WINNERS Human Rights Film Awards in Venice 2026

2026 September 2

WINNERS Human Rights Film Awards in Venice 2026

The Bride From The Depths

By Cornelia Calaidjoglu

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE DRAMA 2026 & BEST ARTHOUSE SCREENWRITER (Category: Drama)

The James Crow Hotel

By Terri Battee

BEST VISIONARY SCREENWRITER 2026 & BEST GLOBAL THRILLER SCRIPT OF THE YEAR

Malibu and Roxie – A Story of Second Chances

By Camy De Mario

BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT FILM 2026, BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER & BEST VISIONARY SCREENPLAY SHORT (Category: Animation)

Rings of the Unpromised

By Michelle R. Arthur

BEST ARTHOUSE NARRATIVE FEATURE, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY & BEST INDIE DIRECTOR (Category: Indie Film)

Path

By Firouz Farman-Farmaian

BEST ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2026

Noise

By R. Scott MacLeay

BEST DIRECTOR, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST PRODUCER (Category: Indie Experimental Film)

Silent Room

By Kevin B Ploth

BEST INDIE DIRECTOR, BEST EDITING, BEST PRODUCER & BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: Arthouse Super Short Film)

From Shattered to Strong: A Long Way Forward

By Darrelle Radcliff

BEST VISIONARY FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

La Hacienda

By Patricia Fox

BEST INTERNATIONAL WRITING STYLE (Category: Horror) & BEST ORIGINAL HORROR SCRIPT OF THE YEAR

Precious the baby dragon

By Dawn Menge

BEST FAIRY TALE OF THE YEAR & BEST ORIGINAL WRITER (Category: International Book)

Back To Carbery

By Sarah Ortolan

BEST EUROPEAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

Storia di una Mistress

By Ciro Tomaiuoli – Produced by Monica Bartolucci

BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE FILM, BEST CAST & BEST INDIE PRODUCTION COMPANY

Lolly Dagger Eats Sponge Cake

By Aaron Brown

BEST INTERNATIONAL COMEDY 2026

Lacrime di Vento

By Damiano Rossi

BEST EUROPEAN HUMAN SHORT FILM 2026 & BEST EDUCATIONAL FILM OF THE YEAR

In 2 minds

By Fabia Cerra

BEST UNIVERSAL WRITER, BEST VISIONARY BOOK & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE MANUSCRIPT 2026

Disclosure from a Cloakroom

By Carol Dorn

BEST GLOBAL ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT 2026, BEST INDIE SCREENWRITER & BEST WRITING STYLE

Brothers of Babylon

By Gabriel Womack

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE SCREENPLAY 2026 & BEST CINEMATIC VISION (Category: International Feature Script)

Mercy

By Laura Calderini

BEST EUROPEAN WRITER & BEST UNIVERSAL SHORT SCRIPT 2026

Whispers of Montana

BY Michelle Lynn

BEST VISIONARY FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

Behind The Algorithm

By Michelle Lynn

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 2026 & BEST WRITING STYLE

An Ever After Drama

By Michelle Lynn

BESTINTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM 2026, BEST GLOBAL DIRECTOR 2026, BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS, BEST ARTHOUSE SCREENPLAY SHORT, BEST SONDTRACK, BEST COSTUME DESIGNER, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER (Category: Arthouse Short Film)

The Novice

By Vincenzo Amoruso

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTOR OF THE YEAR & BEST UNIVERSAL ACTING

Roses are Blind

By Wendy White

BEST ARHOUSE THRILLER & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE SCREENPLAY 2026

Freedoms Under Assault

By Jacob Comforty & Robert Arnove 

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2026, BEST CAMERA OPERATOR, BEST STORYTELLING, BEST ORIGINAL IDEA & BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Indie Documentary)

My Hollywood Circus

By Roger Paradiso

BEST AMERICAN ARTHOUSE BOOK 2026 & BEST GLOBAL WRITER 2026

The Dead Ringer

By Suzanne Lutas

BEST UNIVERSAL INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT, & BEST ORIGINAL INDIE WRITER 2026

Non dimenticare il poeta

By Fabrizio Fuochi

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG 2026, BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Music Video) & BEST SONG WRITER

