Results Archive / 2023
The 2023 Festival
15 films · 50 awards · 8 countries · 254 placings
Winners
Best Cinematography · Dan Hodgson
Best Film Editing · Ken Kimura
BANSHEES RIDGE
Best Costume Design · Melissa Bessey
CHATEAU LAURIER - SEASON 2
Best Actress · Lisa Jaqueline Starrett
Best Director · Michael Gabriele, Trailer
Best Live Action Short Film · Michael Gabriele
Best Produced Screenplay · Michael Gabriele, Anthony Jefferson
GET AWAY
Best Documentary Feature · James Michael LaMonte, Trailer
HEALING DAKOTA
Best Student Film · Aida Gevorgyan
Best Emerging Female Director · Aida Gevorgyan
Best Short Screenplay · Harry Sweby
IRIS
Best Visual Effects
LOOK FOR ME AT DUSK
Best Sound · James Matthes
Best Animated Film · Udesh Chetty
RED GAIA
Best Production Design · Mike Kmiecik
SHADOW PUPPETS
Best Music Video
STATIC - PLEAS
Best Australian Actor · Damon Hunter, Jordan Fraser-Trumble
THE COST
Best Feature Film · Neil Marshall, Trailer
Best Feature Screenplay · Lisa Rufus
THE LAIR
Best Actor · David Field
THE WRONG BARBER
Best Original Score · James Kenyon, Luke Richardson, Matt Dixon
Best Documentary Short · Ash Cottrell
THIS MAN'S WORTH
Best Australian Actress · Jacy Lewis
WENDY AND VEE
Best Australian Film · Duncan Peake, Trailer
WHERE'S WEIRDO
2023 Placings
Every placing exactly as announced in 2023, including finalists and honorable mentions.
Best Actor 11 placings
Nominees
- David Field for The Wrong Barber, from Australia
- Cristóbal Krusen for Let Me Have My Son, from the United States
- Adrian Quinonez for Get Away, from the United States
- Jorge Antonio Guerrero for We Are Living Things, from the United States
- Matthew Caffoe for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
Finalists
- Kawin Wattanachariya for Look for me at Dusk, from Thailand
- Glenn Coenen for Hif, from Netherlands
- Assen Karanikolov for Party Bus, from Bulgaria
Honorable Mentions
- David Alvarado for Shadow Puppets, from the United States
- Kamran Haidar for The Soft-Skinned, from Australia
- Damon Hunter for The Cost, from Australia
Best Actress 11 placings
Nominees
- Xingchen Lyu for We Are Living Things, from the United States
- Virginia Gray for Assisted Living, from Australia
- Lisa Jaqueline Starrett for Get Away, from the United States
- Emma Pearson for Hedgehog, from the United States
- Renata Monterola for The Way Home, from Mexico
Finalists
- Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir for Stormur, from Iceland
- Xhulia Musagalliu for Erik, from Albania
- Hannah Monson for The Soft-Skinned, from Australia
Honorable Mentions
- Lauren Campbell for When Doves Fly, from Australia
- Catherine Ross for My Gift, from Australia
- Violeta Machado for Two Dollars, from Australia
Best Animated Film 4 placings
Nominees
- From South Africa, Red Gaia, directed by Udesh Chetty
- From Israel, One Last Wish directed by Galia Osmo
- From the New Zealand, Dies Irae directed by Maru Collective
Honorable Mentions
- From Australia, Child of Témoin, directed by Cody Fordham
Best Australian Actor 11 placings
Nominees
- David Field for The Wrong Barber
- Matthew Caffoe for Banshees Ridge
- Kamran Haidar for The Soft-Skinned
- Damon Hunter for The Cost
- Jordan Fraser-Trumble for The Cost
Finalists
- Rupert Raineri for I'm Good
- Colin Smith for Trapped
- Tommy Archer for No Two Days
Honorable Mentions
- Brady Cronin for Tales of Finer Men
- Greg Moran for Culicidae
- David K. Whiting for Fungus
Best Australian Actress 11 placings
Nominees
- Violeta Machado for Two Dollars
- Hannah Monson for The Soft-Skinned
- Lauren Campbell for When Doves Fly
- Catherine Ross for My Gift
- Jacy Lewis for Wendy & Vee
Finalists
- Gabby Carbon for Where's Weirdo
- Anahita Pardis for SUGA RUSH
- Miriam Green for Aristeia
Honorable Mentions
- Georgia Eyers for Violett
