Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2025 Austin Lift-Off Film Festival!
The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.
The judges' scores have been combined with the audience's choices, and after careful scrutiny, it's our pleasure to announce the Austin Lift-Off Film Festival winners!
Winners: Austin Network Round Shorts
El BATAN, small and pretty
Director: Francisco Herrera, Angelica Cervera
Writers: Lewis Bray, Rhys Chapman
Producer: Francisco Herrera
Country of Origin: Mexico
Genre: Short Narrative
Synopsis: A former small town got eaten up by the city and became a neighborhood that refuses to lose its identity. Through the eyes of its inhabitants, we witness a generational shift, and the rise of community spirit that builds a new identity mixing old and new.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Documentary
Foxes & Falcons
Director/Writer: Alexander Knauer
Producer: Alina Virjasov
Country of Origin: Germany
Synopsis: An old man's encounter with a mysterious boy leads to a series of inexplicable situations and phenomena that point to the man's incipient illness.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Narrative, Best Cinematography, Best Actor (Peer-Uwe Teska)
Afloat
Director/Writer: Reilly Johnson
Producer: Margi Nequist Johnson,Eddie Newquist
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Synopsis: A new hire at Chicago Seas Boat Tours attempts to stay afloat as she encounters a harrowing call to action on the Chicago River.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Acting Ensemble
Have I Swallowed Your Dreams
Director/Writer & Producer: Clara Chan
Country of Origin: Canada
Genre: Animation
Synopsis: A poetic conversation between an immigrant daughter and her mother about sacrifices and dreams.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Animation
Stoned for Christmas
Director/Writer/Producer: Morgan Young
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Animation, Experimental, Short
Synopsis: "Stoned for Christmas" is a multimedia whirlwind and a love letter to weed. This short film follows the adventures of one cannabis courier delivering at Christmastime. Built like a blunt rotation, Stoned for Christmas cycles through a weed courier’s night of deliveries with each vignette in a different style of animation. The result is a delightfully surrealist trip, one that represents the chaos of NYC, the ups and downs of a high, and the unique unpredictability of navigating the world while trans.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Post-Production
Swan Lake
Director/Writer: Michal Leshansky
Producers: Talia Ben-Arie,Eyal Aharoni
Country of Origin: Israel
Genre: Drama, Art house
Synopsis: Two punk teenagers wreak havoc in a peaceful borgoiuse park, fleeing the consequences of their actions, until everything blows up in their face.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Director, Best Art Direction
Sad Christmas
Director/Writer/Producer: Maico Jimenez
Writer/Producer:Carlos Luis Arroyo Cruz
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Music Video
Synopsis: Sad Christmas is a cinematic music video that pays homage to the legendary Bruce Lee and his iconic role in Fist of Fury. Kris Cari takes fans on an action-packed journey as he battles his way through a series of challenging bosses in order to rescue Santa Claus and save Christmas. Directed with cinematic flair, the video captures the intensity and spirit of classic martial arts films, adding an unexpected, thrilling layer to this holiday-themed release.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Music Video
Hammerstone Meets Woofstock
Director/Writer: Josh Holliday
Country of Origin: Canada
Genre: Comedy, Mockumentary, Short, Hybrid, Documentary, Pilot, Episodic
Synopsis: A film that straddles the line between narrative and documentary, landing squarely on comedy. Steve Hammerstone is a small town radio host and big time buffoon, who’s sent to explore Woofstock: North America’s largest festival for dogs.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Web Series/Episodic
Winners: Austin Network Round Features
NAFADA - AN AUDIO UPRISING
Director: Reginald S. Tiessen
Producers: Elizabeth Graham, J. Frysie, Soultana
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: What began as a social justice advocacy project between female hip-hop artists from the MENA region and musicians of industrial, dark-wave electro music from the West, soon became a fight for relevance in a world determined to question the intention of artists, instead of the intention of art itself.
Through this documentary we explore the barriers that exist for modern-day artists, who must now weigh heavily the desire to play it safe and self-censor, against the devastating impact that this simple act of self-protection could have on the future of art overall.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Documentary
I Voted
Director/Writer/Producer: Tyler Mann
Writer/Producer: Rachel DeRouen
Producer: Kristina Mann
Country of Origin: Political, Thriller, Drama, Satire, Dark Comedy
Genre: United States
Synopsis: A polling location goes under lockdown during a tense presidential election, forever changing the lives of a group of strangers as they inevitably do what most do not recommend...talk politics.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Narrative
16th Annual Lift-Off Season Awards
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination. At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.