Stalker Hair Twirl

By Faye Fayerman

BEST ARTHOUSE EXPERIMENTAL MOVIEMAKER 2026 & BEST VISIONARY CINEMATOGRAPHY

Christmas On Earth

By Janja Rakuš

BEST ARTHOUSE EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM 2026, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST PRODUCER & BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATIC VISION (Category: Experimental)

Master Heist – A True Christmas Fiction

By Kai Fischer

BEST ORIGINAL WRITING STYLE, INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT

Bad Influence/ Mauvaise Influence

By Aurélie Latona

BEST EUROPEAN SUPER SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR, BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR & BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: Super Short Film)

Pretty Little Lucy

By David Williamson

BEST VISIONARY THRILLER SCRIPT 2026, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR & BEST INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT 2026

The Cassandra Venice Project

By Hugo Teugels

BEST INTERNATIONAL ORIGINAL FILMMAKER, BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST INDIE PRODUCER

Split Focus

By Cherie Carson

BEST VISIONARY DANCE MOVIE 2026, BEST FILMMAKER, BEST EDITING & BEST SOUND (Category: Dance Movie)

American Money

By Timothy A McGhee

BEST INDIE SCREENWRITER, BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL STORY

Staycation

By Russell Emanuel

BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE 2026, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (Category: NARRATIVE FEATURE), BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, BEST EDITING, BEST CAST (Category: Film) & BEST PRODUCTION COMPANY

Tipping Point

By L. Scooter Morris

BEST ARTHOUSE SUPER SHORT FILM 2026, BEST INDIE DIRECTOR, BEST ORIGINAL ART FILM, BEST VISIONARY SHORT FILM & BEST EXPERIMENTAL EDITING 

The New Immigrant- Hong Kongers

By Vivian Tsang

BEST ARTHOUSE YOUNG DIRECTOR 2026, BEST HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY, BEST ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY & BEST ARTHOUSE CINEMATOGRAPHER

The Pathos of Hamlet

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST EXPERIMENTAL ACTOR 2026 & BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

The Stones of Rome

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATIC VISION (Category: Experimental Short Film), BEST INDIE FILMMAKER, BEST ORIGINAL EDITING & BEST VIDEO POETRY 2026

The Beauty in a Restless Mind

By Lena Mattsson

BEST ORIGINAL EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM 2026, BEST ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR, BEST EDITING & BEST SOUND

Not Without Gloves

By Lena Mattsson

BEST VISIONARY CINEMATOGRAPHY 2026 & BEST MOVIEMAKER

The Aesthetics of Failure

By Lena Mattsson

BEST ARTHOUSE PRODUCER 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER (Category: European Artistic Film)

The Rorschach Test

By Lena Mattsson

BEST ORIGINAL IDEA 20026 & BEST INSPIRATIONAL STORYTELLER

The Duchess

By C. Arnold Curry

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DRAMA 2026, BEST ORIGINAL WRITER, BEST SCREENPLAY (Category: International Drama)

Nossos Caminhos (Our Paths)

By Carla Di Bonito

BEST VISIONARY INDIE SCREENWRITER & BEST INDIE DRAMA 2026

Tramóia

By Gleison Castro

BEST WRITING STYLE & BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY SHORT

Pirandello’s Wife

By Lynn Elliott

BEST INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL SCRIPT 2026 & BEST WRITER (Category: Drama Script)

“Only You Can Save Her,” pilot teleplay of series THE BOY WHO EARNED HIS MAGIC

By Lynn Elliott

BEST INTERNATIONAL FANTASY SCRIPT 2026, BEST TELEVISION SCRIPT & BEST GLOBAL SCREENNWRITER 2026

Alta California

By Lynn Elliott

BEST HISTORICAL FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL STORYTELLING

Once There Were Stories

By Lynn Elliott

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST INDIE WRITER

Caccia Grossa

By Paolo Pier Luigi Guglielmetti

BEST EUROPEAN DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Colombano & La 21esima Fetta

By Paolo Pier Luigi Guglielmetti

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FILM, BEST ORIGINAL IDEA & BEST SCREENPLAY

Hito

By Danilo Del Tufo

BEST ORIGINAL EXPERIMENTAL EDITING & BEST ARTHOUSE MOVIEMAKER

Majokko Star

By Danilo Del Tufo

BEST VISIONARY EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT 2026

OSKÄR

By Ariel Orama López (AG Orloz)

BEST GLOBAL ARTHOUSE FILMMAKER 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA