WINNERS Directors Guild of the World (DGW) Awards 2026

2026 February 3

WINNERS Directors Guild of the World (DGW) Awards 2026

Ta Kala Pedia (The Good Children)

By Ioannis Koutroubis

BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER 2026 (Category: Feature Script)

Esperándote

By Jesus Schettino

BEST ORIGINAL FIRST TIME DIRECTOR 2026 & BEST CINEMATIC VISION

Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana

By Ken Kimmelman

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER 2026, BEST INSPIRATIONAL FILM & BEST EXPERIMENTAL CINEMATOGRAPHY

Nothing to See

By Walid Salhab

BEST ORIGINAL ANIMATION & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR

Ndazkoh

By Tracey Cochrane

BEST INDIE DOCUMENTARY, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST PRODUCER

Doors Of Miracles

By Patricia Poulos

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT 2026

Revisited – Life is Short

By TerryLee WHETSTONe

BEST INDIE MUSIC VIDEO 2026 & BEST ARTHOUSE SINGER

Absence (v. 2)

By Jean Detheux

BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR 2026

It Happened One Night In Space

By Pamela PerryGoulardt

BEST SHORT SCRIPT 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL ARTHOUSE SCREENWRITER

French Broad

By Reid Barwick

BEST ORIGINAL TELEVISION SCRIPT 2026 & BEST INDIE SCREENWRITER (Category: International Pilot/Tv)

I Waited for You

By Jennifer Glee

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE EXPERIMENTAL CINEMATOGRAPHY, BEST FILMMAKER, BEST EDITING & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA (Category: Experimental)

Artist’s Voices

By Alberto Nacci

BEST INTERNATIONAL ART DOCUMENTARY 2026 & BEST EUROPEAN INDIE FILMMAKER

Voyage in the Desert

By ΕΛΠΙΔΑ ΑΜΙΤΣΗ

BEST ORIGINAL INDIE FILM 2026 & BEST ARTHOUSE MOVIEMAKER

Behind The Algorithm

By Michelle Lynn

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE SCREENPLAY 2026 & BEST AMERICAN SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

Saltwater Kisses

By Michelle Lynn

BEST ORIGINAL SONG 2026 & BEST INDIE PRODUCER

An Ever After Drama

By Michelle Lynn

BEST NARRATIVE INTERNATIONAL SHORT 2026 , BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, BEST INTERNATIONAL ORIGINAL ACTRESS, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY SHORT & BEST COSTUME DESIGNER

Whispers of Love

By Michelle Lynn

BEST INTERNATIONAL ROMANCE SCRIPT

Fractures In Time

By Lesley Ann Albiston

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL WRITER OF THE YEAR

Sheldon Mashugana gets stooged

By Dean Morgan

BEST INTERNATIONAL COMEDY 2026, BEST AMERICAN ACTOR & BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER (Category: Comedy)

Alzati dal buio

By Don Pasquale Ferone

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG WRITER, BEST ARTHOUSE SINGER & BEST EUROPEAN MUSIC VIDEO

Alta California

By Lynn Elliott

BEST INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST WRITER

Pirandello’s Wife

By Lynn Elliott

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST HUMAN RIGHTS SCRIPT

Freedoms Under Assault

By Jacob Comforty & Robert Arnove

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE FILMMAKER & BEST CAMERA OPERATOR

Balkan Jazz

By Jacob Comforty

BEST ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY 2026 & BEST EDITING

The Dead Ringer

By Suzanne Lutas

BEST WRITER 2026 (Category: International Feature Script), BEST CINEMATIC VISION (Category: Screenplay) & BEST ORIGINAL WRITING STYLE

Doctor Hyphoteses

By Vicentini Gomez

BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER 2026, BEST ORIGINAL ACTOR & BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE PRODUCER

Precious the baby dragon

By Dr Dawn Menge

BEST INTERNATIONAL BOOK 2026 & BEST WRITER

Legends of the Land of Quails

By Dr Dawn Menge

BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATIC VISION

Cataclysm Down Under – Hero

By Akal Demir

BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR 2026 & BEST EDITOR

American Money

By Timothy A McGhee

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT 2026, BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER (Category: Arthouse Feature Script) & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA

The Stones of Rome

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL ACTOR 2026 & BEST HISTORICAL ARTHOUSE SHORT FILM

The Pathos of Hamlet

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST VIDEO POETRY 2026, BEST ORIGINAL ACTING & BEST EXPERIMENTAL MOVIEMAKER

Katabasis

By Samantha Casella

BEST INDIE FILM 2026, BEST ARTHOUSE CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST ACTING

Heat and Love

By Michał Kucharski

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM 2026, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER

Staycation

By Russell Emanuel

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 2026, BEST PICTURE, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (Category: Narrative Feature), BEST CAST, BEST FILMMAKER (Category Indie Film) & BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Out of Control

By Bellopropello

BEST EXPERIMENTAL INDIE DIRECTOR 2026, BEST INSPIRATIONAL SHORT & BEST EDITING (Category: Animated Short Film)

Omnipotent Resolution

By Uniqueness Heiress & Azia

BEST ORIGINAL DANCE FILM 2026, BEST PRODUCER (Category: Indie Music Video), BEST EDITING (Category: Music Video), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Zone

By Danilo Del Tufo

BEST INSPIRATIONAL SHORT FILM 2026 & BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR

The Duchess

By C. Arnold Curry

BEST ORIGINAL INDIE DRAMA 2026, BEST ACTOR, BEST ACTRESS (Category: International Drama)

The Rorschach Test

By Lena Mattsson

BEST EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2026 & BEST EXPERIMENTAL EDITING

Not Without Gloves

By Lena Mattsson

BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL FILM 2026 & BEST INSPIRATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: EXPERIMENTAL)

America Boxed In

By Ian S. Williams & Casey Williams

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2026, BEST ARTHOUSE MOVIEMAKER & PRODUCER (Category: International Documentary Feature)

The New Immigrant- Hong Kongers

By Vivian Tsang

BEST INTERNATIONAL YOUNG FILMMAKER 2026, BEST HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY, BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATIC VISION & BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

Nossos Caminhos (Our Paths)

By Carla Di Bonito

BEST DRAMA SCRIPT 2026 & BEST INERNATIONAL INDIE SCREENWRITER

Water

By Gary Beeber

BEST INDIE DIRECTOR (Category: ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY), BEST CAMERA OPERATOR & BEST INDIE PRODUCER