The following projects (short films, TV & web series, and screenplays) are the finalists of the round of September competing in 63 different categories. These projects were shortlisted from a 35,3% acceptance rate official selection pool, based on submissions from 28 countries with a total runtime of 102:18:30. The nominees represent 23% of all submitted projects.
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Best Short (Overall)
Gone with the Ocean by Bide Yuan (USA)
How’dy! by Keene McRae (USA)
J-1 by Emmi Shockley (USA)
Pursuit Of A Jigsaw by Sam Mizrahi-Powell (USA)
Runner’s High by Sheldon Donenberg and Thelonius Serrell-Freed (USA)
Trust by Santiago Calogero (USA)
Best Foreign-Language Short (Overall)
Amplitude Modulation by Nicolás Fernández (Chile)
Doulas Beach by Fernanda García (Mexico)
Dying in the Sun by He Chunfeng (China)
Fulgidusen by Alexander Feichter (Germany)
The Menu for Tomorrow by Woody – Kazuhiro Kiuchi (Japan)
Zulfi by Sahil Shah (India)
Best Indie Short
Gone with the Ocean by Bide Yuan (USA)
Hollywood Forever by Ben Howley (USA)
Home Room by Tony Fair (USA)
How’dy! by Keene McRae (USA)
Narcissus by Grace (Ge) Gao (USA)
Strata by Richard Lu Jia Wellershoff (Germany)
The Menu for Tomorrow by Woody – Kazuhiro Kiuchi (Japan)
Zaco by Watanabe Takehito (Japan)
Best Drama Short
From Here by Josh Swope (USA)
Keepsake by Mikkel Richardson (USA)
Tambay (Stand-By) by Zyril Nica Bundoc (Philippines)
The McHenry Trial – Don’t Judge a Kid by Their Hoodie by Ken Sagoes (USA)
Trust by Santiago Calogero (USA)
Weightless by Dominik Rüedi and Miguel Burger (Switzerland)
Wireless by Criss Gidas (Australia)
Zulfi by Sahil Shah (India)
Best Documentary Short
Adam by Christine Auger-Zivic (USA)
Are You There, Andy? by Holly Lehren (USA)
Natalie’s Point of View by Abigail Fuller (USA)
The Pugilist by José Martín Sulaimán (USA)
The Sound of Love by Siddharth Sharma (India)
This is Not a Drill: 38 Minutes that Changed Lives by Robert Feldman and Keiko Feldman (USA)
This Is Not a Person by Miguel Rodriguez and Pablo Ostarek (Spain)
Walker by J.D. Butler (USA)
Best Comedy Short
Coffee by Sungho Chun (USA)
If You Love Her, Let Her Go by Ilan Zerrouki (France)
Lipstick City by Courtney Karwal (USA)
Melinda’s Wish by Jeffrey Penman and Mike LoBello (USA)
Pandemic Softball by Rob Leo Roy (USA)
Stuntbot by Olivia Foa’i (Australia)
The Don by D.A. Franklin (USA)
Windows by Mike Greenwood (USA)
Best Romantic Comedy Short
Fertile by Bianca Poletti (USA)
Karaoke by Axel Rezinovsky (Argentina)
Our Ghost Maid by Fred Paskiewcz (USA)
Best Dark Comedy Short
Bad Dad by Bronny Lane (Australia)
Flush Lou by Madison Stewart Leonard (USA)
Killing Ray Yamamoto by Blake Jarvis (USA)
Melinda’s Wish by Jeffrey Penman and Mike LoBello (USA)
She Really Hurt My Feelings in Yoga Class by Bette Bentley (USA)
Skin Deep by Justin Giddings and Ryan Welsh (USA)
Sweetooth by Felicia Romeo (USA)
The Divorcing by Kevin Cappiello (USA)
Best Action Short
2 Bullet Solution by Matt Mullins (USA)
Flux Action by Alexander J. Coulter (USA)
Killing Ray Yamamoto by Blake Jarvis (USA)
Best Crime Short
All We Need by Oleg Loparev (USA)
Broken Angel by Christopher Long (USA)
In the Name of Prudence by Riggsby Lane and Whitaker Lane (USA)
Red Carpet by Kevin V. Tudor (USA)
Unlucky Number 7 by Adrian McGaw (UK)
Best Film Noir Short
Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t by Nick Muhlbach (USA)
Pursuit Of A Jigsaw by Sam Mizrahi-Powell (USA)
Silver City by Scott Dexter (UK)
Silverback by Leroy Nguyen (USA)
The Holdover by Max Nelson (USA)
Best Mystery Short
Alone by Glen MItku (USA)
Amplitude Modulation by Nicolás Fernández (Chile)
Nothing Ever Happens by Jorge G. Camarena (USA)
TAR: Some Origins of Evil by James Drake Coleman (USA)
The White Place by John Hoffman (USA)
Best Thriller Short
Help Me, Please by Sergio Muñoz Esquer (Mexico)
Here Comes the Bride by Amshu Medapa (USA)
Overbridge by Nihar Kapoor and Amshu Chukki (India)
Pursuit Of A Jigsaw by Sam Mizrahi-Powell (USA)
Runner by Jack Murillo (USA)
Best Horror Short
Doulas Beach by Fernanda García (Mexico)
Laundromat by Hazrul Idzwan Bin Lamin (Singapore)
Lies Inside by Corey Emanuel Jr. (USA)
