The 2026 Indy Shorts Film Festival (Indy Shorts) wrapped on Sunday with the Awards Brunch, where Christophe Deram’s “La barrière”, Bianca Giaever and Ora DeKornfeld’s “Stalin Boys,” and Bára Anna Stejskalová’s “9 Million Colors” won the Academy Award-qualifying Grand Prizes.
The Narrative Grand Prize went to “La barrière”; “Stalin Boys” was named the Documentary Grand Prize winner, and “9 Million Colors” received the Animated Grand Prize.
“The Second Life of Freddie Nole” by Dana Nachman won the Richard D. Propes Social Impact Award and the Documentary Audience Choice Award, with film subject Freddie Nole in attendance to accept the award.
“The Human, Will” by Edward Bursch swept both the Episodic Award and the Audience Choice Episodic Award.
The Overall Audience Choice Award was awarded to “A FAMILY WOMAN” by Anna Arden and Linnea Arden, and “The Method” by Luke Howe took home the Narrative Audience Choice Award.
The Indiana Spotlight Narrative Award went to director Bella Ray Rosales for “Lottie Baby”, the Hoodox Indiana Spotlight Documentary Award went to director Jason Whalen for “Finding A Way: Revitalizing Nature in America’s Heartland.” the Indiana Spotlight Narrative Audience Choice Award went to “SUCKS TO SUCK,” directed by Sonny DeSanto and Ian Corbin, and the Indiana Spotlight Documentary Audience Choice Award was awarded to “Sylvia,” directed by Ashton Gleckman.
Oscar®-winning director Sam Davis was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award presented to him by the 2023 Pioneering Spirit Award winner, Ben Proudfoot.
“Festivals are about discovery, community and celebration, and it’s been a thrill to see those come together this week at Indy Shorts,” said Artistic Director Greg Sorvig. “Congratulations to this year’s newly-minted slate of award winners and to Pioneering Spirit Award Winner Sam Davis, who returned to Indy to share an encore of Live Action Short Oscar® Winner ‘The Singers,’ which qualified at Indy Shorts as our 2025 Narrative Grand Prize Winner!”
2026 Indy Shorts Wiinners
Academy Award® Qualified | Narrative Short
Narrative Grand Prize
“La barrière” by Christophe Deram (France)
Géraldine, a young stage manager, is blocking a deserted road for a film shoot near Calais. Not many people pass through, apart from Amar, a Syrian refugee.
Academy Award® Qualified | Documentary Short
Documentary Grand Prize
“Stalin Boys” by Bianca Giaever and Ora DeKornfeld (United States)
Four middle school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: Joseph Stalin. As the boys write and rehearse their play about Stalin for the Texas State History Fair, they are forced to confront their own relationships with power and control.
Jury Special Mention: Documentary Short
“Panther Pat” by Ashley Brandon (United States)
In 1970, a schoolteacher crashes into the brutal world of professional football, shattering its gender barrier.
Academy Award® Qualified | Animated Short
Animated Grand Prize
“9 Million Colors” by Bára Anna Stejskalová (Czech Republic, Norway, Germany)
The ocean is paradise for Fran the shrimp. Her deadly claws take whatever they desire. For the blind fish Milva, it’s a daily fight to survive. Fran sees her as beautiful and wants her to see the ocean in the same way. Can they overcome their differences?
Directorial Debut Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“Uncle Artoo” by Zoë Whittaker (United Kingdom)
In his later years, Nosferatu (Daniel Weyman) has become a foster carer for children. That seems like a good idea.
Indiana Spotlight Narrative Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“Lottie Baby” by Bella Ray Rosales (United States)
A passionate actress prepares for her last high school performance under the watchful eye of a new director while learning more about her late father.
Hoodox Indiana Spotlight Documentary Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“Finding A Way: Revitalizing Nature in America’s Heartland” by Jason Whalen (United States)
The Midwest has a rich natural heritage. Beautiful forests, sprawling prairies and clear and clean lakes and rivers. The vast human footprint across America’s heartland has clashed with the natural heritage for several decades. Restoration of our most sensitive habitats is how humans can find a way to help biodiversity to persist within this working landscape.
Children’s Resilience in Short Film Prize, presented by Shine Global | $2,500 Cash Prize
“Jason” by Gabriella Canal (United States)
A young boy in Miami carries on with his days while the voice of his mother, recently deported, travels through the phone to try to reach him. JASON is about what happens after deportation, the felt absence, the connection that struggles to survive it and the power of a mother’s love.
