Congratulations to our 2022 Festival Winners

2022 Jury Awards

Ferryman

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Darren Bender

Best Narrative Feature

Peter Callahan

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Out and About

Best Actor

Carli Fish

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Ferryman

Best Actress

To Which We Belong

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Pamela Boll and Lindsay Richardson

Best Documentary Feature

Being Thunder

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Stephanie Lamorre

Honorable Mention: Documentary Feature

Between the Lines: Photojournalism in the Crossfire

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Jan Sonnenmair

Best Documentary Short

A River Out of Time

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Benjamin Kraushaar and Cody Perry

Best Adventure Film

OPERATION: CAVITY

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Alex Morsanutto

Best Live Action Narrative Short

ALA KACHUU – Take and Run

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Maria Brendle

Honorable Mention: Live Action Narrative Short

ON/OFF

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Nicolas Villarreal

Best Animated Short

2022 Audience Awards

Marvelous and the Black Hole

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Kate Tsang

Best Narrative Feature

To Which We Belong

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Pamela Boll and Lindsay Richardson

Best Documentary

ALA KACHUU – Take and Run

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Maria Brendle

Best Short

Our Story – The Indigenous Led Fight to Protect Greater Chaco

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Michael Ramsey and Daniel Tso

Best Native Cinema

A River Out of Time

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Benjamin Kraushaar and Cody Perry

Best Adventure

Rocks 4 Sale!

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David Dibble

Best Family Film

Under the Lights

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Miles Levin

Best REEL Learning

2021 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Omar and Us directed by Maryna Er Gorbach and Mehmet Bahadir Er

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: Take Out Girl directed by Hisonni Mustafa

Best Documentary Feature: The Walrus and the Whistleblower directed by Nathalie Bibeau

Honorable Mention Documentary Feature: Cholitas directed by Jaime Murciego and Pablo Iraburu

Best Documentary Short: Welcome Strangers directed by Dia Sokol Savage

Honorable Mention Documentary Short: USA v SCOTT directed by Ora DeKornfeld and Isabel Castro

Best Live Action Short: Rent Due directed by Gavin Michael Booth

Honorable Mention Live Action Short: Groom. Bride. Herring. directed by Dmitriy Endaltsev

Best Animated Short: Malakout directed by Farnoosh Abedi

Honorable Mention Animated Short: Kapaemahu directed by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Joe Wilson, and Dean Hamer

2021 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Elephant in the Room (L’Elefante nella stanza) directed by Kartik Singh

Best Documentary Feature: Picture Of His Life directed by Yonatan Nir and Dani Menkin

Best Documentary Short: USA v SCOTT directed by Ora DeKornfeld and Isabel Castro

Best Adventure Film: Cholitas directed by Jaime Murciego and Pablo Iraburu

Best Family Film: Dani Burt directed by Brian Olliver

Best Native Cinema Film: One Word Sawalmem directed by Natasha Deganello Giraudie and Michael “Pom” Preston

Best Short Film: Alina directed by Rami Kodeih

Best REEL Learning Film: BECOLORED directed by Maurizio Forestieri

2020 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Last Call directed by Gavin Michael Booth

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: Lupe directed by Andre Phillips and Charles Vuolo

Best Documentary Feature: Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War directed by Kerry David

Best Documentary Short: Ashes to Ashes directed by Taylor Rees and Renan Ozturk

Best Live Action Short: To The Muse directed by Jacob Brooks

Best Animated Short: Two Balloons directed by Mark Smith

2020 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Last Call directed by Gavin Michael Booth

Best Documentary: Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War directed by Kerry David

Best Adventure Film: The Weight of Water directed by Michael Brown

Best Family Film: Superpower Dogs directed by Daniel Ferguson

Best Native Cinema Film: Common Ground: The Story of Bears Ears directed by Paige Sparks

Best Short Film: The Neighbors’ Window directed by Marshall Curry

Best REEL Learning Film: Osama & Ayman directed by Sam Price-Waldman, Chris Cresci, & Ben Mullinkosson

