The following projects — including short films, TV and web series, and screenplays — are the finalists of the August monthly round, competing across 62 categories.
These finalists were selected from an official selection pool with a 52.6% acceptance rate, drawn from submissions representing 25 countries and a combined runtime of 42:40:45, in addition to short script entries.
The nominees represent the top 33.6% of all submissions.
Unlisted categories had no submissions meeting the minimum score requirements.
Categories marked TBA had two or fewer projects qualifying for awards consideration. Winners in these categories will be announced alongside the rest of the award recipients.
Follow the links below to explore other sections:
Best Indie Short
A Thousand Years by Bryce Ferendo (USA)
Chinese Food by Dongkyu Paul Lim (USA)
F.O.M.O. by Charles W Saculla (USA)
Macbeth in Compton by Page Kennedy (USA)
The Wind by Jeremy Patsy and Jonathan Elias (USA)
Best Drama Short
All the Men’s Hangers by Sabrina Lassegue (USA)
The Darkness Before Dawn by Myriam Hasson (Israel)
The Emerald Purse by Kimberly Olsen (South Africa)
The Tracks We Leave by Michelle Mattingly Wilson (USA)
Treu (Faithful) by Hansjoerg Thurn (Germany)
Best Student Short
I Love You More Than Dinosaurs by Tyler Coon (USA)
The Father, the Daughter and the Hostage by Itamar Kasirer (Israel)
The Scream by Kunlang Tian (UK)
The Tenets of Belrose-Marr by Jett Ross Tessaro (USA)
If Only by Wesley Reid (Netherlands)
Best Documentary Short
40 Days in Saratoga by Samuel Centore (USA)
First Light by Kristopher Roller and Alex Broadstock (USA)
Rahyab by Kamal Weiss Rahyab (Afghanistan)
Requiem In White – Our Dying Glaciers by Harry Putz (Austria)
What We Carried by Carolina Pereira (Palestine)
Best Comedy Short
Forward Thinking by Antonio Harper and Abby Burton (USA)
Hard to Say by Haojie Yan (China)
Log Off by Laurén Carter and Gino Branciforte (USA)
Playland by Pele Alexandria Kudren (USA)
The Aussie by John Costello (USA)
Best Romantic Comedy Short
4 Parties by Warren Myers (USA)
Coconut + Pistol by Gregory Caruso (USA)
Connection at the End of the World by Sean Slimak (USA)
Mary and Gus by Dmitriy Usov (USA)
The Proposal by César Camán (Canada)
Best Dark Comedy Short
Jerry the Ginger Eater by Connor Storrie (USA)
Magdalene’s Total Home Cleaning by Jon Ollom (USA)
My Dead Dad’s Funeral by Jamie Manelis (USA)
Best Crime Short
TBA
Best Film Noir Short
TBA
Best Thriller Short
Clocking Out by Joshua Mueller (Germany)
Dilemma by Trevan Jay Hiatt (USA)
Side Spin by Nick Betancurt (USA)
The Session by Vatsal Gaur (India)
Under the Purple Water by Michael A. Benton (USA)
Best Horror Short
TBA
Best Sci-Fi Short
Anamika – Chapter III: Remnants of the Future by Saji Aravind (USA)
Do You Have a Minute? by Lachlan Sumner (Australia)
The Itch by Gordon Phillips (Mexico)
Best Fantasy Short
TBA
Best Western Short
TBA
Best Animation Short
Blu’s by Rajesh PK (India)
Destiny by Martin Bastian (Canada)
Dogs of Bishkek by Viktor Niksdorf (Russia)
Praying for Love by Sofia Tonin (Italy)
Where the Rain Stops by Dojin Kim (South Korea)
Best Children Short
TBA
Best Women Short
Best Mom Ever by Chaewon Suh (USA)
Land of Forgotten Echoes by Layne Marie Williams (USA)
Salt & Pepper by Kassidy Slaughter (USA)
The Mud Flower by Khushi Manish Gandhi (India)
Visions and Vows by Brian Ford (Mexico)
Best LGBTQ Short
TBA
Best Microfilm
Lady Henze by Eduardo Cantón Torres (USA)
Satellite by Shereen Crystal Moustafa (USA)
Space Rock by Ben Taman (USA)
Best Experimental Short
TBA
Best Music Video
Aakhyun Baat by Sidh Bhoj (India)
Losing Ace by Sally Dora Clack-Manning (UK)
Victoria – We Don’t Get Along (Crumbs Of A Modern Tragedy) by Victoria Karakoleva (Bulgaria)
Best Screendance Short
TBA
Best Web Series & TV Pilot
TBA
Best Mobile Short
TBA
Best Trailer/Teaser
TBA
Best Short Script
Gators by Linda Kampley (USA)
Journey Through the Dark by Erin Cuellar (USA)
Once Upon a Time at MoMA by Irakli Grdzelishvili (USA)
The Bubble by Theodore Inoue (USA)
You Fuckin’ Bitch by Daniel Doble (USA)
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