The road-trip family film Omaha by Cole Webley walked away with the Grand Jury Prize Best Overall Feature Film at the 14th Richmond International Film Festival.
The film also won Best Director (US Narrative) Omaha for Cole Webley; Best Actor in Lead Role (for a Feature) for Jon Magaro, Rising Star: Actor for Wyatt Solis for Omaha, and Actress for Molly Belle Wright, and Best Casting for Sunday Boling, CSA and Meg Morman, CSA.
Set during the 2008 economic crisis, Omaha follows a struggling father who takes his two children on a road trip across the United States after their home is foreclosed.
The Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature went Bird in Hand directed by Melody Roscher, which also won Best of Festival for Narrative Feature; Best Actor in a Supporting Role for James Le Gros; Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Christine Lahti; Best Ensemble Cast: U.S.; and Rising Star Director for Roscher.
Sierra 914 directed by Ryan Dugger won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature, along with Best Cinematography for Ryan Dugger and Outstanding Meri Maverick Award for Will Turner, Ryan Dugger.
See the complete list of winners of 2025 Richmond International Film Festival, below.
Annual Awards
2025 Legacy Award: Glenn Close for The Summer Book
2025 Virginia Legacy Award: Rita Mcclenny
2025 Founders Award: Mahershala Ali for Taste the Revolution
2025 Pioneer Award: Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen & Cast for in Waves and War
Top Grand Jury Winners of the Year
2025 Grand Jury Prize Best Overall Feature Film of the Year: Omaha by Preston Lee & Cole Webley
2025 Grand Jury Prize Best Overall Short Film of the Year: Belted Up by Thibault Martin
2025 Grand Jury Prize Best Feature Screenplay: Pay Dirt by Dan Angus Morrison
2025 Grand Jury Prize Best Short Screenplay: Squeak by Evan Schullery
2025 Grand Jury Prize Best Teleplay: Texoma Shrooms by Debi Yazbeck
2025 Audience Choice Awards
2025 Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature: Bird in Hand Directed by Melody Roscher
2025 Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature: Sierra 914 Directed by Ryan Dugger
2025 Audience Choice Award for Best Short: Echoes of a Dream: Mlk’s Legacy in Richmond, Virginia Directed by Tyrone Nelson Jr.
2025 Audience Choice Award for Best Music Artist: Los Hermanos Alacranes
2025 Reel South North Carolina PBS Award: Police Dive Directed by Teresa Carante
2025 Riff Tribute “Be the Light” Award: Marc Bennett & Tim Roper for for the Living
2025 Women’s Vanguard Award: Deborah Craig for Sally
Best of Festival Awards (Film)
Best of Festival for Narrative Feature: Bird in Hand Produced by Craig Shilowich, Alexander Schepsman, Danielle Massie, Sam Bisbee, Cody Ryder, Saba Zerehi and Directed by Melody C. Roscher (U.S.)
Best of Festival for International: Soda Produced by Moshe Edery & Shemi Shoenfeld and Directed by Erez Tadmor (International)
Best of Festival for Documentary Feature: Jon Shenk & Bonni Cohen for In Waves and War
Best of Festival for Narrative Short: Roy Arida for Deaf
Best of Festival for Animated Short: Augusto Zanovello for Lola and the Sound Piano
Best of Festival for Documentary Short: Graham Holt for Jan Beauboeuf: The Creative Spirit
Best of Festival for Experimental Short: Shawn Welles Linzey for Pickle Vision
Best of Festival for Music Video: Annika Lang for Water Lilies
Best of Festival for Episodic: Zhora Kryzhovnikov for Gangs of Kazan
Best of U.S. Episodic: Tasneem Afridi for Wooden Spoons
Best of Virginia Episodic: Ted Day for Fun in My Valley
Individual Merit Awards
Best Director:
(US Narrative) Omaha Directed by Cole Webley
(International Narrative) My Motherland Directed by Benoit Cohen
(Documentary) David Usui for Been Here Stay Here
Best Actor in Lead Role (for a Feature): Jon Magaro for Omaha
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: James Le Gros for Bird in Hand
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Christine Lahti for Bird in Hand
Best Ensemble Cast: U.S. & International: Alisha Wainwright, Christine Lahti, and James Le Gros for Bird in Hand (U.S.) and Rotem Sela, Lior Raz, Netta Shpigelman for Soda (International)
Best Original Screenplay: Martin a. Gottlieb for the Addiction of Hope (U.S.) and Timo Jacobs for Death of My Youth (International)
Best Cinematography:
Feature: Cameron Wheeless for Eastern Western
Documentary: Ryan Dugger for Sierra 914
Best Score/music:
Feature: Jacques Brautbar for Catch a Killer
Short: Michelle Osis for Where the Deer Sleep
Breakthru or Emerging Actor: Wilds Clemmons for the Grand Strand
Rising Star:
Actor: Wyatt Solis for Omaha
Actress: Molly Belle Wright for Omaha
Rising Star Director: Melody C. Roscher for Bird in Hand
Best Production Design: Ninon De La Hosseraie for for My Motherland
Best Casting: Sunday Boling, CSA and Meg Morman, CSA for Omaha
Best Editing: Einat Glaser-zarhin for Soda
Outstanding Meri Maverick Award: Will Turner, Ryan Dugger for Sierra 914
Indie Spirit Award: Brian Meere, Sawyer Spielberg for Martyr of Gowanus
Outstanding Merit for Best Environmental Film: Kateryna Kurganska for Two Breaths
Outstanding Merit for Community & Civic Action: Ilana Trachtman for Aint No Back to a Merry-go-round
Best Virginia Film:
Feature: David Usui for Been Here Stay Here
Best Local Film: Jason Mullis for the Myth of Ghost Kingdom
Outstanding Merit for Arts, Humanity & Innovation: Tom Shoval for a Letter to David
2025 Riff Outstanding Merit for Environmental Impact Award: Been Here Stay Here
Short Film: Individual Merit Awards
Best Director: U.S. Danicah Waldo for Sally, Get the Potatoes and International: Roy Arida for Deaf
Best Screenplay: Roy Arida for Deaf
Best Cinematography: Ricardo a. Nascimento & Timur Guseynov for Two Breaths
Best Production Design: Jessica Mcintire & Ryan R. Rivera for Sally, Get the Potatoes
Best Actor in a Lead Role: Christopher James Baker for in Absence
Best Actress in a Lead Role: Anne Serra for Belted Up
Best Ensemble Cast: Christopher James Baker, Jack Latorre, Ron Kelly, Murran Kain, May Jonelle Leota for in Absence
The 2025 Screenwriting Feature Genre Winners
Best Original Drama Screenplay: Love Loss by Kelly Cochran-Yzquierdo
Best Original Sci-fi Screenplay: The Operative by David Schroeder
Best Original Comedy Screenplay: Reject Me by Jen Butler
Best Original Action Screenplay: The Language of Wolves by Nan Schmid
Music Awards
2025 Riff Top Grand Jury Prize for Band of the Year: Kadencia Orchestra
2025 Entertainer of the Year: Rodney the Soul Singer Stith
2025 Riff Rock Artist of the Year: Los Hermanos Alacranes
2025 Riff Outstanding Merit Music Visionary Award: The Last Real Circus
2025 Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Trinity Waters You
DJ of the Year: DJ L.o.e.
Stylist of the Year: Aaliyah Ponton
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