Having just lost her Indonesian mother less than a year ago, MARIANNA, a biracial Indonesian woman, comes home to Pasadena for her, Caucasian, DAD's birthday. This is Dad’s first birthday since the passing of MOM, and it is hard for him since she would often make birthdays feel very special. Mom does this by making a instant noodle dish, which symbolizes long life for Indonesians. Yet this year due to grief, regret, and her unwillingness to embrace her Indonesian culture, Marianna decides not to have the Indonesian instant noodle ready for her dad on his birthday. So, when her dad tells her that he would like to have the instant noodle for his birthday, Marianna is forced to go on a last-minute grocery run. Unfortunately, for Marianna, this short errand turns into a gargantuan task, when Marianna encounters a series of unfortunate events. Starting with her car breaking down, followed by her phone dying, before ending with her not having enough cash to purchase the instant noodle. Thankfully though, Marianna is not alone in this journey, because Mom is there to help and comes in and out of the story as a ghostly memory, and as figments of Marianna's imagination. Also, along the way, Marianna meets people who help her go on her journey. People like ANDREAS, the wise car mechanic, and AUDREY a ten-year-old, Indonesian girl who helps Marianna find the instant noodle. By meeting these people, Marianna is forced to confront her Indonesian heritage and her relationship with her mom. So, by the end of her journey, Marianna is able to come to terms with her Indonesian culture and grieve the loss of her mom to cancer by continuing her mom’s tradition of making instant noodles for every birthday celebration.


Best Short Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Michelle Sastraatmadja

When art student, Carina, experiences the death of someone close to her, she turns to sleeping pills as a coping mechanism causing her to lose sense of reality.


Best Short Film (Main Category)
Best Director Of Photography (Main Category)


Directed by: Chris McQuire

Promised" is a poignant drama designed to raise awareness about human trafficking through the story of Seila and Chantrea, two Cambodian girls ensnared in its brutal reality. The film navigates between their hopeful beginnings and the subsequent nightmare, focusing on Seila's struggle as a pregnant teenager in a foreign hospital, her child cruelly snatched away at birth. Flashbacks reveal their journey from a Cambodian village into the hands of traffickers, promising easy work abroad but delivering only separation and suffering. Seila's resilience emerges as she seeks help, leading to her eventual escape with assistance from A21 and the Cambodian government. Though she secures justice against her trafficker, the search for her child and Chantrea's fate underscores the ongoing battle against trafficking. "Promised" aims to shed light on this dark issue, emphasizing the power of awareness, advocacy, and the indomitable human spirit.


Best Short Film (Main Category)
Best Director (Main Category)
Best Actress (Main Category)
Best Inspirational Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Christian Elliott

His father perished in a car accident a year ago, and his mother was left in a coma. On the first anniversary of his father's death, a son pushes his wheelchair-bound mother to his father's tombstone, where he runs into Dr. Li Min, a seasoned specialist who treated his parents and eventually sent his father away. Dr. Li Min unties the knot in his heart and reveals to his son the true cause of his father's death.


Best Short Film (Main Category)
Best Actor (Main Category)
Best Drama (Additional Category)


Directed by: Wang Wang

Pap, a former championship boxer, has become a cynic and a recluse after the death of his wife. Years later, his estranged granddaughter Jesse attempts to make a documentary about him. Conflict erupts as the two are unable to see eye to eye. Through the power of art, the two must pull each other out of the depths of their despair, or fall into deeper suffering.


Best Short Film (Main Category)
Best Actor (Main Category)
Best Actress (Main Category)
Best Director (Main Category)
Best Director Of Photography (Main Category)
Best Drama (Additional Category)


Directed by: Jahanshah Vafaeisefat

Writing the perfect suicide note isn't easy. Murdering a garage full of people is also pretty hard. But getting your victims to like you while you kill them, that's the really tricky part.


Best Feature Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Craig Thieman

In a not too distant future, the youth has decided to get back at the older generations and start hunting them at night. Matthieu, 50 years old, will have to survive the pack that is chasing him .