2019 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: I May Regret directed by Graham Streeter

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: For Izzy directed by Alex Chu

Best Documentary Feature: Letter from Masanjia directed by Leon Lee

Honorable Mention Documentary Feature: This is Home directed by Alexandra Shiva

Best Documentary Short: Unforgiveable/
Imperdonabile directed by Giosue Petrone

Honorable Mention Documentary Short: Glen Canyon Rediscovered directed by Taylor Graham

Best Narrative Short: Swagger Back directed by George Kenyon

Honorable Mention Narrative Shorts: Masquerade directed by Andrew Hawkins and Raceland by Scott Bloom

Best Animated Short: The Fruits of Clouds directed by Katerina Karhankova

2019 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: DOE directed by Justin Foia

Best Documentary: Ascending Afghanistan: Women Rising directed by Erik Osterholm

Best Adventure Film: Ascending Afghanistan: Women Rising directed by Erik Osterholm

Best Family Film: Wild Toddler Chronicles: Motivations directed by Brian Lewis

Best Native Cinema Film: Spider Woman’s Web directed by Larry Ruiz

Best Short Film: The Fruits of Clouds directed by Katerina Karhankova

Best REEL Learning Film: Imagination: Tom Wallisch directed by David Mossop

2018 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Butterfly Caught directed by Manny Rodriguez, Jr.

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: DriverX directed by Henry Barrial

Best Documentary Feature: Skid Row Marathon directed by Mark Hayes

Best Documentary Short: Fix and Release directed by Scott Dobson

Best Live Action Short: Night Call directed by Amanda Renee Knox

Honorable Mention Live Action Short: Watu Wote: All of Us directed by Katja Benrath

2018 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Butterfly Caught directed by Manny Rodriguez, Jr.

Best Documentary: Bears of Durango directed by Dusty Hulet

Best Adventure Film: Altai Frontier directed by Vivienne Smith

Best Family Film: 18 Frames directed by Aiden Hurley

Best Native Cinema Film: United by Water directed by Derrick LaMere

Best Short Film: Watu Wote: All of Us directed by Katja Benrath

Best Animated Short: Pittari directed by Patrick Smith

Best REEL Learning Film: Light Sight directed by Seyed M. Tabatabaei

2017 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: The Happys directed by John Serpe and Tom Gould

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: Bastards y Diablos directed by A.D. Freese

Best Documentary Feature: Real Boy directed by Shaleece Haas

Honorable Mention Documentary Feature: Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World directed by Nicholas Edwards

Best Documentary Short: Pickle directed by Amy Nicholson

Honorable Mention Documentary Short: Out There directed by Greg Cairns

Best Live Action Short: Eden Hostel (Hostal Eden) directed by Gonzaga Manso

Honorable Mention Live Action Short: The Orchid (La Orquidea) directed by Ferran Navarro-Beltran

Best Animated Short: Wave Arp directed by Andres Restrepo

2017 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Bastards y Diablos directed by A.D. Freese

Best Documentary: My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond directed by Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan

Best Adventure Film: Dodo’s Delight directed by Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll, Josh Lowell, Nick Rosen, and Peter Mortimer

Best Family Film: The Sled directed by Olesya Shchukina

Best Native Cinema Film: Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things directed by Mark Kenneth Woods and Michael Yerxa

Best Short Film: Killed in Action directed by Christine Weatherup

Best REEL Learning Film: The Present directed by Jacob Frey

2016 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Texas Heart directed by Mark David

Honorable Mention Narrative Features: Superior directed by Edd Benda and Fools directed by Benjamin Meyer

Best Documentary Feature: Since: The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 directed by Phil Furey and Spencer Averick

Honorable Mention Documentary Feature: Children of the Arctic directed by Nick Brandestini

Best Documentary Short: Dreaming Against the World directed by Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello

Honorable Mention Documentary Short: The Gnomist directed by Sharon Liese

Best Live Action Short – Drama: Till Then (Bis Gleich) directed by Benjamin Wolff

