WINNERS Special Event in Venice – 8 & Halfilm Awards 2025

2025 August 27

WINNERS Special Event in Venice – 8 & Halfilm Awards 2025

Man in a Can

By Henk Pringels

BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Animated Short Film)

Ghost Chef

By Alberto Martín-Aragón

BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR & BEST EUROPEAN INDIE CINEMATOGRAPHER

Smell Of Pain-T

By Damiano Rossi

BEST EUROPEAN EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR & BEST POETRY SHORT FILM

Mine

By John Johnson

BEST ORIGINAL ANIMATION & BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER

Because We Are Too Many

By Eve Leonard

BEST INTERNATIONAL DRAMA 2025

The New Immigrant- Hong Kongers

By Vivian Tsang

BEST INTERNATIONAL YOUNG DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

The Rings

By Geoffrey Gould

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT SCRIPT

I/O (Input-Output) Proof of Concept

By Molly Vernon

BEST INDIE TELEVISION SCRIPT

Wave Man

By Anna Morelli

BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT

Flannel & Rue

By Larry Gene Fortin

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENWRITER 2025 & BEST WRITING STYLE

Amen-Amen-Amen: A Story of Our Times

By Tom Gallagher

BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, BEST EDITING & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Ballad of the Millennial Dream

By Yuliya Levashova

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE SHORT FILM, BEST ACTRESS, BEST SOUNDTRACK, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY SHORT & BEST MAKE-UP ARTIST

Nelle Sue mani

By Don Pasquale Ferone

BEST SPIRITUAL MUSIC VIDEO 2025

Credo

By Don Pasquale Ferone

BEST SINGER & BEST INDIE MUSICIAN 

Josh’s Employment Agency of Brooklyn/the Hereafter

By Nancy Kimmel

BEST INDIE SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR (Category: International Feature Script)

Hot Air Hippo

By Nicholas Snyder

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Theater 8

By John Martinez

BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER, BEST SCREENPLAY & BEST MOVIEMAKER

The Green Machine – Part 1

By John Martinez

BEST ORIGINAL ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR (Category: Short Film), BEST ORIGINAL IDEA & BEST SCREENWRITER 

Soularis

By Janja Rakuš

BEST EUROPEAN DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR, BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM & BEST ARTHOUSE FILM PRODUCER

Potato Family

By Lori Hamilton

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Change The World

By Angelena Bonet

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT & BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER

Roses are Blind

By Wendy White

BEST AMERICAN THRILLER & BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR

The Sicilians

By Frank Mancuso

BEST THRILLER FEATURE SCRIPT

The Priory of Sion and the treasure of abbey Sauniere of Rennes the Castle France

By Florence Cazebon-Taveau

BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

Running Out Of Time

By Jeremy and Christine Stork

BEST INDIE SONG & BEST ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO 2025

Asherah’s Colors

By Gary Mazeffa

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST SCREENPLAY

Thankful

By Earnest Diaz

BEST HUMAN RIGHTS FEATURE SCRIPT 2025

The Mountain

By Ruth Finnegan

BEST SHORT SCRIPT & BEST ORIGINAL ARTHOUSE SCREENWRITER

The Jaguar and the Dragonfly

By Pamela PerryGoulardt

BEST INTERNATIONAL SUPER SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR

Calamity Jane: Queen of Spades

By Pamela PerryGoulardt

BEST ORIGINAL WRITER OF THE YEAR (Category: Indie Feature Script)

Union

By Whitney Hamilton

BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE, BEST AMERICAN DIRECTOR & BEST SCREENPLAY

Flashes of Light (Bagliori)

By Mattia Paone

BEST ARTHOUSE FILMMAKER

Nossos Caminhos (Our Paths)

By Carla Di Bonito

BEST DRAMA ARTHOUSE SCRIPT

Q1

By Silvano Perozic

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER

In a Whole New Way

By Jonathan Fisher

BEST DIRECTOR 2025 (Category: EDUCATIONAL FILM) 

Colombano e la 21esima Fetta

By Paolo Pier Luigi Guglielmetti

BEST EUROPEAN ORIGINAL FILM 2025 & BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR

Omnipotent Resolution

By Uniqueness Heiress & Azia

BEST INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO, BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Dance Film), BEST INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL & BEST SPIRITUAL SHORT FILM

Fractures In Time

By Lesley Ann Albiston

BEST ORIGINAL WRITER 2025, BEST ORIGINAL WRITING STYLE & BEST ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT

The Dead Ringer

By Suzanne Lutas

BEST WRITER 2025 (Category: FEATURE SCRIPT)

Precious the baby dragon

By Dr Dawn Menge

BEST INTERNATIONAL BOOK 2025

Croix – The Prequel: Kiss The Ring

By Charli Brown

BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST AMERICAN INDIE MOVIEMAKER, BEST CASTING DIRECTOR & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY SHORT

Wacko

By Matthew Roch

BEST AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE 2025, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, BEST CAST, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST MOVIMAKER OF THER YEAR