- Barbara Hastings for I'm Good
- Abbey Mckeon for Banshees Ridge
Best Australian Film 11 placings
Nominees
- Banshees Ridge, directed by Tristan Barr
- When Doves Fly, directed by Mike Roberts
- Where's Weirdo, directed by Duncan Peake
- Two Dollars, directed by Natalia Cricri
- Fungus, directed by Ryan Maddox
Finalists
- The Wrong Barber, directed by Dean Ganter
- The Soft-Skinned, directed by Nicky Tyndale-Biscoe
- My Gift, directed by Michael Raso
Honorable Mentions
- Violett, directed by Steven John Mihaljevich
- Suga Rush, directed by Valentino Filimon
- Tales of Finer Men, directed by Jack Nielson
Best Cinematography 11 placings
Nominees
- Nutthawut Limsakdakul for Life Of Music , from Thailand
- Zach Levenson for Healing Dakota, from the United States
- Josh Stafield for This Man's Worth, from Australia
- Dan Hodgson for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
- Luca Bigazzi for We Are Living Things, from the United States
Finalists
- Richard Brauer for Let Me Have My Son, from the United States
- ÚAdeline Morin, Romain Filhol for The Ankou, the Child and the Bandits from France
- Acharya Venu for The Group (Balagam), from India
Honorable Mentions
- Ilya Mentzarar, Ilya Savelyev for The Muse, from the United States
- Robert Sherwood for Healing Heart Feeling Country, from Australia
- Thomas Vandendolder for Shadow Puppets, from the United States
Best Costume Design 11 placings
Nominees
- Melissa Bessey for Chateau Laurier -Season 2, from Canada
- Elliana Thomas for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
- Varvara Zenina and Tatjana Greniberg for Good evening, from Russian Federation
- Joni Hathaway Jones for Let Me Have My Son, from the United States
- Sophie Borra for The Wrong Barber, from Australia
Finalists
- Floreta Malile Gjoka, Floriana Golemi for Erik, from Albania
- Maryam Kholghi Shirazi, Maryam Kholghi Shirazi for Zero Coordinates, from Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Jonathan Lambert for The Ankou, the Child and the Bandits, from France
Honorable Mentions
- Fernanda Valenzuela for The Way Home, from Mexico
- Ryan Maddox for Fungus, from Australia
- Deidra Catero for Hedgehog, from the United States
Best Director 11 placings
Nominees
- Tristan Barr for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
- Mike Roberts for When Doves Fly, from Australia
- Penn Pauletich for Shadow Puppets, from the United States
- Udesh Chetty for Red Gaia, from South Africa
- Michael Gabriele for Get Away, from the
Finalists
- Tómas Nói Emilsson for Stormur, from Iceland
- Antonio Tibaldi for We Are Living Things, from the United States
- Natalia Cricri for Two Dollars, from Australia
Honorable Mentions
- Daan Swinkels for Hif, from Netherlands
- Michael Raso for My Gift, from Australia
- Simon Vautier for The Ankou, the Child and the Bandits, from France
Best Documentary Feature 8 placings
Nominees
- Maggie Jones, Brad Jones for CANCER/EVOLUTION Episode 1: The Dustbin of History, from the United States
- James Michael LaMonte for Healing Dakota, from the United States
- Rionne McAvoy for The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan, from Japan
- Ashley Sabin, David Redmon for Kim's Video, from the United States
- Bill Wisneski for Almost Home: Life After Incarceration, from the United States
Finalists
- Samantha Campbell for The Secret Song, from the United States
- Chris Eipper, Declan Mortimer Eipper for All Politics is Local, from Australia
Honorable Mentions
- Sharon Ann Rowland for Alchemy: Pathway to Profound Powers, from Australia
Best Documentary Short 11 placings
Nominees
- Ash Cottrell for This Man's Worth, from Australia
- Elliott Sauvage for TNatalya Diehm: Road to Recovery, from Australia
- Verónica Rose Wood for Caretaker, from the United States
