WINNERS Northwest Independent Film Critics Awards 2026, Seattle

2026 January 29

WINNERS Northwest Independent Film Critics Awards 2026, Seattle

Michelangelo and Me

By Colleen Fuglaar

BEST INTERNATIONAL FANTASY 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL WRITER

The Sun Never Sets in Happenstance

By Joe Territo

BEST SHORT SCRIPT 2026 & BEST INDIE SCREENWRITER (Category: International Short Script)

The Label Maker

By Charlotte Webb

BEST DIRECTOR 2026 (Category: Animation)

The Enforcers

By A. L. Jobrail

BEST INTERNATIONAL TV/SERIES 2026

Cataclysm Down Under – Hero

By Akal Demir

BEST ORIGINAL ARHOUSE FILMMAKER 2026

Split Focus

By Cherie Carson

BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Dance Film), BEST INTERNATIONAL DANCE FILM 2026 & BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Vasco da Gama – The Infinite Sea

By Claudio Jordão

BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT FILM 2026

My Hollywood Circus

By Roger Paradiso

BEST AMERICAN BOOK 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL INDIE WRITER

Ta Kala Pedia (The Good Children)

By Ioannis Koutroubis

BEST INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA

Una Luce

By Don Pasquale Ferone

BEST EUROPEAN SINGER 2026 & BEST SPIRITUAL SONG WRITER

L Ella

By Gary St. Martin

BEST INTERNATIONAL PILOT TV 2026

The Dancing Spies @Goddess

By Francis Billingsley

BEST ORIGINAL BOOK OF THE YEAR

RETHINK – Philosophical web series

By Olaf Lenz

BEST VIDEO POETRY 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR

Lambada The Dance Of Fate

By Kai Fischer

BEST ORIGINAL WRITER 2026 & BEST BIOGRAPHICAL SCRIPT 2026

The Donbass Children

By Lubomir Dankov

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR 2026 (Category: Social Documentary), BEST HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY & BEST EDITING

An Ever After Drama

By Michelle Lynn

BEST ORIGINAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILM 2026, BEST DIRECTOR 2025, BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS, BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT, BEST ACTRESS & BEST MAKE-UP (Category: Narrative Short)

Silver Lights: City of Dreams

By Michelle Lynn

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST INTERNATIONAL WRITER

Recipe for A Dream

By Michelle Lynn

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL SONG WRITER

Behind The Algorithm

By Michelle Lynn

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT OF THE YEAR

Noise

By R. Scott MacLeay

BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL FILM 2026, BEST INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST ARTHOUSE FILMMAKER

The Duchess

By C. Arnold Curry

BEST INDIE DRAMA 2026, BEST CAST & BEST ORIGINAL CINEMATIC VISION

AMERICA BOXED IN

By Ian S. Williams & Casey Williams

BEST ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR 2026, BEST SOUNDTRACK & BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2026

American Money

By Timothy A McGhee

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT 2025, BEST WRITER 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA

Staycation

By Russell Emanuel

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 2026, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (Category: NARRATIVE FEATURE), BEST AMERICAN DIRECTOR, BEST ORIGINAL COSTUME DESIGNER, BEST EDITING (Category: Film) & BEST INTERNATIONAL CASTING DIECTOR

Sheldon Mashugana gets stooged

By Dean Morgan

BEST COMEDY 2026, BEST ACTOR, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST INDIE PRODUCER & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (Category: Comedy)

The New Immigrant- Hong Kongers

By Vivian Tsang

BEST ORIGINAL FIRST TIME FILMMAKER 2026, BEST EDITING (Category: Documentary) & BEST ORIGINAL IDE (Category: Documentary)

The Stones of Rome

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT 2026 & BEST ACTING 2026

The Pathos of Hamlet

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST SPIRITUAL SHORT FILM 2026, BEST EDITING, BEST DIRECTOR & BEST EDITING (Category: Indie Experimental Short Film)

Boombox TV

By Christian Candido

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE & BEST INDIE WEB/SERIES 2026

Asherah’s Colors

By Gary Mazeffa

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM 2026, BEST SCREENPAY SHORT, BEST CAST & BEST DIRECTOR & BEST CAMERA OPERATOR

Colombano e la 21esima Fetta

By Paolo Pier Luigi Guglielmetti

BEST EUROPEAN FILM 2026, BEST CAST, BEST INDIE DIRECTOR & BEST SCREENPLAY

Water

By Gary Beeber

BEST ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2026, BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR & BEST EDITING

Heaven

By AnayaMusic

BEST SINGER 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO

Heat and Love

By Michał Kucharski

BEST INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO 2026, BEST EDITING & BEST FILMMAKER (Category: Music Video)

The Mongrel

By Lynn Elliott

BEST INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION SCRIPT 2026 & BEST AMERICAN INDIE SCREENWRITER

Alta California

By Lynn Elliott

BEST HISTORICAL FEATURE SCRIPT 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL WRITING STYLE

Not Without Gloves

By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: EXPERIMENTAL)

The Rorschach Test

By Lena Mattsson

BEST EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST POETRY SHORT FILM 2026

Doctor Hyphoteses

By Vicentini Gomez

BEST INDIE COMEDIAN 2026, BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Zone

By Danilo Del Tufo

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE DIRECTOR & BEST EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT 2026

Out of Control

By Bellopropello

BEST EXPERIMENTAL ANIMATION 2026, BEST INDIE DIRECTOR, BEST EDITING & BEST SOUND DESIGNER (Category: Animated Short Film)

Omnipotent Resolution

By Uniqueness Heiress & Azia

BEST MUSICAL 2026, BEST FILMMAKER, BEST COSTUME DESIGNER, BEST ORIGINAL DANCE FILM & BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC VIDEO

Thankful

By Earnest Diaz

BEST INTERNATIONAL STORY 2026 & BEST ARTHOUSE SCREENWRITER

Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana

By Ken Kimmelman

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM DIRECTOR 2026, BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER & BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER   

Precious the baby dragon

By Dr Dawn Menge

BEST INTERNATIONAL BOOK 2026 & BEST WRITER 2026

Katabasis

By Samantha Casella

BEST FILM 2026, BEST INDIE MOVIEMAKER, BEST EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST ARTHOUSE SCREENPLAY (Category: Narrative Feature)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

By Monte Albers de Leon

BEST AMERICAN SCREENPLAY 2026

Garbage Rex

By Steve Hunyi

BEST INDIE SHORT FILM 2026