Best Feature Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Cédric Peyster

The Ordinary in the Hidden, where the veils of time are lifted to reveal startling truths. In the misty corridors of Victorian London, cryptograms tucked away in 'The Times' challenge the modern mind. These seemingly indecipherable messages, once considered the whispers of an era long past, now resonate with new life in the digital age.
This film intertwines ancient philosophy with the enigmatic art of cryptography, setting a stage where the theories of yesterday become the digital revelations of today. As the narrative unfolds, we're drawn into a labyrinth of history and mystery, where Pythagoras' musings on numbers and existence dance with the digital zeitgeist of our time.
The fates themselves, caught between whimsy and destiny, traverse our world and others, challenging the essence of reality. From the icy graves of the HMS Terror and Erebus to the cosmic musings of Einstein, this tale contemplates existence across the ebb and flow of time.


Best Experimental Film (Main Category)
Best Animation (Main Category)
Best Producer (Additional Category)


Directed by: Swen Werner

A little boy accidentally spots a cat fishing in the sky, but his parents don't believe him, so he wants to prove that what he says is true and is willing to spend everything he has to search for it, including his whole life.


Best Experimental Film (Main Category)


Directed by: SiJia Zheng

Growing up in Haiti, nobody ever mentioned anything regarding my sisters’ and my twinhood, since we have the same date of birth and were raised in the same household, we assumed we had the same mom and dad. Years later as adults, we found out my mother was not my sister's biological mother. I have decided to confront those involved.


Best Short Documentary Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Rulx Noel

DINOMAN is an intriguing observation of the life and work of Aart Walen, a Dutch paleo artist and taxidermist who brings dinosaurs back to life. Part adventure story and part character study, the film observes Aart as he works on challenging projects for scientific institutions and museums.
Shot over the course of 7 years, the film takes the viewer on a journey to the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and Portugal. While Aart meticulously creates reconstructions of impressive prehistoric animals, he sometimes forgets to organise his own life.
At the same time, the filmmaker struggles to capture the various storylines and the main character into a coherent film. Eventually both find a way, culminating in an exciting and personal story.


Best Feature Documentary Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Jeroen Stultiens

A zoologist couple travels to West Africa to document some of the worlds deadliest snakes. Their expedition reveals a surprising similarity between handling deadly snakes and living in a healthy relationship.


Best Feature Documentary Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Rhett Cutrell

Chef Jack and Leonard are going to cross the Culinary Islands to complete the Convergence of Flavors tests in order to make one of the most audacious recipes that the gastronomic community has ever seen and thus win this fantastic competition.


Best Animation (Main Category)


Directed by: Guilherme Fiuza Zenha

Beginning in a world of darkness, we follow our protagonist, a man who finds himself reaching for a mystical door in hopes of freedom to unknowingly be transported through different realms, each realm encompassing reflective emotions that lead him through a journey of self discovery. What lies behind the door?


Best Animation (Main Category)


Directed by: Anthony Riach

A young woman is trying to come to terms with her sexuality in a world where a strong libido seems to be the only solution to any given problem.


Best Short Screenplay (Main Category)


Written by: Irene Marco, Markus Meedt

A young woman is trying to come to terms with her sexuality in a world where a strong libido seems to be the only solution to any given problem.


Best Original Screenplay (Main Category)


Written by: Kirk Ray Shannon-Butts

It’s 2024, and Javier Manuel (71), former San Francisco newspaper reporter, has been presumed dead after being taken hostage in Tehran in 1979. After forty-five years in an Iranian prison, he has returned to his well-to-do family in Noe Valley only to learn that his middle-aged son (47) is a member of the Jumper’s Club, all sworn to commit suicide by one-day jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge.
Shortly after Javier’s return, which causes joyful shock waves through the family, he learns of several serious family issues including his son’s depression and PTSD and his surgeon wife Nova’s (70) deep loneliness after losing him and recently losing her second husband. He must also help his daughter Lucinda (46), also a surgeon, with her regrets for not being able to help her brother with his ongoing desire to commit suicide.
In San Francisco, Javier is like a babe in the woods because, during his prison years, he had no access to technologically advanced devices (that didn’t even exist when he was interred) such as the Internet, smart phones—not to mention changes in collective thought in the United States. After the Iranians moved him from a large, tortuous prison in Tehran to a small, “friendlier” countryside prison, he did have access to a TV and VCR and Leave It To Beaver and Rambo videos along with a fairly extensive collection of books.
Javier must try to hold back on sharing the full extent to his horrendous suffering of the last forty-five years, and he is more than happy to prioritize his family. Thankfully, there’s already a kind person helping the family in multiple ways: a Rwandan woman, Jina, is Nova’s housekeeper of thirty years and is Javier’s equal in suffering, as she witnessed her entire village getting butchered in the great Rwandan genocide of 1994. And, as it turns out, she also has had to put her tremendous suffering aside to comfort the family. In the resilient Jina, Javier finds a pillar of strength.
Of course, Julio, who has already attempted suicide using various methods, is most in need. As his friends jump from the Golden Gate Bridge to their deaths, we wonder, along with the family, when Julio will take the jump.