- Elliott Sauvage, Matt Kirby for Don't Wait: The Men's Mental Health Project, from Australia
- Robert Sherwood for Healing Heart Feeling Country, from Australia
Finalists
- Nick Bolton, Jess Milne for I am Living, from Australia
- Darryl cook, for THIS IS MY STORY, from Australia
- Talitha Huston, for It's In Your Hands, from Australia
Honorable Mentions
- Heejoo Kim for Behind The Loom,from the United States
- Mark Anthony Thomas, Shane McFarland, Jordon Rooney for Folded Whispers, from the United States
- Kai Wharton for Uncovered Lives: Australia's Fight for Funded Trans Healthcare, from Australia
Best Emerging Female Director 10 placings
Nominees
- Natalia Cricri for Two Dollars, from Australia
- Dilyana Daneva for Party bus, from Bulgaria
- Nicky Tyndale-Biscoe for The Soft-Skinned, from Australia
- Anastasia Vasileva for Better Together, from the Russian Federation
- Aida Gevorgyan for Iris, from the United States
Finalists
- Jessica Landry for Testament from Canada
- Galia Osmo for One Last Wish, from Israel
- Sheri Van Geest for Trapped, from Australia
Honorable Mentions
- Meri Gelagutashvili for Giuli - It Was A Dream, from Germany
- Victoria Bugbee for Out of State-A Gothic Romance, from the United States
Best Feature Film 11 placings
Nominees
- From Mexico, The Way Home, directed by Darius Stevens Wilhere
- From Australia, The Cost, directed by Matthew Holmes
- From United Kingdom, The Lair, directed by Neil Marshall
- From the United States, We Are Living Things, directed by Antonio Tibaldi
- From Australia, Violett, directed by Steven John Mihaljevich
Finalists
- From the United States, The Muse, directed by Jason Miller
- From the United States, Ghosts of the Void, directed by Max Karpylev
- From the United States, Let Me Have My Son, directed by Cristóbal Krusen
Honorable Mentions
- From the Russian Federation, Better together, directed by Anastasia Vasileva
- From India, The Group (Balagam), directed by Venu Yeldandi
- From Turkey, Cage : Between Two Battles, directed by Cenk İzgören
Best Feature Screenplay 11 placings
Nominees
- From the United States, Godfor, written by Pablo Torroella
- From the United States, Comic Relief written by Koura Linda, Alex Hawthorne
Finalists
- From Australia, Mia You've Lost a Lot of Blood, written by Paul Bird
- From the United States, The Pickleball Killer, written by Jim Carroll
- From Australia, Escape from the Commodore 64, written by David Hearne, Belinda Missen
Honorable Mentions
- From the United States, Nobody's Heroes, written by Michael Alan Elliott
- From the United States, For The Freedom, written by Hans Sluijter
- From the United States, Who Let the Wallflowers Out?, written by Virginia Austin
Best Film Editing 11 placings
Nominees
- Elizabeth Cook for Healing Dakota, from the United States
- Delaney Murphy for This Man's Worth, from Australia
- Nikola Mateja for When Doves Fly, from Australia
- Ken Kimura for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
- Rionne Mcavoy for The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan, from Japan
Finalists
- Nipan Chawcharernpon, Saywiga Pattarawaraphan for Descendants, from Thailand
- Úlfur E. Arnalds for Stormur, from Iceland
- Nipan Chawcharernpon for Look for me at Dusk, from Thailand
Honorable Mentions
- Michael Gabriele for Get Away, from the United States
- Elliott Sauvage for Natalya Diehm: Road to Recovery, from Australia
- Verónica Rose Wood for Caretaker, from the United States
Best Live Action Short Film 11 placings
Nominees
- From Australia, Banshees Ridge, directed by Tristan Barr
- From the United States, Get Away directed by Michael Gabriele
- From the United States, Hedgehog directed by D. Mitry
- From France, The Ankou, the Child and the Bandits, directed by Simon Vautier
