LAFA Winners - November 2025

Best Picture

Pinocchio and the Water of Life - Victor Luckysov

Best Narrative Film

In The Small Hours - Jake Marone

Honorable Mention: Narrative Film

The Opaque - Broderick Russell Jr.

Best Indie Feature

EGWA - V.K Raju

Honorable Mention: Indie Feature

MFA: The Terminal Degree - Kevin Carey, Peter Sampieri

Best Indie Short

The Alchemy of Strangers - Joshua Longfellow Wright

Honorable Mention: Indie Short

What Was - Adam Courtney, Riley Jack Thompson

Best Drama

The Rhythm Of Silence - Juan David Villar Steffens, Rodrigo Alfaro Garcia Granados

Best Comedy

Death at a Retirement Home - Andrew Feinstein, Josh S Rose

Best AI Film

Time Squares - Tim Hamilton

Best Thriller

Apartment 7B - Lindsei Barros

Best Romance Film

Dazy Girl - Charri Brummer, Elijah Amodt

Best Experimental Film

Before the Freeze - Tenley Eakin Raj

Best Inspirational Film

Patient Lucidity - Caleb Mihill

Best Musical/Dance Film

Lienzos Reverence - Memo Matthews

Best Mystery Film

The Call - Rebeca Casagrande, Fabio Medeiros

Best Virtual Reality

The Painted Horizon - Hsiao-Yue Tsao, Hua-Hsiang Chen

Best Documentary Feature

Breaking The Cycle - Eric Jon Liebman

Best Documentary Short

Symphony of Paragon - Dennis Chehade

Honorable Mention: Documentary

Beyond the Waves - Jeongrae Lee, Jihwan Song, Jimin Seo

Best Animation

Pinocchio and the Water of Life - Victor Luckysov

Best Music Video

Ava Della Pietra - Single for Life - Luke Orlando

Honorable Mention: Music Video

The Lovekiller – Resurrection - Patrick Jelen

Best Student Film

GLODOK '98 - Nicholas Tjen

Honorable Mention: Student Film

The Pen - Li Xiaoyi

Best Director

In The Small Hours - Jake Marone

Honorable Mention: Director

Scar - Wang Heran

Best First Time Director

Time Tells - Bai Zhiheng

Honorable Mention: First Time Director

Foreign Affinity - Guo Xinyu

Best Indie Filmmaker

Los Angeles - Tucker Johnson, William Rouse

Best Actor

GLODOK '98 - Arnold Setiadi Lin

Best Actress

In The Small Hours - Kirsten Høj

Best Actor in an Indie Film

Dazy Girl - Tom Glasmann

Best Actress in an Indie Film

Dazy Girl - Kayli Brummer

Best Supporting Actor

Fallaway - Kabir McNeely

Best Cinematography

In The Small Hours - Brandon Tran

Best Visual Effects

Vivid - False Perceptions - Alamgir Uzbekov

Best Instrumental

The Last Dynasty - Hueimin Kuan

Best Original Story

The Taste Unforgotten - Carrie Wang

Screenplay of the Month

Love Somebody - CJ Colando

Best Feature Screenplay

Bad Sugar - Garrett Creighton

Honorable Mention: Feature Screenplay

Epitaph - Roberto da Silveira Lemos

Best Short Screenplay

That's My Boy - Olivia Rose

Honorable Mention: Short Screenplay

Victor - Gustavo Bernal-Mancheno

Best Drama Screenplay

The Weight of Wind - d.b. Roderick

Best Comedy Screenplay

Love Somebody - CJ Colando

Best Horror Screenplay

Dead Station - Anthony Salamon

Best Thriller Screenplay

The Red Truck - Bruno Timoteo

Best Animation Screenplay

Norman: The Dog Who Didn't Mean To - Paul Millward

Best Sci-Fi Screenplay

CODE: 143 - Emma Prescott, Kyler Prescott

Best Fantasy Screenplay

Kaleidoscope Cowboy - Deborah G. Green, Wiz Bryant

Best First Time Screenwriter (Feature)

Cowman - Joe Grode

Honorable Mention: First Time Screenwriter (Feature)

Portofino - Laz Cabañas

Best First Time Screenwriter (Short)

Babylon Beyond! - John Joyce Baker

Best Television Script

Catfish - Elle Carling

Honorable Mention: Television Script

Norman: The Dog Who Didn't Mean To - Paul Millward

Special Jury Award - Film

The Great Battle - Andre Surya

Special Jury Award - Screenplay

Mississippi Flood - Charles Terry

Pinocchio and the Water of Life - Trailer:

* Winners may order an official LAFA statuette

* Winners may order a review - FilmFreeway Gold members get $50 off