Indie Short Fest (2025)

Indie Short Fest

2020s
2010s

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020

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Best Drama Short

Best LGBTQ Short

Winner
On the Air with Ariel
Marcela Alonso(executive producer)
Latina Productions
Best LGBTQ

Best Producer

Winner
For: LiLa
Kaitron Bryant
Federica King
Croatan Productions
Millimetri
Nicola Tasso(producer)
Davide Lazzeroni(producer)
Glodok '98
Qi Hong Desmond Loh(producer)

Best Production Design

Winner
Glodok '98
Jansen Cole

Best Sci-Fi Short

Winner
Millimetri
Nicola Tasso(director)

Best Student Director (Male)

Winner
Nicholas Tjen
Glodok '98

Best Student Short

Winner
Getting Back to You
Miranda Clapp
King Castling
Dale Loon

Best Supporting Actor

Winner
Xander Simmons
The Americano

Outstanding Achievement Award (Microfilm)

Winner
The Hotel
Juliet Lucas(producer)

Best Acting Duo

Best Cinematography

Best Director (Female)

Miranda Clapp
Getting Back to You

Best Director (Male)

Nolan Tondreau
The Americano

Best Documentary Short

Longie
M.J. Mandich(director)

Best Editor

The Americano
Nolan Tondreau

Best Ensemble Cast

Not for a Few Miles
Sean Luc Rogers(actor)
Lana Glas Productions

Best Indie Short

Best Original Score

Back to Normal
4.6 (16)
Vanille Debray(composer)
Shimaro Entertainment

Best Original Screenplay

The Americano
Timothy de León
Nolan Tondreau

Best Original Song

Starborn
Starry Venus
OMWE Productions
"Stars" by Starry Venus, for Starborn

Honorable Mention

Edit

Best Dark Comedy Short

Winner
Attempted Murder
Gavin J. Konop
West Egg Pictures

Best Fantasy Short

Winner
The Last Wish
Ilia Noyabrov(director)
Winner
The Last Wish
Ilia Noyabrov(director)

Best Indie Short

Winner
Je Le Veux
Agnessa Simo
Spidee Production

Best LGBTQ Short

Winner
The Last Chance
Tiecheng Gu(editor)

Best Microfilm

Winner
Belonging
Clément Oberto

Best Music Video

Winner
Wish
Emiliana Jasper
Janelle Christa
Jasmine Bottelsen
Eric Bettencourt
Christy Knudson
Anna Sacks
India Darling
Samuel Farrell
Janelle Christa Productions
Winner
Smoldering-Smoldering
Ilia Noyabrov(director)
Anna Khanina(actress/singer)

Best Romantic Short Film

Winner
The Depths of Love
Fulvio Della Volta
Parallel Differences

Best Sound Editing

Winner
Return to Sender
Lee Vander Boegh(editor)
The Rockit Moving Picture Company

Best Web Series/TV Pilot

Winner
Spectral
Lakshen Sundaram
Trebas Institute
Carissa Tells It All
Mike Madigan(director)
Five Clover Films

Best Young Actress

Winner
Mellony Ledo(actress)
Acting Out

Best Original Score

Carissa Tells It All
Mike Madigan
Five Clover Films

Best Parody Short

Omelet Sunday
Nolan Ladison
Next Generation Storytellers

Best Short Script

Open
Cesar Sanchis Romero

May Award

Edit

Best Child/Young Actor

Winner
Carter Cox(actor)
In Heaven One Day

Best Ensemble Cast

Winner
Socrates
Mason Heidger
Jerome Preston Bates
Francis C. Edemobi
Marjorie Johnson
Christopher Inlow
Sherri Lubov
Richard K Baylor
Bob Rumnock
Jordan-Amanda Hall
The Sagoes Company

Best Film Noir Short

Winner
Shock Value
Sam Veeramachaneni(director)

Best Horror Short

Winner
Intus Dark
Denise Sganzerla
D& Sganzerla Produções

Best Sci-Fi Short

Winner
Wizdom
Ashton Swinford(writer/lead actor/producer)
Layne Marie Williams(director/creator)
Legacy Marie Pictures
Paragram Productions

Best Student Short

Winner
In Heaven One Day
Kyle Chase(director)

Best Young Filmmaker

Winner
Sail Alone
Qianran Li(director)
Ruixuan Hu(director)
Beijing Zhongshi Tangtang

Outstanding Achievement Award (Thriller Short)