- From Thailand, Look for me at Dusk, directed by Nipan Chawcharernpon
Finalists
- From Australia, Two Dollars, directed by Natalia Cricri
- From Australia, My Gift, directed by Michael Raso
- From Thailand, Descendants, directed by Nipan Chawcharernpon
Honorable Mentions
- From Iceland, Stormur, directed by Tómas Nói Emilsson
- From Australia, Fungus, directed by Ryan Maddox
- From Australia, The Wrong Barber, directed by Dean Ganter
Best Music Video 11 placings
Nominees
- From the Russian Federation, Good evening, directed by Alexey Belkin, Vsevolod Alekhin
- From Israel, Static - Pleas, directed by Roman Buchatsky
- From Iceland, Devil Never Killed, directed by Tómas Nói Emilsson
- From Australia, LOST IN THE MOMENT, directed by Darryl Cook
- From Canada, CANYON - Stay, directed by Arthur de la Rambelje
Finalists
- From Germany, Affentanz - Hunter, directed by CYPRIAN HERCKA
- From the United States, Meir Levine - Wherever I Run (Official Music Video), directed by Esther Shpigelman
- From Australia, Wildfire Manwurrk ft. Victor Rostron - 'Mararradj', directed by Wildfire Manwurrk, Robert Sherwood, Natalie Carey
Honorable Mentions
- From Australia, Halcyon Reign - Ahab, directed by Adam Jordan
- From Canada, 23 (Official Music Video), directed by Dean Pilling
- From Australia, Gorgi J - Silent Smile, directed by Adam Jordan
Best Original Score 11 placings
Nominees
- Justin Bell for Healing Dakota, from the United States
- James Kenyon, Luke Richardson, Matt Dixon for This Man's Worth, from Australia
- John Sponsler for Let Me Have My Son, from the United States
- Amedeo Ursini for We Are Living Things, from the United States
- Kelvin Pimont, Jack Standen for The Way Home, from Mexico
Finalists
- Jaysen Lewis for Jingle Hell, from the United States
- B. Quincy Griffin for The Secret Song, from the United States
- Nipan Chawcharernpon, Bradley Lewin for Look for me at Dusk, from Thailand
Honorable Mentions
- Ali Helnwein for Hedgehog, from the United States
- Jenný Björk Bjarkadóttir for Stormur, from Iceland
- Sangwoo Jeong for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
Best Produced Screenplay 11 placings
Nominees
- From the United States, Get Away, written by Anthony Jefferson
- From Australia, Banshees Ridge,, written by Matthew Caffoe
- From Australia, My Gift, written by Michael Raso
- From Australia, The Wrong Barber, written by Dean Ganter
- From Australia, When Doves Fly, written by Mike Roberts
Finalists
- From the United States, Hedgehog, written by D. Mitry
- From Australia, Two Dollars, written by Natalia Cricri
- From Iceland, Stormur, written by Tómas Nói Emilsson & Tinni Teitsson
Honorable Mentions
- From France, The Ankou, the Child and the Bandits, written by Simon Vautier
- From Australia, The Soft-Skinned, written by Nicky Tyndale-Biscoe
- From New Zealand, Twitch, written by Kate Powis & Suden
Best Production Design 11 placings
Nominees
- Chris Nickle for Chateau Laurier -Season 2, from Canada
- Alexis Covovich for The Way Home, from Mexico
- Monica Dabrowski for We Are Living Things, from the United States
- Cheri Anderson for Let Me Have My Son, from the United States
- Mike Kmiecik for Shadow Puppets, from the United States
Finalists
- Alexey Belkin for Good evening, from the Russian Federation
- Arch.Idea Studio for Erik, from Albania
- Nima Valibeigi for Zero Coordinates, from Iran, Islamic Republic of
Honorable Mentions
- Nipan Chawcharernpon, Jason R. Deford for Look for me at Dusk, from Thailand
- Fungus, from Australia
- Max Karpylev for The Muse, from the United States
Best Short Screenplay 12 placings
Nominees
- From Australia, Lives Before Your Eyes written by Harry Sweby
- From Australia, Saint Peter of Bourke, written by Phillip Tucker
- From Australia, The Pearl, written by Hannâ B.
