Octopus
Sign In
Sign Out
Cart ()
Saturday, July 26 through
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Get off Facebook Forget Instagram. Go outside. You're wasting you're life on Twitter Youtube isn't real life.

2023 Festival Awards

Congratulations to all our 2023 filmmakers and screenwriters!

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Best of the Fest
26.2 TO LIFE
by Christine Yoo

Best Documentary Short
WINNER: SEEDS OF CHANGE by Maximilian Armstrong
RUNNER UP: SWIMMING THROUGH by Samantha Sanders
2nd RUNNER UP: JACK AND SAM by Jordon Horowitz

Best Comedy Short
WINNER: CONFESSIONS by Stephanie Kaznocha
RUNNER UP: DRAGON POETS OF BOSTON by Gordon LePage
2nd RUNNER UP: CLAM SHACK BLUES by Matt Ott

Best Animated Short
WINNER: MANŌ by Brittany Biggs
RUNNER UP: THE SOCIAL CHAMELEON by Alex Ross
2nd RUNNER UP: THE EGRET RIVER by Wan Ling-Liu

Best Dramatic Short
WINNER: NAKAM by Andreas Kessler
RUNNER UP: THE BOND by Jahmil Eady
2nd RUNNER UP: BLACK MARIA by Marcus W. Albino

Best Documentary Feature
WINNER: 26.2 TO LIFE by Christine Yoo
RUNNER UP: THE SPACE RACE by Lisa Cortes & Diego Hurtado de Mendoza
2nd RUNNER UP: LOCKED OUT by Luchina Fisher & Kate Davis

Best Narrative Feature
WINNER: ARIEL – BACK TO BUENOS AIRES by Alison Murray
RUNNER UP: JESS PLUS NONE by Mandy Fabian
2nd RUNNER UP: INTERMEDIUM by Erik Bloomquist

JURY AWARDS

Best Animated Short
WINNER: NIGHT by Ahmad Saleh
RUNNER UP: MISOPHONIA by Linda Wingerter
2nd RUNNER UP: THE SOCIAL CHAMELEON by Alex Ross

Best Documentary Short
WINNER: DECIDING VOTE by Robert Lyons & Jeremy Workman
RUNNER UP: DAUGHTER OF THE SEA by Nancy Kwon & Nicole Gormley
2nd RUNNER UP: OTRO LADO (THE OTHER SIDE) by Gabriela Cavanaugh & Grace McNally

Best Comedy Short
WINNER: THE VACATION by Jarreau Carrillo
RUNNER UP: MY EYES ARE UP HERE by Nathan Morris
2nd RUNNER UP: CLAM SHACK BLUES by Matt Ott

Best Dramatic Short
WINNER: RIPS by Major Dorfman
RUNNER UP: PANDA by Sasha Briggs
2nd RUNNER UP: TART by Rose Schimm

Best Narrative Feature
Drama

WINNER: LAKELANDS by Robert Higgins & Patrick McGivney
RUNNER UP: COYOTE by Katherine Jerkovic
Comedy
WINNER: A KIND OF KIDNAPPING by D.G. Clark
RUNNER UP: JESS PLUS NONE by Mandy Fabian

Best Documentary Feature
WINNER: PATROL by Camilo de Castro & Brad Allgood
RUNNER UP (TIE):
DUSTY & STONES by Jesse Rudoy
WITH PETER BRADLEY by Alex Rappoport

SOUND DESIGN AWARD

Best Sound Design in a Short Drama or Comedy
WINNER: NAKAM
RUNNER UP: BLACK MARIA
2nd RUNNER UP: INFRACTION

DIRECTOR’S CHOICE AWARDS

Best Performance

Youth in a Feature Film
ENZO DESMEULES SAINT-HILAIRE (COYOTE)
Adult in a Feature Film
JENNIFER KIM (SOMEWHERE QUIET)
Youth in a Short Film
HAOZHE WANG (FOREIGN UNCLE)
Adult in a Short Film
MATT LEONE (BLUE BOY)

Best Cinematography

Short Documentary
CHRIS NAUM & PERRIN JAMES (DAUGHTER OF THE SEA)
Short Drama
DIMITRIS LAMBRIDIS (DUSTLIGHT)
Feature Documentary
CURREN SHELDON (KING COAL)
Feature Narrative
PEDRO VENDRELL (EDEN)

Fortitude in Filmmaking
CAMILO DE CASTRO & BRAD ALLGOOD (PATROL)

Emerging Filmmaker
MICHAEL N HANSEN & PEGGY O’SULLIVAN (ALL MEN ARE WICKED)

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

SHORT COMEDY
WINNER: ST.GEORGE AND THE DRAGON by Stuart Alan Creque
RUNNER UP: TRANS SPOTTING by R.A. Eschenroeder

SHORT DRAMA
WINNER: DEVIL’S INSTRUMENT by Frederik Ehrhardt
RUNNER UP: PENDING by Jennifer Rae Rapaport

FEATURE COMEDY
WINNER: A NEED FOR SOMETHING NEW by John T. Frederick
RUNNER UP: inHUMAN reSOURCES by Neal Thibedeau, Rafael Aguilo

FEATURE DRAMA
WINNER: GRAMPS by Jennifer Rapaport, John Stimpson, and Geoffrey Taylor
RUNNER UP: THE WHITE GLOVES, LEGEND by Robert Manz