Winner
Broken
Angelo Donzella
Winner
Angel's Trumpets
Bryan Mir
Nick Waraksa
Triple7Films
Make Believe Productions

Best Cinematography

Beyond the Field of Grass
Fernando Peláez Rovalo

Best Experimental

Beyond the Field of Grass
Felicia Varlotto

Best Original Score

Beyond the Field of Grass
Rubens Lopes Schiozer

Best Original Screenplay

EKG
6.9 (10)
Todd Lien
iStage Entertainment

Best Producer

EKG
6.9 (10)
Todd Lien
Peiyuan Xi
iStage Entertainment

Best Short Script

Seat Covers
John Norris Ray

Best Supporting Actor

Todd Lien
EKG

Best male Director

Angelo Donzella
Broken

October Award

Edit

Best Ensemble Cast

Rehearsal
Baz Felber
Diego Lopez
Alondra Bautista
Ezekiel Joseph
Taylor Jackson Ross
Torianna Turnbow

Best Original Screenplay

Rehearsal
Willa Colleary

Outstanding Achievement Award

Edit

Acting Ensemble

Winner
Vitacamp
Naomi Chan
Trevis Zhang
Aryn Yoo
Ryan Alexander Young
Teresa Labya
PopRock Academy

Best Actor

Winner
David Huynh
Ice Cold Ricky

Best Drama Short

Winner
Glodok '98
Nicholas Tjen(director)
Qi Hong Desmond Loh(producer)
Caitlin Kelly(cinematographer)
Jansen Cole(production designer)

Best Experimental Short

Winner
When the Clocks Stop
9.7 (6)
Brett Willis(director)

Best Web Series/TV Pilot

Winner
Abstory
Chloé Boutet
Abstème Média
Winner
Paranormal Happpenings
Peter Castillo

Dark Comedy Short

Winner
O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)
7.0 (337)
Conor Patrick Walsh(writer)
Luca Pizzoleo(director)
Pizzoleo Productions

LGBTQ Short

Winner
EKG
6.9 (10)
Q. Allan Brocka

Music Video

Winner
Beautiful Chaos
Pernille Andersen(director)
Danglish Productions
Winner
I'm back
Anna Khanina(actress/singer)
Ilia Noyabrov(director)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Comedy Short)

Winner
Return to Sender
Lee Vander Boegh(director)
Kristy Leigh Lussier(producer)
The Rockit Moving Picture Company

Outstanding Achievement Award (Microfilm)

Winner
Armor of the heart
Duncan Bonnifay(director)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Student Short)

Winner
Last Words
Inez Franco

Outstanding Achievement Award Director Male

Winner
Juwan Chung
Ice Cold Ricky

Romantic Comedy Short

Winner
Baggage
Ana Kiri(Ana Kiri)

Young filmmaker

Winner
What Remains of Us
Solomon Fezer

June Award

Edit

Best Actor

Winner
Tyler Bickel
Prism

Best Costume Design

Winner
Scarecrow
Heidi Robin Klein(costume designer)
Serena Eneliko(costume designer)
Azads Studios

Best Short Script

Winner
Still Morning
Pam Renall(writer)

Best Student Director (Male)

Winner
Jax Azad(director)
Scarecrow
Azads Studios

Best Supporting Actor

Winner
Obiora Okoye
Prism

Honorable Mention (Indie Short)

Winner
Crop Duster
10 (22)

Best Cinematography

The Americano
Tyler Chandler

Best Editing

Best Micro Film

Rubber Duck
Aleksey Krutko(actor)
Pavel Iaroshenko(sound mixer)
Pavel Yakovlev(director)

Best Original Score

Scarecrow
Caleb Belland(composer)
Azads Studios
Vitacamp
Morgan Eiland
PopRock Academy

Best Original Screenplay

Prism
Kara M. Canton
TTMK Films

Best Production Design

Prism
Nancy Oeswein
Scarecrow
Britton Frantz(production designer)
Azads Studios

Best Sci-Fi Short

Vitacamp
Jeffrey Gee Chin(vi)
PopRock Academy

Best Thriller Short

Scarecrow
Azads Studios

November Award

Edit

Best Ensemble Cast

Winner
Loganberry Lane: A Book Gets Banned
Jay Karnes(actor)
Julie Phillips(actor)
Grey Acuna(actor)
Julia Montgomery(actor)
Kristen Johnston(actor)
Julia Campbell(actor)
Toks Olagundoye(actor)
Amy Yasbeck(Actor)

Best Special Makeup

Winner
ksms
Daniela Gonc(makeup artist)
João Marcos Oliveira(makeup artist)
Cocun

Best Supporting Actor

Winner
Hugh Parker
The Celebrant
James Anderson(actor)
Hugh Parker(actor)
The Celebrant
Parkbench Films

Best Supporting Actress

Winner
Kristen Johnston(actress)
Loganberry Lane: A Book Gets Banned

Best Web Series / TV Pilot

Winner
The Celebrant
9.4 (6)
Parkbench Films

Best Actress

Ashlee Lollback
The Celebrant
Parkbench Films

Best Editing

The Celebrant
9.4 (6)
Craig Anthony Smith
Parkbench Films

Best Original Screenplay

The Celebrant
9.4 (6)
Craig Anthony Smith
Katherine Armon
Parkbench Films

Best Producer

The Celebrant
9.4 (6)
Shannon Rigbye
Craig Anthony Smith
Katherine Armon
Parkbench Films

Best Production Design

The Celebrant
9.4 (6)
Katherine Armon
Craig Anthony Smith
Jessica Lawry
Parkbench Films

Best Women Short

Loganberry Lane: A Book Gets Banned
Cathy Cahlin Ryan(director)

January Award

Edit

Best Actress

Winner
Cynthia Zitter
Argie Berman
Entity Eye Entertainment
Rachael Klein(actress)
New Tables

Best Animation Short

Winner
Lifted
Daniel Robichaud(director)

Best Crime Short

Winner
In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Christopher Sheffield
In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Christopher Sheffield

Best Documentary Short

Winner
Sacrificed: Trading Art for War!
Douglas J. Corcoran(director)
Lorene M. Yoxtheimer(producer)
YoxCor Productions and Cord Films
Dear Dad
Burton Rocks(directior)
Bob Holtzman(producer)
Lawrence Rocks(executive producer)
Marlene Rocks(executive producer)
Lawrence Rocks Associates

Best Editing

Winner
Liminal
Rafael Reis
Janelle Christa Productions

Best Experimental Short

Winner
Liminal
Rafael Reis
Robert Day
Devon James
Natalie Schlute
Edward Kasper
Janelle Christa
Shannon Loar-Coté
Janelle Christa Productions

Best Female Director

Winner
Janelle Christa
Liminal
Janelle Christa Productions
Taylor Rex(director)
New Tables

Best First Time Male Director

Winner
Carmine Carpenito
Come and Find Me

Best Mystery Short

Winner
Come and Find Me
Carmine Carpenito

Best Original Score

Winner
Come and Find Me
Raphael Sommer
Vali Herrera
Björn Pankratz

Best Original Screenplay

Best Producer

Winner
Come and Find Me
Carmine Carpenito
In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Darren Burch

Best Production Design

Winner
Come and Find Me
Carmine Carpenito
In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Cristobal Hernandez

Best Short of the Season (Special Jury Award)

Winner
Come and Find Me
Carmine Carpenito

Best Young Actor

Winner
Fflyn Edwards
Come and Find Me

Outstanding Achievement Award (Cinematography)

Winner
Come and Find Me
Ben Zäch

Best Acting Duo

The Pact
Nicole Acosta
Zach Montou

Best Actor

Best Cinematography

Liminal
Robert Day
Janelle Christa Productions

Best Dark Comedy

Jalapeño Business
Kurt Collins

Best Drama Short

New Tables
Paulina Charlebois(producer)
Lindsey Briant(producer)
Taylor Rex(producer)
I am Enough
Josh Glennon(actor)
Richard Morgan Sanderson(producer)
Vivienne Walker(actor)
Richard Sanderson(producer)
Stephanie Carr(actor)
Lauren J. Irwin(actor)
Carol Wilson(producer)
Symphony Gibbons(actor)
Jake Kemp(actor)
Daisie-Ann Lovelady(actor)
Frank Emsley(actor)
Lydia Jeffrey(actor)
Marisa Becker(actor)
Seren Basu(actor)
Georgina Jeffrey(actor)
Nuala Jorgia Childs(actor)
Nessa Eriksson(actor)
Elizabeth Arends(director)
Cameron Povall(actor)
Lnd Productions
WildRaff Productions