Best Unproduced Screenplay (Main Category)


Written by: Kevin Dobbs

A livestreamer ends up in a life threatening situation, when he realises that the creepy user in the chat, is now inside of his apartment.


Best Actor (Main Category)
Best Director Debut (Additional Category)


Directed by: Sebastian Sørensen

After giving up her career as a professional dancer to be with her dreamboat boyfriend, Harbour makes a devastating discovery that prompts her to reevaluate what really matters.


Best Actress (Main Category)
Best Producer (Additional Category)
Best Poster (Additional Category)


Directed by: Brenda Whitehall, Keara Barnes

A spoken word experimental poetry film depicting the magical, simplistic moments between a young couple who have stayed hopeful romantics, found one another, and have fallen deeply in love.


Best Micro-Short Film (Main Category)
Best Director Debut (Additional Category)


Directed by: Anastasia Rivera

“Just. Drop. Dead.” is an action-comedy where two assassins attempt to terminate a carefree, music absorbed individual. However, the assassins soon discover after several attempts that their clueless target, though completely unaware of his predicament, just won’t drop dead... or will he?


Best Micro-Short Film (Main Category)


Directed by: Yael Green

"Late for Work": A Creative Fusion of Film and Music
We embarked on a creative comedy journey to transform a simple skiing adventure with a friend into a compelling narrative through the art of film and sound. The project culminated in a short comedy film titled "Late for Work," which chronicles the story of two friends. The plot unfolds in a condo parking lot, where one friend is about to leave for work but is persuaded by the other to enjoy a skiing session instead. This decision leads them to an unexpected day filled with joy and skiing escapades. The climax of the film occurs while skiing down extremely challenging terrain on their way to the bar, capturing the essence of après-ski culture.


Best Original Score (Main Category)


Directed by: Allison M Zevallos

When a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, a reclusive man must confront a secret from his past before it consumes him.


Best Director Debut (Additional Category)
Best Composer (Additional Category)
Best Thriller (Additional Category)


Directed by: Wesley Boone

Grace's life is shattered by a tragic accident. She returns home to rebuild her life, but the lines between dream and reality become blurred as nightmares, flashbacks, and ghostly visions push her
to the edge of madness.


Best Director Debut (Additional Category)
Best Supporting Actress (Additional Category)
Best Horror (Additional Category)


Directed by: Mike Horan

A struggling drug addict takes care of a plant baby, hoping that by nurturing it, he can learn to take care of himself. However, his addiction beckons him to take one more hit.
Plant Baby is a mix of magical realism, drama and comedy. It explores themes of addiction, recovery and the power of hope.


Best Student Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Arabella Sharkey

A young man goes to a blind dating restaurant in hope to find a girlfriend.


Best Student Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Yael Green

Following a near-fatal accident at a party, Ryan McDillon must resolve his issues within thirty days according to Angel and Mr. Grim over a work-related bet the two have together. Ryan must make amends among the people in his life. He must maneuver through his dysfunctional family, a pregnant girlfriend, hiding his boyfriend from his girlfriend, dealing with his long-time best “friend” who only wants to keep Ryan in the party world for selfish reasons, navigating painful PTSD memories from his childhood pastor, and battling sobriety. However, if he fails, as a result of his choices, he will die. While climbing the corporate ladder alongside Mr. Grim and Angel, Mr. Grim and Angel will learn how they are tied to one another by rival colleagues who strive to beat them as well as climb the corporate ladder alongside them and fight for the top. This will cause more turbulence as Mr. Grim and Angel navigate their entry-level positions battling for a place at the top of the organization hierarchy to sit closer to their bosses. Still, Mr. Grim and Angel discover that achieving this mission will not be as smooth as expected. To add a competitive edge to the game, their bosses, God, and the devil, have raised the bar on Ryan's life and other mortals. In the meantime, God and the devil wage war against each other and compete for mortal souls. Only some mortals will succeed and others will fail. However, there will be no definitive decision regarding who wins the next round. Meanwhile, the holy war reigns furiously.


Best Makeup (Additional Category)
Best Costume Design (Additional Category)


Directed by: Trelanda Lowe

Cheri-lee is inconsolable when her Granny Daisy dies.
As Daisy ascends, she sees Cheri-lee’s grief, and returns
as a little white egg that transforms into a butterfly.
A metamorphosis that mirrors Cheri-lee’s stages of grief


Best Symbolic Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Diek Grobler

Bram Stoker has retired to the countryside, where he spends his days walking in the
woods. During a visit to a ruin, appears a frightening creature, a Vampyr, of which he had read in the
letters of a professor friend of his, Ármin Vámbéry, who joins him with his family to tell him about
his travels and his discoveries. The stories, nightmares and mysterious apparitions of this creature
will lead to the birth of the famous novel Dracula.


Best Horror (Additional Category)


Directed by: Alessandro Onorato

Three Best friends Shree, Adi, Manav are Blind, Deaf & Dumb respectively. They run a detective agency THREE CHEERS, where they get a case of Maria, a lady in distress who has been swindled by a PROPERTY DEALER D'souza of Rupees.10Crores. The Defective but effective Detectives decide to take up this impossible case.


Best Comedy (Additional Category)


Directed by: PARITOSH DIPAK PAINTER

In a world where words are limited, Tom Brennan grudgingly handles appeals from citizens who claim that their WordMeters are malfunctioning. After he’s assigned a string of bizarre clients, the Word Representative’s life spins out of control.


Best Dark Comedy (Additional Category)


Directed by: Johnny Baca

Kitteh x Kitteh travels to Greece in "y don't u stay". Enjoy the ride with a first person island hop adventure to Mykonos, Santorini and Kythnos.


Best Music Video (Additional Category)


Directed by: Dimitra Korri

|YOU ARE ENOUGH| encourages self-acceptance and growth through embracing imperfection !
This dance film talks about identity, diversity, singularity.
Follow 4 individuals on their journey sharing life's singular moments and experimenting the beauty and complexity of humanity with poetry, sensibility, and humor.
You are Enough is an ode to self acceptance, it’s a love shoot to accept ourself as we really are and stop being afraid of not being
beautiful/legitimate/smart/competent/interesting/... enough, for doing what we really want to do.
We often work with the pressure of being perfect, the best, where the constant goal is always to do better and the feeling of not being good enough is really there. |You are Enough| aims welcome the dark and the bright side we all have inside us.
This film is made through a series of sequence shots of almost 10min, where the dancers appear and disappear in the field of the screen, where the DOP, 5th dance partner, is creating a choreography with them as well.


Best Dance Video (Additional Category)


Directed by: Lisa MAGNAN

Best Original Song (Additional Category)
Best Composer (Additional Category)


Author: Yang Zhang

Not for Sale: A Witness Story is about one community’s prophetic vocation to hold space for their homeless and impoverished neighbors amidst an ever-growing gentrification project that booms around them in Corktown, Detroit.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church has been serving the homeless community in Corktown since the Great Depression. With the recent developments creeping closer to the church, the parish is finding clever ways to push back against some of the cynical and indifferent attitudes of Corktown’s developers and their new neighbors of high socioeconomic status.


Best No-Budget Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Brianne Faye Turczynski

Follow an up close and personal story of an aspiring Bellydancer in a modern world that belongs to an ancient culture.


Best Independent Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Bridggett L Bess

"Toska," an untranslatable Russian term, encapsulates a range of emotions, from boredom to homesickness. Explored through the candid revelations of forced emigrants who left their homeland, the short film delves into the aspects that evoke the strongest sense of toska. What do they long for the most? The film is entirely shot on a smartphone.


Best Mobile Film (Additional Category)


Directed by: Sasha Maxyutova, Aleksei Solomin

Two criminals have to dispose of the body. But what to bury over the corpse? What about the dog?


Best Sound Design (Additional Category)


Directed by: Marino Habulan

When Zoe is faced with caring for her abusive mother, who is diagnosed with dementia, she discovers a chance to redefine their relationship.


Best Web-Series (Additional Category)


Directed by: Rich Devaney