Lens of Hope Award, presented by TDB Family Foundation | $5,000 Total Cash Prize
“Paving The Way” by Keelan Williams (United States)
Set against the sweeping landscapes of the Flathead Indian Reservation, Indigenous youth transform new skateparks into sanctuaries of hope, resilience, and joy – one drop-in at a time.
Richard D. Propes Social Impact Award | $1,000 Cash Prize, presented by Lisa & Jeffery Breall
“The Second Life of Freddie Nole” by Dana Nachman (United States)
When Freddie Nole drives to meet a man walking out of prison, he’s not just offering a ride, he’s offering hope, dignity, and a path to permanent freedom. As this vérité road trip unfolds, we come to learn the remarkable story behind Freddie’s mission, a staggering mistake that cost him 50 years of freedom but ultimately brings him right back to the prison door.
Jenni Berebitsky Legacy Award | $1,800 Cash Prize
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All” by Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry (United States)
Now 95, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement.
High School Film Competition Summer White Lynch Memorial Grand Prize Winner | $2,000 Cash Prize
“Ruth” by Sophie Lai (Australia)
A heartfelt profile of a local crossing supervisor, celebrating her impact on the community.
High School Film Competition Indiana Spotlight Winner | $1,000 Cash Prize
“The Ghost of the Embassy” by Matthew Green and Cash Robinson-Stewart (United States)
Paranormal Investigators Mike and Matt search for the infamous ghost of the Embassy Theatre.
Comedy Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“Daddy’s Girl” by Josephine Lohoar Self (Ireland)
When her mum leaves for the weekend, a precocious 12-year-old plots to kill her well-meaning stepfather – but between bad dinners and worse conversation, something softer begins to stir.
Horror Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“The Taste of Your Scales” by Rafaël Beauchamp (Canada)
A teenager is horrified to discover the true face of his father’s fish factory.
Episodic Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“The Human, Will” by Edward Bursch (United States)
A depressed insurance claims adjuster vows to exercise free will after his pet goldfish Frodo is shot and killed.
Overall Audience Choice Award | $1,000 Cash Prize
“A Family Woman” by Anna Arden and Linnea Arden (Denmark)
Suzanne knows she’s come out on top in her divorce battle when her ex-husband turns to her for help: to babysit the three-year-old daughter he had with the woman he left Suzanne for.
Narrative Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“The Method” by Luke Howe (United States)
To get out of the doghouse, a desperate husband hires a washed-up actor turned con artist to pose as a couples therapist – until a mix-up flips the script.
Documentary Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“The Second Life of Freddie Nole” by Dana Nachman (United States)
When Freddie Nole drives to meet a man walking out of prison, he’s not just offering a ride, he’s offering hope, dignity, and a path to permanent freedom. As this vérité road trip unfolds, we come to learn the remarkable story behind Freddie’s mission, a staggering mistake that cost him 50 years of freedom but ultimately brings him right back to the prison door.
Animated Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“Living with a Visionary” by Stephen P. Neary (United States)
After 50 years of marriage, John must care for Diana, his wife, while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations.
Indiana Spotlight Narrative Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“SUCKS TO SUCK” by Sonny DeSanto and Ian Corbin (United States)
After a workplace incident, a newly promoted boss becomes the target of his office’s robotic vacuum.
Indiana Spotlight Documentary Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“Sylvia” by Ashton Gleckman (United States)
Friends, family, and members of the community reflect on the life of Sylvia Likens 60 years after her murder in Indianapolis.
Comedy Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“We Were Here” by Pranav Bhasin (India)
In a crumbling Indian town, three retired men protest machines replacing human jobs by pretending to be household appliances.
Horror Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“Silver Anniversary” by D.M. Harring (United States)
A housewife’s bourgeois existence unravels when faced with her husband’s insatiable lycanthropy.
Episodic Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“The Human, Will” by Edward Bursch (United States)
A depressed insurance claims adjuster vows to exercise free will after his pet goldfish Frodo is shot and killed.
High School Film Competition Audience Choice Award | $500 Cash Prize
“Constellations of the Sea” by Addie Knoll (United States, Maldives)
A 17-year-old filmmaker joins a Maldives research team to document the growing challenge of protecting endangered whale sharks at the center of a global tourism industry.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.