You Are Here

By Dylan Brody

BEST INDIE MOVIEMAKER & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA

Emergency Musical Response: Part 1 – Journey to Netherworld

By Alexander Senicki

BEST MUSICAL 2025 & BEST EDITING (Category: Musical)

The G-FILES

By John Johnson

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE & BEST STORYTELLING

Sequoia Spirits

By Cherie Carson

BEST INDIE DIRECTOR (Category: DANCE MOVIE)

Indie Jax Grind

By Royce Freeman

BEST ARTHOUSE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2025, BEST INDIE PRODUCER & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA

The Good Americans

By Robert Tobin

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT

Medea

By Andronica Marquis

BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT, BEST CAST, BEST ORIGINAL EDITING & BEST CASTING DIRECTOR

Artists and Aliens

By Jaymz Bee

BEST ORIGINAL SONG & BEST INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER

Dancing with Spies @Goddess

By Francis Billingsley

BEST BOOK/MANUSCRIPT 2025, BEST ARTHOUSE WRITER OF THE YEAR & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA

The Ballad of Wonderhussy and Other Desert Tales

Michael Mayhan

BEST FILMMAKER (Category: Indie Musical)

In Search of A P-I-G

By Keith Szarabajka

BEST INTERNATIONAL WEB/TV SERIES, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST CAST & BEST SOUND DESIGNER (Category: Web/Tv Series)

The Second Coming

By Keith Szarabajka

BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR & BEST INTERNATIONAL COMEDY

Omnipotent Resolution

By Uniqueness Heiress & Azia

BEST ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO, BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Dance Film), BEST INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL & BEST SPIRITUAL SHORT FILM

Staycation

By Russell Emanuel

BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER, BEST ORIGINAL IDEA, BEST SCREENPLAY & BEST CAST (Category: Narrative Feature)

Michelangelo and Me + Da Vinci and Me

By Colleen Fuglaar

BEST EUROPEAN WRITER & BEST INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR

See me

By Anton Svantesson-Helkiö

BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR (Category: Short Film), BEST INDIE PRODUCER & BEST SCREENWRITER

The Hallmark Couple

By Phoebe von Satis

BEST INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITER & BEST HUMAN RIGHTS FEATURE SCRIPT

Gold Glory & Nobility

By Phoebe von Satis

BEST AMERICAN SCREENPLAY 2025

Only in Malibu

By Phoebe von Satis

BEST ORIGINAL FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Forevermore

By Danilo Del Tufo

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR, BEST INDIE PRODUCER & BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Dirty Revenge

By Gary St. Martin

BEST DIRECTOR (Category: PILOT TV) & BEST WRITING STYLE

Noise

By R. Scott MacLeay

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM OF THE YEAR

Wild Blooms

By Cassandra Hodges

BEST INTERNATIONAL PILOT TV & BEST ORIGINAL SCREENWTITER (Category: Pilot TV/Television Script)

NeverWere: a Lycan Love Story

By Chris Ross Leong

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT, BEST ORIGINAL IDEA & BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE SCREENWRITER

Water

By Gary Beeber

BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR (Category: Indie Documentary), BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2025 & BEST EDITING (Category: Documentary Feature)

Le Cafe De Mes Souvenirs

By Valto Baltzar

BEST INDIE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Hope!

By Shaun Guzman

BEST AMERICAN INDIE DRAMA OF THE YEAR

Alone

By Shaun Guzman

BEST YOUNG SCREENWRITER 2025 (Category: International Feature Script)

We are Rivers

By Graciela Cassel

BEST DIRETCOR (Category: DOCUMENTARY SHORT), BEST ARTHOUSE EDITING & BEST PRODUCER

Secrets of Montmartre

By Michelle Lynn

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT OF THE YEAR

An Ever After Drama

By Michelle Lynn

BEST AMERICAN NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST ACTRESS, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY SHORT & BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

The Green Mill

By Michelle Lynn

BEST FEATURE SCRIPT 2025

Sanctuary

By AnayaMusic Kunst

BEST VOICE OF THE YEAR & BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC VIDEO

Effata

By Anaya Music Kunst 

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO 2025

Eye of the Storm

By Brooke Wolff

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 2025, BEST ORIGINAL EDITING & BEST AMERICAN FILMMAKER

Legends of the Land of Quails

By Dr Dawn Menge

BEST ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR 2025

No Mas

By Stephen Kelly

BEST INTERNATIONAL BEST SHORT FILM, BEST FILMMAKER & BEST ORIGINAL EDITING

Mikey Blue Eyes

By Stephen Kelly

BEST ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT

Voyage in the desert

By ΕΛΠΙΔΑ ΑΜΙΤΣΗ

BEST ORIGINAL INDIE NARRATIVE FEATURE

Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana

By Ken Kimmelman

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDIE DIRECTOR & BEST EXPERIMENTAL CINEMATOGRAPHY

Sinestesìa

By Gianni Salamone

BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO

Sheldon Mashugana gets Stooged

By Dean Morgan

BEST COMEDIAN 2025

Calamity & Mercy

By Daniel W Smith

BEST ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY

Love Is My Gun

By Valérie Verseau

BEST EDITING (Category: MUSIC VIDEO) & BEST ARTHOUSE MUSIC VIDEO

Am I a painter?/Czy jestem malarzem?

