The following projects — including short films, TV and web series, and screenplays — are the finalists of the May monthly round, competing across 62 categories.
These finalists were selected from an official selection pool with a 46.3% acceptance rate, drawn from submissions representing 20 countries and a combined runtime of 31:47:53, in addition to short script entries.
The nominees represent the top 36.2% 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
I Want It by Agnessa Simo (France)
Old Man and the Mirror by Adam Pine and Sean Pine (USA)
Once More, Like Rain Man by Sue Ann Pien (USA)
Pandaal by Shaily Sanghvi (USA)
The Runner by Tony Tacheny (USA)
Best Drama Short
Hysteria by Miriam Carlsen (Denmark)
Little Boy by Adrian Hernandez (USA)
Mute by I. J. Buznego (Venezuela)
The Way of Life by Qingqin Yang (China)
Xian (String) by Mubai Shen (China)
Best Student Short
Abandominium by Dom Lopez (USA)
My Own Hair by Lauren Anderson (USA)
Popcorn by Fangjian Li (USA)
Sonder by Shrijal Thapa (USA)
Walking on a Dream by Zineb Zidane (Morocco)
Best Documentary Short
Oceanbone by Lani Cupchoy (USA)
Redacted Dreams by Fariba Farjam (Canada)
Riverine by Yuxuan Hou (China)
Whence the Wind Blows by Wanze Li and Xuanyi He (China)
ZAG – Tall Trees Have Deep Roots by Clara Maria Wetzel (USA)
Best Comedy Short
Cast Away Sorta by Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette (USA)
Fitness Guy by Adam Pine and Sean Pine (USA)
Rideshare Rumble by Justin Patten (USA)
Best Romantic Comedy Short
TBA
Best Dark Comedy Short
TBA
Best Action Short
TBA
Best Crime Short
TBA
Best Film Noir Short
A Congress of Crows by Sean Martinez (USA)
Shock Value by Sam Veeramachaneni (USA)
Wisdom of the Crowd by Adam Mohammed Nevin (USA)
Best Mystery Short
TBA
Best Thriller Short
TBA
Best Horror Short
Candy by Giuseppe Marino (Italy)
Dunwich by Chris Marrone and Chris S. Gabriel (USA)
Intus Dark by Denise Sganzerla (Brazil)
Socrates by Ken Sagoes (USA)
To The End by Ruiying Sun (USA)
Best Sci-Fi Short
TBA
Best Fantasy Short
TBA
Best Western Short
TBA
Best Animation Short
Faith and the Christmas Star by Anne Trenning (USA)
Retrieving Roadie by Luke Stone (USA)
The Light by Lucy Keegan (UK)
Best Women Short
A Mother’s Promise by Heather Waters (USA)
My Own Hair by Lauren Anderson (USA)
To The End by Ruiying Sun (USA)
Best LGBTQ Short
TBA
Best Microfilm
TBA
Best Experimental Short
Beyond The Field of Grass by Felicia Varlotto (USA)
Ice Breath by Leonard Alecu (Romania)
Tears by Zinzi Gugu Johnson (USA)
Best Web Series & TV Pilot
TBA
Best Web and New Media
TBA
Best Mobile Short
TBA
Best Short Script
A Sleeper’s Silence by Ross Raventos (USA)
Cold Feet by Amy Santos and Sara Siggard (USA)
My Lover by Betsy Marie Regus (USA)
Seat Covers by John Norris Ray (USA)
The Wooden Porch by Grace YJ Kim (South Korea)
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