- From Australia, New Holland, written by A. K. Woods
- From the United States, The Rumor Mill, written by Linda Tancs
Finalists
- From Australia, Friendly Fire, written by Greg Moran
- From the United States, The Great Food War, written by Tyler Posey
- From Germany,
Honorable Mentions
- From Australia, Daddy, written by Indy Davies
- From Australia, Saviour of Manangatan, written by Eamonn Eeles
- From the United States, Just Plane Humor, written by Linda Tancs
- From Australia, Psychopathic Killers, written by Susan May Thomas
Best Sound 11 placings
Nominees
- James Matthes for Red Gaia, from South Africa
- Simon Rosenberg & Pip Atherstone-Reid for This Man's Worth, from Australia
- Jan Klier for Healing Dakota, from the United States
- Chris Code for The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan, from Japan
- Peter Kurucz & Michael Angelo Monaco for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
Finalists
- Fantastic Sound for Descendants, from Thailand
- Samantha Oo for When Doves Fly, from Australia
- Curtis Fritsch IV for CANCER/EVOLUTION Episode 1: The Dustbin of History, from the
Honorable Mentions
- Todd Toon for We Are Living Things, from the United States
- Supat Decha for Life Of Music, from Thailand
- Bob Edwards for The Secret Song, from the
Best Student Film 11 placings
Nominees
- From Australia, When Doves Fly, directed by Mike Roberts
- From Australia, The Soft-Skinned by Nicky Tyndale-Biscoe
- From the United States, Iris directed by Aida Gevorgyan
- From Australia, LOST IN THE MOMENT, directed by Darryl Cook
- From Australia, Tales of Finer Men, directed by Jack Nielson
Finalists
- From the United States, La Telaraña, directed by Dan Husted
- From Germany, Giuli - It Was A Dream, directed by Meri Gelagutashvili
- From Australia, THIS IS MY STORY, directed by Darryl cook
Honorable Mentions
- From Australia, It's In Your Hands directed by Talitha Huston
- From New Zealand, Solitaire, directed by Brian Gill
- From Australia, In The Air, directed by Kieran Deeth
Best Visual Effects 11 placings
Nominees
- Roms Studio for Static - Please, from Israel
- Udesh Chetty for Red Gaia, from South Africa
- Ryan Maddox for Fungus, from Australia
- Yula Surin, Or Kantor, Ori Kagan for One Last Wish, from Israel
- Nipan Studio for Look for me at Dusk, from Thailand
Finalists
- Neil Rowe for Banshees Ridge, from Australia
- Jared Neher, Jeremy Wanek for Let Me Have My Son, from the United States
- Nipan Studio for Descendants, from Thailand
Honorable Mentions
- Benji Thiem for Look for me at CANCER/EVOLUTION Episode 1: The Dustbin of History, from the United States
- Nikola Mateja for When Doves Fly, from Australia
- Nipan Studio for Life Of Music , from Thailand