Director, Writer // Alaa Al-Shameri
Country of origin // United States
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Short Narrative, Best Actor (Sophie Lin)
Synopsis //Little Big Sister is an intimate portrait of resilience and quiet sacrifice. Set against the harsh realities of poverty and abandonment, the film follows Sophie, a teenage girl forced into adulthood as she becomes the sole protector of her younger brother, Xiaolin. With their mother gravely ill and their father absent, the siblings navigate a fragile existence shaped by hunger, uncertainty, and emotional isolation.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Short Narrative, Best Actor (Sophie Lin)
Courageous: The Silvia Vasquez Lavado Story
Morven Christie
Director, Writer , Producer //JOSEPH KEON
Country of origin // United States
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Short Documentary
Synopsis //Step into the extraordinary world of Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, a woman whose life journey took her from profound struggle, self-destructive tendencies, and addiction to the pinnacle of human achievement and empowerment. Courageous tells the awe-inspiring story of one woman’s transformation from a victim of childhood sexual abuse to a beacon of resilience, healing, and hope.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Short Documentary
Director, Writer, Producer // Lionel Frid
Director// Andres Villaseñor
Country of origin // Spain
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction
Synopsis // On a quest for social media fame and fortune, two best friends set out on a tropical adventure of a lifetime to shoot their most stunning, and hopefully viral, content yet. Laced with superstition, satire and setbacks, the narrative follows the self-dubbed Two Amigas as they wrestle with themselves, their commitment to social and a hammerhead shark.
As the Amigas, Jess and Giselle settle into their underwater shoot on a further island, even more beautiful, even more colourful, even more Instagrammable.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction
Director,Writer// Anthony Gholson
Producers// tyquan Gholson
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Web Series/Episodic, Best Acting Ensemble
Synopsis //Half a Star follows Lu Castro, a rising Bronx rapper whose growing popularity collides with the reality of still being a food-delivery driver. Every delivery becomes a new disaster—viral moments, embarrassing encounters, petty customers, and old drama—turning his hustle into a daily battle for respect. As clout rises and chaos follows, Lu must balance fame, friendship, and survival while trying not to lose himself in the process.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Web Series/Episodic, Best Acting Ensemble
Director // Nguyen Vu Quoc Hung
Producer // Bao Ngoc
Country of origin // Vietnam
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best First-Time Filmmaker
Synopsis //Trường (30) returns to his rural hometown carrying his mother’s urn after many years drifting in Saigon. He feels like a “tourist” lost in the very place he once called home, as the countryside has now been abandoned due to land redevelopment. Yet every time the sound of a flute echoes, the old ferry docks, the market, the deserted school… all awaken warm memories of his childhood.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best First-Time Filmmaker
Down The Hatch
Alexandra Lukina
Director & Writer // Alexandra Lukina
Producer // Dmitry Mosyagin
Country of origin //United States
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Animation
Synopsis //Down the Hatch is a 8-minute hand-drawn animated short about a young girl who discovers her mother trapped inside a wine bottle. Told from the child’s perspective, the film explores addiction, isolation, and the hope of recovery. How do you rescue someone who doesn’t want to be saved?
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Animation
Mould - Wheeze
Martyn Thomas
Director//Martyn Thomas
Country of origin // United Kingdom
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Music Video
Synopsis //Animated music video inspired by the bands own artwork.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Music Video
The Tree With No Heart
Aaron Huckleberry
Writer // Aaron Huckleberry
Country of origin // Spain
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Screenplay
Synopsis //In war-torn Syria, a troubled woman, her idealistic son, and her mentally challenged cousin take in a wounded Western aid worker, unknowingly igniting a chain of deadly consequences that forces them to confront their pasts, their beliefs, and the brutal realities of survival.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Screenplay
Director, Writer,Prodcuer // Kenneth White
Country of origin // United States
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Feature Narrative
Synopsis //After the death of her fiancée, a young woman retreats to a remote Montana fire lookout to grieve, but when reciting their vows summons the ghost of her beloved, she must learn to let go of the past before being drawn so deeply into its shadow that she’s unable to return.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Feature Narrative
Director, Writer, Producer // Randon Bopp
Country of origin // United States
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Feature Documentary
Synopsis //We all lived through the year 2020, but have we all experienced it? This documentary is a time capsule of the year 2020. This film is from the POV of the filmmaker as he has experienced 2020.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Feature Documentary
