Beaufort International Film Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary edition from February 17 – 22, 2026 in Beaufort, South Carolina with a lineup of 54 films and 5 screenplays from over 500 submissions from 56 countries.
The Official Selections span the genres of feature films, documentaries, short films, student films, animation and screenplays.
Actor, writer, and director Grainger Hines star of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, will receive the prestigious Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his six-decade career in film, television, theater, and music, as well as his ties to the South Carolina arts community.
Beaufort International Film Festival 2026 Official Selections
FEATURES
Bob’s Best Friends
Directed by: Randy Kent, Los Angeles, CA
Goody
Directed by: Zoe Lubeck, Columbia, SC
Imbalance
Directed by: Dale Griffiths Stamos, Santa Barbara, CA
Magic Hour
Directed by: Jacqueline Christy, New York, NY
Mr. Wonderful
Directed by: Mark David, St. Louis, MO
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Stronger Than You Think
Directed by: Janice Molinari and Melissa Forman, Santa Monica, CA
The Slave In Your Backyard
Directed by: Daniel Fisher and T. Scott Reeves, Lexington, SC
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Swine Heart
Directed by: Brad Bennett, Lynchburg, VA
The Battle of Honey Hill
Directed by: Will Weinstein, Mount Pleasant, SC
The Sounds of New York
Directed by: Daniel Stanislawski, Wroclaw, POLAND
ANIMATION
Croaked
Directed by: Rohan Gnaniah, Pooler, GA
Jurassic Joyride
Directed by: Patrick Daniel Sandoval, Charleston, SC
The Crawfish Dance
Directed by: David Donar, Ontario, CANADA
The Goblins of Sycamore Street
Directed by: Jay Lorenz, Alpharetta, GA
STUDENT FILM
Collision Theory
Directed by: Vanessa Lavoie, North Hollywood, CA (New York Film Academy)
Goodbye Stranger
Directed by: Neil Zafar Haeems, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (University of Southern California)
Hell In A Climate Haven
Directed by: Thomas Comick and Amelia Waldeck, Winston-Salem, NC (University of North Carolina School of the Arts)
The Lights Above
Directed by: Luke Salewski, Valley Village, CA (University of Southern California)
Yer Smackin
Directed by: John Field Brown, Austin, TX (Texas State University)
DUTY & HONOR
Forward
Directed by: Alex Luchsinger, Elon, NC
Miles, Morale, and Memories: Bob Hope and World War II
Directed by: Tim Gray, South Kingstown, RI
The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph
Directed by: Michael Gier, Los Angeles, CA
SHORT FILMS
8 AM
Directed by: Thomas Mendolia, Greensboro, NC
Bark
Directed by: Searit Kahsay Huluf, Los Angeles, CA
Headbang
Directed by: Anna Khaja, Los Angeles, CA
Line Dance
Directed by: Timothy McCracken and Robert Kelly McAllister, Denver, CO
Lonely
Directed by; Bobby Bosko Grubic, CROATIA
Magan’s Fare
Directed by: Dana White and Chris Knoblock, Willoughby Hills, OH
Never Too Late
Directed by: Colleen Davie Janes, New York, NY
Obit
Directed by: Ben Tedesco, Santa Monica, CA
O & O
Directed by: Jack Lafferty and Griffin Davis, Winston-Salem, NC
Postman
Directed by: Faizan Anees Bazmee, Mumbai, INDIA
Saverio
Directed by: Ellen Anhui, Pasadena, CA
Sienna and the Sit
Directed by: Scottie Thompson, Manhattan, NY
Sit With Me While I Die
Directed by: Brian Russell, Fairfield, CT
Shoot Shovel and Shutup
Directed by: Trans Hoang Calvin, New York, NY
Snipped
Directed by: Alexander Saul, Charlottenlund, DENMARK
Summerville 70
Directed by: David Boatwright, Charleston, SC
The Drive
Directed by: David Arrow, New York, NY
The Dumbletons
Directed by: Wendell Laurent, Larchmont, NY
The Long-Reigning King of Rollercastle Skateland
Directed by: David Hull, Brooklyn, NY
The Artis Residence
Directed by: Sarah Dresser, Charlotte, NC
The Spanish Lesson
Directed by: Simone Stadler, New York, NY
The Liars of Black Mountain
Directed by: Parker Croft, Los Angeles, CA
Together Forever
Directed by: Lauren Butterfield, Gulfport, FL
Walter
Directed by: Julie Restivo, Claremont, CA
Watching Walter
Directed by: Mitch Yapko, Panorama City, CA
Wanna Be A Star
Directed by: Brian Russell, Fairfield, CT
Waterfront
Directed by: Rob Figueroa, Montclair, NJ
SCREENPLAYS
Freedom Clan
Written by: Richard Levine, Lady Lake, FL
Panopticon
Written by: Sophia Peaslee, Santa Fe, NM
The Trail
Written by: Yvonne Paulin, Stamford, CT
Two Fingers
Written by: Shelley Reid, Abbeville, SC
Wings
Written by: Maja Pavic, Zagreb, CROATIA
BEST COMEDY NOMINATIONS
Bark (Short)
Bob’s Best Friends (Feature)
Collision Theory (Student)
Magic Hour (Feature)
Saverio (Short)
Sienna and the Sit (Short)
The Artis Residence (Short)
The Dumbletons (Short)
The Long-Reigning King of Rollercastle Skateland (Short)
Together Forever (Short)
Walter (Short)
Wanna Be A Star (Short)
Yer Smackin (Student)
BEST ACTOR NOMINATIONS
Barkhad Abdi, Magan’s Fare (Short)
Jack Lafferty, O & O (Short)
Michael Madsen, Mr. Wonderful (Feature)
Xavier Mills, O & O (Short)
James Naughton, Sit With Me While I Die (Short)
Michael Toureck, 8 AM (Short)
BEST ACTRESS NOMINATIONS
Piper Collins, Goody (Feature)
Quincy Cho, Saverio (Short)
Sarah Dresser, The Artis Residence (Short)
Sharon Lawrence, Imbalance (Feature)
Julie Restivo, Walter (Short)
Miriam Shor, Magic Hour (Feature)
BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS
Faizan Anees Bazmee, Postman (Short)
Jacqueline Christy, Magic Hour (Feature)
Michael Gier, The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph (Doc Feature)
Randy Kent, Bob’s Best Friends (Feature)
Jack Lafferty and Griffin Davis, O & O (Short)
Brian Russell, Sit With Me While I Die (Short)
BEST ENSEMBLE NOMINATIONS
Magic Hour (Feature)
O & O (Short)
Sienna and the Sit (Short)
Sit With Me While I Die (Short)
The Artis Residence (Short)
Walter (Short)
BEST SCORE NOMINATIONS
Goody, Michael Hilger, Maci Stewart, Quinn Tsan (Feature)
Imbalance, David Arkenstone (Feature)
Postman, Parth Saraf (Short)
The Artis Residence, Seth Dresser (Short)
The Slave In Your Backyard, Gray Haven (Doc Feature)
Together Forever, Lauren Butterfield (Short)
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