Waltzing Matilda, directed by Petr Slavík won the Best Narrative Feature Jury Award and The Strike, directed by Joe Bill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey won Best Documentary Feature Jury Award at the 2024 Santa Fe International Film Festival.

Other winners include The Moon is Upside Down, directed by Loren Carla Taylor, which won Special Jury Award Narrative Feature, The Strike, directed by JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey, which won Best Documentary Feature Jury Award; and Zurawski v. Texas, directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, along with Between Goodbyes, directed by Jota Mun, which both won Special Jury Award Documentary Feature,

For the first time, winners of the Best Animated Short, Best Narrative Short, and Best Documentary Short categories will be eligible for Oscar submission.

In the short films categories, Camping in Paradise, directed by Eirik Tveiten, won Academy Award® Qualifying Narrative Short Jury Award presented by Panavision, The Quilters directed by Jenifer McShane which won Academy Award Qualifying Documentary Short Jury Award, LUKi and the Lights, directed by Toby Cochran, which won Academy Award Qualifying Animated Short Jury Award, Buscando Alma, directed by Melissa Fisher, which won Special Jury Award Narrative Short, A Body Called Life directed by Spencer MacDonald, which won Special Jury Award Documentary Short, One Happy Customer, directed by WATTS, which won Special Jury Award Animated Short, and Make Me a Pizza, directed by Talia Shea Levin, which won Experimental Short Jury Award.

Other notable winners include Sunlight, directed by Nina Conti, which won Best New Mexico Feature Jury Award, Where the Earth Meets the Sky, directed by Rafael Salazar Moreno, which won Best New Mexico Short Jury Award, First Horse, directed by Awanui Simich-Pene, which won Best Short by an Indigenous Director Jury Award, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, which won Audience Choice Best Narrative Feature, Mollie’s Pack, directed by Thomas Winston, which won Audience Choice Best Documentary Feature, and Jane Austen’s Period Drama, directed by Julia Aks, Steve Pinder, which won Audience Choice Best Short.

This year’s festival opened with Malcolm Washington’s The Piano Lesson and closed with Amber Sealey’s Out of My Mind. Over five days, SFiFF has showcased a remarkable selection of 184 films, including 42 narrative features, 24 documentaries, and 118 short films.

This year the festival presented its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contributions to film and television to acclaimed actor Bryan Cranston, who was present during the festival.

2024 Santa Fe International Film Festival winners

Best Narrative Feature Jury Award presented by Panavision
Waltzing Matilda directed by Petr Slavík

Special Jury Award Narrative Feature
The Moon is Upside Down directed by Loren Carla Taylor

Best Documentary Feature Jury Award
The Strike directed by JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey

Special Jury Award Documentary Feature
Zurawski v. Texas directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault

Special Jury Award Documentary Feature
Between Goodbyes directed by Jota Mun

Academy Award® Qualifying Narrative Short Jury Award presented by Panavision
Camping in Paradise directed by Eirik Tveiten

Academy Award® Qualifying Documentary Short Jury Award
The Quilters directed by Jenifer McShane

Academy Award® Qualifying Animated Short Jury Award
LUKi and the Lights directed by Toby Cochran

Special Jury Award Narrative Short
Buscando Alma directed by Melissa Fisher

Special Jury Award Documentary Short
A Body Called Life directed by Spencer MacDonald

Special Jury Award Animated Short
One Happy Customer directed by WATTS

Experimental Short Jury Award
Make Me a Pizza directed by Talia Shea Levin

Best New Mexico Feature Jury Award
Sunlight directed by Nina Conti

Best New Mexico Short Jury Award
Where the Earth Meets the Sky directed by Rafael Salazar Moreno

Best Short by an Indigenous Director Jury Award
First Horse directed by Awanui Simich-Pene

Audience Choice Best Narrative Feature
The Seed of the Sacred Fig directed by Mohammad Rasoulof

Audience Choice Best Documentary Feature
Mollie’s Pack directed by Thomas Winston

Audience Choice Best Short
Jane Austen’s Period Drama directed by Julia Aks, Steve Pinder