Best Ensemble Cast

In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Bret Green
Joran Bean
Brian Shakti
Fred Gerle
Pamela Fields
Heather Renee Wake
Darren Burch
The Big Time
Stephen Hedger(actor)
Frankie Midnight(actor)
Keon Gaynor(actor)
Tyrese Saint-Cyr(actor)
Gc Christopher(actor)
Trouvaille Pictures

Best Indie Short

The Big Time
Keon Gaynor(co-writer / actor)
Gregory Starke(director of photography)
Tristan Wauchope(director)
Luciano Yaya(producer)
Roberto Frometa(editor)
Tyrese Saint-Cyr(co-writer / actor)
Morgan Morgan(production designer)
Stephi Bauduhin(costume designer)
Trouvaille Pictures

Best Male Director

Christopher Sheffield
In Monster's Hands

Best Microfilm

Chronicle of Solitude
Michael J. Bowman(director)

Best Music Video

Sky-Sky
Anna Khanina(actress/singer)
Ilia Noyabrov(director)

Best Original Song

I am Enough
Lauren J. Irwin(songwriter)
Lnd Productions
WildRaff Productions
In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Darren Burch
The Big Time
Frankie Midnight(actor/ singer / song writer)
Trouvaille Pictures

Best Short Script

Open
Cesar Sanchis Romero

Best Sound Design

In Monster's Hands
9.9 (24)
Kenny Mitchell

Best Student Director (Male)

Cyril Paquet
Amaury Gilmaire
Baccara
Baccara Pictures

Best Student Female Director

Madysen Dougherty
Until Daylight Comes
Next Generation Storytellers

Best Student Short

Until Daylight Comes
Madysen Dougherty
Next Generation Storytellers
Baccara
Cyril Paquet(director)
Amaury Gilmaire(director)
Baccara Pictures

Annual Award

Edit

Best Acting Duo

Winner
Harbor
6.4 (8)
Pamela Portnoy
Jack Norris
From Buckingham Palace
Nicola Posener
Nita Mistry
Out on a Limb
Diane Box Worman
George C. Tronsrue

Best Children Short of the Year

Winner
Paper Flowers
Todd Lien
Hungry Panda Productions
iStage Entertainment

Best First Time Director (male)

Winner
Michael Raymond-James
The Missing Peace

Best Indie Short

Best LGBT Short

Winner
Alpha 27
9.0 (19)
Nick Azzaro

Best Music Video

Winner
My Face
Jeff Hilliard

Best Original Screenplay

Winner
July 4th, 2020
Joe Juanyao Zheng
Leqi Vanessa Kong
Lightseeking Pictures

Best Western Short of the Year

Winner
Unforgiven
Bryan Tan(Director)
Jesse Scimeca(Director)
Justin Suttles(director)
Lucidity Pictures

Best Young Actress of the Year

Winner
Sylvia Ye
Paper Flowers
iStage Entertainment

Best Comedy Short

From Buckingham Palace
Nita Mistry

Best Female Director

Best Microfilm

Glance
Dasha Gorodenska
Luka Bazeli

Best Original Score

Pandaal
Ramesh Kumar Kannan

Best Producer

Our Tea

Best Western Short

Out on a Limb
Filip Kojic
George C. Tronsrue
Sparrow Pictures

Award of Excellence (Special Jury Mention)

Edit

Best Indie Short

Winner
Out of the Fire
Maximilian Curnow
Winner
O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)
7.0 (337)
Conor Patrick Walsh(writer)
Luca Pizzoleo(director)
Pizzoleo Productions

Best Sci-Fi Short

Winner
Wizdom
Ashton Swinford(writer/lead actor/producer)
Layne Marie Williams(director/creator)
Paragram Productions
Legacy Marie Pictures

Best Short of the Season

Winner
For: LiLa
Federica King
Kaitron Bryant
Croatan Productions

Special Jury Award

Edit

Best Short of the Season

Winner
Next Steps: How to Live Your Life and Maybe Even Like It
Natasha Luttjeboer
CyberMind Productions

Special Jury Mention

Edit

Best Short of the Season

Glodok '98
Reagan Elise(producer)
Bryan Higashida(property master)
Qi Hong Desmond Loh(producer)
Caitlin Kelly(Cinematographer)
Mateo Simon(producer)
Jacob Alvarez(editor)
Sara Sims(makeup artist)
Christopher Angelo(art director)
Jansen Cole(Production Designer)
Nicholas Tjen(director)
Joint Winners