Honorable Mention Live Action Short – Drama: Ronnie BoDean directed by Steven Judd

Best Live Action Short – Comedy: Dad in Mum (Papa Dans Maman) directed by Fabrice Bracq

Honorable Mention Live Action Short – Comedy: What’s Eating Dad directed by Michael Goldburg

Best Animated Short: Canis directed by Marc Riba and Anna Solanas

Honorable Mention Animated Short: The Story of Percival Pilts directed by Janette Goodey and John Lewis

2016 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Texas Heart directed by Mark David

Best Documentary: Revival: The Sam Bush Story directed by Wayne Franklin & Kris Wheeler

Best Adventure Film: First Ascent – Kunyang Chhish East directed by Matteo Vettorel, Alessandro Bandinelli and Milena Holzknecht

Best Family Film: The Story of Percival Pilts directed by Janette Goodey and John Lewis

Best Native Cinema Film: Children of the Arctic directed by Nick Brandestini

Best Short Film: Till Then (Bis Gleich) directed by Benjamin Wolff

Best REEL Learning Film: The Little Bird and the Squirrel directed by Lena von Dohren

2015 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Wildlike directed by Frank Hall Green

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: White Lies directed by Dana Rotberg

Best Documentary Feature: Wanda the Wonderful directed by Carolyn Macartney

Honorable Mention Documentary Feature: Paradise Garden directed by Ava Leigh Stewart

Best Documentary Short: Duk County: Peace is in Sight in the New South Sudan directed by Jordan Campbell

Honorable Mention Documentary Short: Daughters of Emmonak directed by Samantha Andre

Best Live Action Short: Aban + Khorshid directed by Darwin Serink

Honorable Mention Live Action Short: Pilato, Pilato… directed by Roberto Russo

Best Animated Short: The Sense of Touch directed by Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo

Honorable Mention Animated Short: The Dam Keeper directed by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi

2015 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: White Lies directed by Dana Rotberg

Best Documentaries: Duk County: Peace is in Sight in the New South Sudan directed by Jordan Campbell and Bounce (This is not a Freestyle Movie) directed by Guillaume Blanchet

Best Family Film: Cowboy Dream directed by Lars Hegdal

Best Native Cinema Film: Indian Relay directed by Charles Dye

Best Short Film: Intersection directed by Jason Honeycutt

Best REEL Learning Film: Bounce (This is not a Freestyle Movie) directed by Guillaume Blanchet

2014 Jury Awards

Best Narrative Feature: Putzel directed by Jason Chaet

Honorable Mention Narrative Feature: One Small Hitch directed by John Burgess

Best Documentary Feature: Rafea: Solar Mama directed by Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim

Honorable Mention Documentary Feature: Uranium Drive-in directed by Suzan Beraza

Best Documentary Short: The Apothecary directed by Helen Hood Scheer

Honorable Mention Documentary Short: Can’t Stop the Water directed by Jason and Rebecca Ferris

Best Adventure Film: Spice Girl directed by Nick Rosen

Honorable Mention Adventure Film: High and Hallowed: Everest 1963 directed by David Morton and Jake Norton

Best Live Action Short: Natives directed by Jeremy Hersh

Honorable Mention Live Action Short: The Last Border directed by Daniel Butterworth

Best Animated Short: A Tangled Tale directed by Corrie Francis Parks

Honorable Mention Animated Short: Estefan directed by Jeff Call, Lauren Taylor, and Lauren Oppenlander

2014 Audience Awards

Best Narrative Feature: One Small Hitch directed by John Burgess

Best Documentary: Beautiful Faces directed by Russell Martin

Best Adventure Film: Spice Girl directed by Nick Rosen

Best Family Film: Estefan directed by Jeff Call, Lauren Taylor, and Lauren Oppenlander

Best Native Cinema Film: Shhh! directed by Steven Paul Judd

Best Short Films (Tie): Butterfly Dreams directed by Venkat Krishnan and The Boy and the Bus directed by Simon Pitts

Best REEL Learning Film: The Numberlys directed by Moonbot Studios