Nightfall by Jake Sanders (USA)
No Hard Shells Crack? by Rich Mcafee (UK)
Sweet Dreams by Julius Thomas Trimble (USA)
Vac Attack by Kyle Lane (USA)
Visitor by Pavel Bartovský (Czech Republic)
Best Fantasy Short
Fulgidusen by Alexander Feichter (Germany)
Hollow by Nicholas Andrews (Australia)
In The Dark by Michael Leon (USA)
Melinda’s Wish by Jeffrey Penman and Mike LoBello (USA)
Revenge of the Supermom by Sara Page (Canada)
Best Sci-Fi Short
Alice by Andrew Ramirez (USA)
Epoch by Ethan Erickson (USA)
If You Love Her, Let Her Go by Ilan Zerrouki (France)
Love Is by Simas Lindešis (Lithuania)
Paradox by Jon Cohen (Australia)
Sweetooth by Felicia Romeo (USA)
The Things We Tell the Ones We Love by Matthew Wilkins (USA)
uTransfer by Giorgio Miraflor (USA)
Best Western Short
(TBA)
Best Animation Short
2B1 by Nica Petrova (Russia)
Let it Rain by Giuseppe Rodio, Sanghamitra Phukan, and Angshuman Phukan (India)
Sight by Lee Lacey (Ireland)
Star Crossed by Hasani Walker (USA)
That’s My Boy! by Alex Vvedenskiy (USA)
The Bat and the Matt by Stefan Janoski (USA)
The Possum Eaters by David Gantz (USA)
Waste Away by Elly Stern (USA)
Best Children Short
Deep Fears by Ryan Chu (USA)
Fulgidusen by Alexander Feichter (Germany)
Hecklers by Lukas Lane (USA)
Mijo by Erica Ortiz (USA)
Red Phone by WeiDuo Feng (China)
Best Women Short
A Woman Eats by Sam Reiss (USA)
Bare Intimacy by Jennifer Karlsson (Australia)
Cartas de Amor a un Torero by Reyes Caballero (Spain)
Close by Isabella Smith (Australia)
Narcissus by Grace (Ge) Gao (USA)
Scales by Robbie Barnes (USA)
She Really Hurt My Feelings in Yoga Class by Bette Bentley (USA)
The Caretaker by Isabella Danzi (USA)
Best LGBTQ Short
Falling In by Theo Kim (Canada)
Flush by Diego Freitas (Brazil)
How ‘Bout A Cuppa Tea by Jan Miller Corran (USA)
Mija by Priscilla Emprechtinger (USA)
Plantonic by Krit Komkrichwarakool (Canada)
Best Microfilm
Adoption by Jieun Lee (South Korea)
Beef Stew by David Gantz (USA)
Do Geese See God by Natalie Theron (South Africa)
In Case We Get Found by Sarah Young (USA)
Shill by Werner J. Traut (USA)
The Attic by Corey Snyder and Livia Beasley (USA)
Visitor by Pavel Bartovský (Czech Republic)
Willie in the Sky by Nathaniël Siri (USA)
Best Experimental Short
Black Butoh by LZ Granderson (USA)
Forget Me Not by Andreas John (USA)
Indalo: The Creation by Des Dlamini (South Africa)
Paint On Paint # 1 by Vasco Diogo (Portugal)
Part of a Balanced Breakfast by Jordan Rae Herron (USA)
Segregation by Sian flanagan and Sam Akinyele (Canada)
The Closest Thing to Silence by Aidan Hall (UK)
The Past Has Yet To Begin by William Stancik (USA)
Best Student Short
Dagwood’s Brig by Alec J. Macri (Canada)
Dying in the Sun by He Chunfeng (China)
For Kate by Claire Imler (USA)
In The Dark by Michael Leon (USA)
Nowhere, Forever by Anike Niemeyer (USA)
Runner’s High by Sheldon Donenberg and Thelonius Serrell-Freed (USA)
The Art of Survival by Gregory Armstrong (USA)
The Fall Line by Maryann Lonergan (USA)
Best Screendance Short
Black Butoh by LZ Granderson (USA)
Cant Kill Us All by Botis Seva and Ben Williams (UK)
Forget Me Not by Andreas John (USA)
Salsa Mia by Angie Castro (Colombia)
You’re the Kinda Guy by Joshua McGrane (Ironclad Productions), and Michelle Rose (USA)
Best Music Video
Angel in Disguise by Joshua McGrane, Ironclad Productions, and Michelle Rose (USA)
Distance by Stefany Rojo (USA)
Momento Mori by Ami Hanna (USA)
Wingwalkers – The Angry Lisas by A.J. Van Loo (USA)
You’re the Kinda Guy by Joshua McGrane (Ironclad Productions), and Michelle Rose (USA)
Best Web Series/TV Pilot
#MarriedLife the Web Series by Kirsten Day (USA)
Bound For Glory by John Wilcox (USA)
It’s Your Turn by Rose of Dolls and Oliver Mend (Spain)
Mann Overboard by Sam Cadman (USA)
Metanoia (Episodes 1-2) by Gabrielle Reublin (USA)
Tabs & Clea by Morgan Elizabeth Millogo (USA)
The Gliwensbourg Chronicles by Émilie Tommasi (France)
Welcome to Tate’s by Nathan Aaron (USA)
Best Web and New Media
Are You There, Andy? by Holly Lehren (USA)
Metanoia (Episodes 1-2) by Gabrielle Reublin (USA)
One by Vivekanand Palavali (USA)
The Distanced by Justin Timpane (USA)
The Gamer Girl by Demian Fuica (Canada)