Indie Short Fest Award

Edit

Best Drama Short

Winner
Fuel
Austin Spacy
Marc Cleary
Mist Media

Best Ensemble Cast

Winner
Ice Cold Ricky
Ashley Elliott
L'Metrius Long
Kev Tai
David Huynh
Blake Bagby
Alyx Lee
Albania Sofia Sagarra
D.C. Wolfe
Brian James O'Connell
Sal Rodriguez
Winner
How Do You Dream
Maximilian Seed(supporting actor)
Rhied De Castro(supporting actor)
Rylee Singer(lead)
Lestonja Diaz(supporting actor)
Bad Batch Films

Best Experimental Short Film

Winner
Out of the Fire
Maximilian Curnow

Best Film Noir

Winner
When the Clocks Stop
9.7 (6)
Brett Willis(director)

Best First Time Director (Male)

Winner
Maximilian Curnow
Out of the Fire

Best Indie Short

Winner
Ice Cold Ricky
Juwan Chung
Affiliated Entertainment
How Do You Dream
Shomari Dunham(director, writer)
Mason White(producer)
Paulina Zamorano(Director of Photography)
Bad Batch Films

Best Male Director

Winner
Marc Cleary
Fuel
Mist Media

Best Original Score

Winner
Out of the Fire
Maximilian Curnow

Best Original Screenplay

Best Original Song

Winner
Out of the Fire
Maximilian Curnow

Best Production Design

Winner
Next Steps: How to Live Your Life and Maybe Even Like It
Natasha Luttjeboer

Best Sound Editing

Winner
Marley or Me
Adam Jamal

Best Women Short

Winner
Tallulah Park
David Guillermo Borges(director)
Michelle Calloway(writer)
Carlos E. Perez(cinematographer)
Lulah Films
Next Steps: How to Live Your Life and Maybe Even Like It
Natasha Luttjeboer
CyberMind Productions

Best sound design

Winner
At the Riverbank
Adam Jamal

Best Actor

Gilles Stricher(actor)
Quarantine
Alien Donut Films
Russem Productions
Bad Bob Productions

Best Editing

Next Steps: How to Live Your Life and Maybe Even Like It
Wian van de Walt

Best Female Director

Shilpa Johar
Bageecha
Apoorv Arora Films

Best First-Time Female Director

Natasha Luttjeboer
Next Steps: How to Live Your Life and Maybe Even Like It

Best Horror Short

Quarantine
Emile Haris(writer)
Bill Victor Arucan(executive producer)
Russ Emanuel(producer, director)
Russem Productions
Alien Donut Films
Bad Bob Productions

Best Producer

Next Steps: How to Live Your Life and Maybe Even Like It
Wian van de Walt

Best Short of the Season - Runner-up

Liminal
Janelle Christa

Best Student Short

Envy
Randeep Nagi(director)

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Indie Short Fest

December Award

Best Cinematography

Wish

Best Documentary Short

Find Yourself

Best Editing

Find Yourself

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Wish

Best Original Song

Wish

Best Comedy Short

Couple Goals

Best Dark Comedy Short

Whiskey, Darling

Best Director

Outstanding Achievement Award (Experimental Short)

Helezon Akiskan

February Award

Best Acting Duo

Hapless Revenge

Best Drama Short

Isle of the Dead

Best Student Male Director

Certificate of Achievement

Best Acting Duo

Isle of the Dead

Best Action Short

Punjabi Protector

Best Comedy Short

Step-Dog-Father

Best Drama Short

Isle of the Dead

Split Second

Best First Time Director Male

Best Original Screenplay

Isle of the Dead

Best Sci-Fi Short

Nemorise

Desert Trip

Best Short of the Season

Shock Value

Best Student Short

A Gift of Life

Best Web Series/TV Pilot

Chiminey Tales

March Award

Best Acting Duo

The Last Wish

The Last Wish

Best Child/Young Actor

Best Child/Young Actress

Best Costume Design

The Last Wish

Clock Shop

Best Director (Male)

Best Documentary Short

Peace Wilderness Man

Best Editing

O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)

Return to Sender

Best Producer

O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)

Best Sound Design

O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)

Best Supporting Actor

Best Acting Ensemble

O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)

Best Cinematography

Peace Wilderness Man

Best Dark Comedy Short

Attempted Murder

O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)

Best First Time Director (Female)

Best Original Screenplay

O.C.D. (Obsessor Coercio Deus)

Best Student Short

King Castling

April Award