simple yet bold aesthetic of the film perfectly matches the candid quality of the first-person narration, inviting the audience to connect with each character’s loss. It’s a well-crafted narrative with strong visual storytelling.

Honorable Mention

TV Entreaberta

Directed by Mateus Compart

From the first frame to the ending credits, this was a stylistic feast for the eyes. The animation was fantastic and changed as the character developed, effectively critiquing cultural imperialism, the entertainment industry, and technology. This is an insanely creative project and a fantastic example of experimental narrative and mixed-media animation.

Special Acknowledgement — Best Art Direction

Anyone lived in a pretty how town

Directed by Daniel Kreizberg

We would like to highlight this as an example of exceptional animation, art direction, and audio design. It’s a striking visual adaptation of a poem with wonderful narration from the late Jane Goodall.

Documentary Short Film

Best Documentary Short Film

Free Fish

Directed by Bisan Owda

Free Fish is a visually arresting documentary that uses the sea as both its setting and its central character. By juxtaposing Gaza’s coastline and the livelihoods of the Kaloob brothers as fishermen before and after the destruction of Gaza and the displacement they face under occupation, Bisan Owda masterfully captures a deeply human story that demands your attention.

Honorable Mention

A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers (꽃 사진을 찍는 남자)

Directed by Yoo Lee

Strong visual storytelling that elevates a small story to a level of large impact. We enjoyed how the craftsmanship of the stop-animation complimented the protagonist’s visually stunning artwork.

Special Acknowledgement — Best Directing

VITA 2.0

Directed by Vita Stoikova

Viscerally shifting between the personal and the global, between childbirth and destruction, and between innocence and war, VITA 2.0 shows mature tonal control and an indefatigable filmmaking spirit in the form of a judicious and confident directorial voice.

Documentary Feature

Best Documentary Feature

Kikuyu Land

Directed by Andrew H. Brown and Bea Wangondu

Striking a delicate balance between the intimately personal and the political, Kikuyu Land offers an unflinching and sobering look at the network of stakeholders, institutions, and conglomerates invested in the ongoing exploitation of the Kikuyu community. Co-directors Bea Wangondu and Andrew H. Brown carefully intervene in the long-standing appropriation and subjugation of the Kikuyu people and land — highlighting the ways in which these abuses and violences are far more than remnants of the historical ‘past.’ They foreground the experiences of Mr. Mungai, a fierce champion for land sovereignty and reparations, and Stephen, the son of a tea worker who continues to dream in the midst of great disparity and violence. Wangondu in particular moves with precision as a participant herself and, by virtue of this investigation, comes face-to-face with harrowing familial legacies.

Honorable Mention

What Will I Become?

Directed by Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos

What Will I Become? explores the lives of two young transmen, Kyler Prescott and Blake Brockington, tragically cut short by suicide. Co-directed by Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos, both suicide survivors, the film delicately interweaves Kyler’s and Blake’s stories with those of Lexie and Logan and the wider transmasculine community. Animations, archival material, interviews and music are used to great effect in telling Blake’s and Kyler’s stories. A standout, heartbreaking moment allows us to hear Kyler in his own words, when his searing poem “Mirror” is set to music and performed by a group of queer and trans musicians. Bean and Rozos’ deep empathy and compassion shine through as they tell these stories, including their own. The film highlights the shocking prevalence of suicide among trans men, and includes resources for people who may be struggling.

Special Acknowledgement — Best Production Design

TheyDream

Directed by William D. Caballero

Special Acknowledgement — Best Cinematography

Papertown

Directed by Jeremy Seifert and Ben Roberts

Narrative Short Film

Best Narrative Short Film

Rare Birds

Directed by Lily Weisberg

Rare Birds is a beautiful narrative piece that everyone on the jury believes represents the heart and spirit of indie films. Not only is it a well-told story with solid production value, the short film also creates a lasting emotional connection with the audience. In an almost fantastical thrift shop, Rare Birds shows emotional honesty and a hopeful message. We believe this endearing piece serves as a great example of the type of project that CFF wants to uplift. Congratulations to the filmmaker and their team!

Honorable Mention

All the Real Boys

Directed by Ohad Ira Amram

The jury would also love to honor All the Real Boys and the filmmakers behind the project. It is not easy to create an ensemble cast in an indie project, but the characters in All the Real Boys all feel distinct and authentic. We also appreciate the unique story in All the Real Boys. We look forward to seeing future work from the filmmaker.

Narrative Feature

Best Narrative Feature

Frogtown

Directed by Costa Karalis

A fantastical tale, anchored by incredible performances, Frogtown suspends itself between reality and fiction, touching on our deepest capacity to believe in the magic of the world.

Honorable Mention

A Safe Distance

Directed by Gloria Mercer

A Safe Distance illustrates the height of craft and execution in the indie film world, leaning on strong performances from its leads, solid writing, and a lush setting that gives way to a toxic throuple and an ending that lingers with audiences well after the film’s conclusion.

Social Justice Film

Best Social Justice Film

Choice (Izbor)

Directed by Marko Crnogorski

Each film in this selection illuminates injustices that touch our communities in ways that are impossible to ignore. We are grateful to every filmmaker for translating their vision to the screen — inviting us to reflect, to feel, and ultimately, to act. Each film resonates differently with every viewer, and that diversity of impact is part of what makes this work so powerful. We are grateful for stories that are both timely and timeless, reminding us of the work we must continue to do together to build community and protect one another. We have been given a rare and profound opportunity to witness injustice through the minds and bodies of marginalized communities, and for that, we are deeply appreciative.

Choice immerses us in today’s still-cruel paradox, where women’s individual autonomy is celebrated in almost every sphere, yet when a woman wants to make decisions about her own body, society responds with moral condemnation and red tape. In addition to addressing a necessary and urgent issue, it is technically a very well-crafted film; thanks to its long takes, we are fully immersed in the anxiety and stress experienced by the protagonist. Combined with its assured pacing and unflinching cinematography, the film earns its recognition as the 2026 Best Social Justice Film, not only for the importance of its message, but for the artistry with which that message is delivered.

Honorable Mention

Chicken Scratch

Directed by Isaiah Forte-Rose

Chicken Scratch is a realistic, complex film that highlights how circumstance and environment will bring out the hustle in a person. Although many challenges come from external factors, it reveals the resilience, innovation, and unsavory decisions one must make to survive. Chicken Scratch highlights the reality of ones who strive to survive while going up against systemic oppression, a poor environment, and the dream of winning money to keep living. The hope of winning is something that the main character held on to. The fight to keep moving forward when all odds are against him, led him to receive the kindness from strangers, the compassion from ones who also have their own struggle.

It is a well-made, thoughtful film that shows the hope and oppression that many communities of color and others face every single day. We appreciate the film highlighting the structural injustice that America has built and continues to cultivate that harms communities. And to that, we will continue to break bread with members in our communities, break boundaries in our systems, and scratch our occasional lotto ticket… It is the “American Dream” after all.

Student Short Film

Best Student Short Film

Before Dawn (Перед світанком)

Directed by Julia Galeta

For eloquently creating a unique portrait of life and friendship under the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, and capturing the lingering shock of loss, and the power of memory for those who remain.

Honorable Mention

FIRSTBORN

Directed by Olivia Porrill

For its compelling world-building and meticulous hand-crafted visuals that bring new emotional resonance to the challenges of adjusting to change and navigating familiar pressures of obligation, responsibility, and expectation.