2025 Festival Awards

2025 AWARDEES

Rian Johnson
2025 Recipients of the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting

Christine Vachon
2025 Recipient of the Polly Platt Award for Producing

Greg Kwedar & Clint Bentley
2025 Recipient of the Writers’ Writer Award

Yvette Lee Bowser
2025 Recipient of the Outstanding Television Writer Award

Christopher McQuarrie
2025 Recipient of the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award

Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Winners

Drama Feature Screenplay Award Presented by Writers Guild of America, East The Other Side of 25 by Becca Hurd	Comedy Feature Screenplay Award Lauren Lindsay Can Go To Hell by Kate Beacom & Lacey Jeka
Sci-Fi Feature Screenplay Award On the Other Side by Lanre Olabisi	Horror Screenplay Award presented by Vertigo Entertainment SHIFT by Danny Salemme
Drama Teleplay Pilot Award Dr. Nash by Cassidy Nash Davis	Comedy Teleplay Pilot Award Crapshoot by Drew McInturff
Drama Teleplay Spec Award Yellowjackets: Thicker than Water by Cynthia He	Comedy Teleplay Spec Award Abbott Elementary: Skip Skampi’s by Scott Olsen
Enderby Entertainment Award The Other Side of 25 by Becca Hurd	TV Comedy Fellowship sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program Medusa: An Animated Series by Ruby Mainieri
YMH Studios Comedy Fellowship Follow The Money by Patrick Franklin	Big Indie Screenwriting Fellowship Roots of Conflict by Ari Mostow
The Donners’ Company Award Believe/Bерим by Ryan Werner	Wonder Project \| Stand Together Fellowship 27 Cows by Christopher Holt
AMC One-Hour Pilot Award Courier Girl by Anna Zabel	Adult Comedy Animated Series Fellowship Presented by Starburns Industries Time Traveling Cum Cops by Austin Schauer
Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowships Lady Em by Cristina Pippa (TV) and Black Silk by Patrick Michael (Feature Film)	Short Screenplay Award Did you have a Good Time? by Kevin Talley
Scripted Digital Series Award String City by Suemedha Sood	Fiction Podcast Award Dial it Up by Philip Thorne & Oystein Brager
Playwriting Award Shepherd by Gregory Paul

Film Competition Jury Winners

Narrative Feature A Man Walks Down the Street writer/director: Yuval Hadadi	Documentary Feature Searching for Satyrus writer/director: Rena Effendi Honorable Mention Bite to Bite director: Kelly Lipscomb
Comedy Vanguard Feature Theatre People writer: Michael B. Breen	Dark Matters Feature Cruel Hands writers: Al & Matthew Kalyk / director: Al Kalyk
Narrative Short* Foxhole writer/director: Nick Dugan	Narrative Student Short Recess writer/director: Jan Saczek
Documentary Short* We’re Fine director: Misha Karpenko	Animated Short* Beyond Measure writer/director: David Ferrier
Produced Digital Series Bliss Talent writers: Rachel Ravel & Elvira Ibragimova / director: Elvira Ibragimova	Enderby Entertainment Fellowship Award My Only Friend is a Robot Named Beans Writer/Director: Anika Kan Grevstad
Young Filmmakers Time Will Tell writer/director: Peyton Cooper

*Indicates categories that qualify for consideration for an Academy Award®

Audience Award Winners

Marquee Feature The Boy From St. Croix Director: Scott Duncan	Narrative Feature American Baby Writer: Tanya Leonova and Ellen Rodnianski Director: Ellen Rodnianski
Documentary Feature Stronger Than You Think Director: Janice Molinari and Melissa Forman	Comedy Vanguard Feature (TIE) Crystal Cross Writer/Director: Richie James Follin Yesterday Island Writer/Director: Sam Voutas
Dark Matters Feature Sacrificios Writer: Mauricio Chernovetzky, Alexander Iosjpe Director: Mauricio Chernovetzky	Texas Independent Feature Valentina Writer: Noelle Forougi, Tatti Ribeiro Director: Tatti Ribeiro
Narrative Short (TIE) More Than Dust Writer/Director: Julia Weisberg Cortés Uncle Johnny Writer: Angela Giarratana Director: Margaux Susi	Narrative Student Short Recess Writer/Director: Jan Saczek
Documentary Short The Night Herons Writer/Director: Will Hammond	Animated Short Beyond Measure Writer/Director: David Ferrier
Produced Digital Series Betsy Fucking Ross Writer/Director: Kayla Baken

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2025 Festival Awards

2025 AWARDEES

Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Winners

Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Winners

Drama Feature Screenplay Award Presented by Writers Guild of America, East

Comedy Feature Screenplay Award

Sci-Fi Feature Screenplay Award

Horror Screenplay Award presented by Vertigo Entertainment

Drama Teleplay Pilot Award

Comedy Teleplay Pilot Award

Drama Teleplay Spec Award

Comedy Teleplay Spec Award

Enderby Entertainment Award

TV Comedy Fellowship sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program

YMH Studios Comedy Fellowship

Big Indie Screenwriting Fellowship

The Donners’ Company Award

Wonder Project | Stand Together Fellowship

AMC One-Hour Pilot Award

Adult Comedy Animated Series Fellowship Presented by Starburns Industries

Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowships

Short Screenplay Award

Scripted Digital Series Award

Fiction Podcast Award

Playwriting Award

Film Competition Jury Winners

Film Competition Jury Winners

Narrative Feature

Documentary Feature

Comedy Vanguard Feature

Dark Matters Feature

Narrative Short*

Narrative Student Short

Documentary Short*

Animated Short*

Produced Digital Series

Enderby Entertainment Fellowship Award

Young Filmmakers

Audience Award Winners

Audience Award Winners

Marquee Feature

Narrative Feature

Documentary Feature

Comedy Vanguard Feature (TIE)

Dark Matters Feature

Texas Independent Feature

Narrative Short (TIE)

Narrative Student Short

Documentary Short

Animated Short

Produced Digital Series

Recipients by Year

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Drama Feature Screenplay Award
Presented by Writers Guild of America, East