By Michał Kucharski

BEST INDIE FILMMAKER 2025 & BEST ARTHOUSE ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Monument to Love

By Jacob Comforty

BEST DIRECTOR 2025 (Category: Documentary Feature) & BEST PRODUCER

Uncle Franco’s Birthday Suit

By Lynn Elliott

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST ORIGINAL WRITER

Alta California

By Lynn Elliott

BEST HISTORICAL FEATURE SCRIPT OF THE YEAR

Pirandello’s Life

By Lynn Elliott

BEST AMERICAN INDIE WRITER

Ghost Town, N.M.

By Lynn Elliott

BEST INDIE FEATURE SCRIPT & BEST WRITING STYLE

Doctor Hyphoteses

By Vicentini Gomez

BEST ARTHOUSE ACTOR 2025, BEST EXPERIMENTAL ACTING & BEST ORIGINAL COMEDIAN OF THE YEAR

The Days of Knight: Chapter 1

By John Martinez

BEST ORIGINAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILM 2025, BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER, BEST EDITING & BEST PRODUCTION COMPANY

Lambada The Dance Of Fate

By Kai Fischer

BEST INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL SCREENPLAY & BEST EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

The Stones of Rome

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST INSPIRATIONAL ACTOR & BEST HISTORICAL SHORT FILM

The Pathos of Hamlet

By Sean Gregory Tansey

BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL EDITING & BEST ARTHOUSE ACTING

Fear not, my child

By Michaela Kuti

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG 2025, BEST INDIE SINGER & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA (Category: Song)

Sonnets (words in despair)

By Larry Gene Fortin

BEST AMERICAN WRITER 2025

Fire Flies

By Larry Gene Fortin

BEST ORIGINAL FEATURE SCRIPT

Sundown In Beaver Creek

By Larry Gene Fortin

BEST PILOT TV OF THE YEAR

The Quisling

By Lynn Elliott

BEST INTERNATIONAL WRITER OF THE YEAR

Alta California

By Lynn Elliott

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT 2025 & BEST SOCIAL FEATURE SCRIPT

Hollywood Elite Podcast Episode 1 Salute to the 2025 Oscars

By Tommy Anderson Sherry Severs

BEST ORIGINAL WEB/TV SERIES 2025

The Arcangel Of Death

By Vincenzo Amoruso

BEST INTERNATIONAL YOUNG ACTOR & BEST EUROPEAN INDIE SHORT FILM

Mecca

By Monte Albers de Leon

BEST LGBTQ+ & BEST INDIE PRODUCER

Brothers of Babylon

By Gabriel Womack

BEST AMERICAN FEATURE SCRIPT 2025

Virulence

By Christopher Pennington

BEST WRITING STYLE & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FEATURE SCRIPT

The Rorschach Test

By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM & BEST POETRY FILM

Not Without Gloves

By Lena Mattsson

BEST ORIGINAL DIRECTOR, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST ACTRESS (Category: Experimental Film)

The Spiritualization of Jeff Boyd

By Uwe Schwarzwalder

BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Indie Film) & BEST SCREENPLAY (Category: Narrative Feature)

The Duchess

By C. Arnold Curry

BEST INTERNATIONAL DRAMA 2025 & BEST SCREENWRITER

Katabasis

By Samantha Casella

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE 2025, BEST ARTHOUSE PRODUCER & BEST SOUND DESIGNER

Cassandra Venice

By Hugo Teugels

BEST EURIPEAN DIRECTOR

Something ain’t right

By Susan Downs

BEST DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR, BEST ORIGINAL EDITING & BEST CAMERA OPERATOR

Searching for Camelot

By Roger Paradiso

BEST INDIE DIRECTOR, BEST CAST & BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE PRODUCER

Urban Eats MTL

By Ioannis Koutroubis

BEST INTERNATIONAL WEB/TV SERIES, BEST ORIGINAL IDEA & BEST ARTHOUSE SCREENWRITER (Category: Web/Tv Series)

Mourning Coffee

By Denise Mack

BEST INTERNATIONAL FIRST TIME DIRECTOR

The Golden Years

By Joseph Starzyk

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST MOVIEMAKER & BEST CASTING DIRECTOR

Out of State-A Gothic Romance

By Victoria Bugbee

BEST AMERINAN INDIE FILM

The Case of the Missing Pink Piggy

By Linda Harkey

Published by Story Monsters Press

BEST INTERNATIONAL WRITER & BEST ORIGINAL BOOK 2025

“Hey Mommy” Theme Song Inspired by the book “I Know What You Do When I Go to School”

Written and illustrated by Siona Talekar

Music and lyrics by Zachary Simpson

Performed by Erin Rementer

Directed by Linda F. Radke Studio Story Monster, a division of Story Monsters LLC

BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG