In addition to the top honor this season — Best Narrative Short (Grand Jury Prize) awarded to How to Rebury Your Friend (China) — Cal Film Festival’s jury team highlights a select group of films that made a strong impression through their storytelling, craft, and creative vision. These Jury Picks are not awards — they are a recognition of distinctive filmmaking that stood out within this season’s selection.
Anyways by Danni Wang (China)
Best Actress and Outstanding Achievement Award (Grand Jury Prize) for Narrative Short
Danni Wang’s Anyways is a delicate and introspective portrait of a woman caught between who she has been and who she is becoming. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing urban environment, the film explores themes of belonging, identity, and self-acceptance with remarkable sensitivity. What begins as an intimate character study gradually reveals itself as a broader reflection on the fleeting connections and emotional uncertainties that define contemporary life.
Drawing on Wang’s keen visual sensibility and background in both fine arts and advertising, Anyways unfolds with quiet confidence, favoring observation over explanation. The film is anchored by an outstanding performance from Ningyue Li, whose nuanced portrayal captures the subtle contradictions of a woman navigating personal growth on the margins of society. Thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, and beautifully restrained, Anyways is a compelling exploration of modern relationships and the enduring search for understanding, making Ningyue Li’s Best Actress win particularly well deserved.
I Wanna Go Home by Nan Xi (China)
Best Children Short, Best Female Director, Best Production Design, and Outstanding Achievement Award for Ensemble Cast
Blending fantasy, adventure, history, and cultural heritage into an imaginative family-friendly story, I Wanna Go Home follows two children drawn into a centuries-old mystery after encountering a mysterious girl whose spirit is bound to an ancient oil-paper umbrella. What begins as a chance meeting in a bustling tourist town soon unfolds into a time-traveling quest involving lost identities, treasured artifacts, and the enduring responsibility of preserving cultural memory across generations.
Directed by Nan Xi, an accomplished filmmaker and arts educator with extensive experience mentoring young performers, the film is particularly impressive for its ensemble of child actors, who carry the ambitious narrative with enthusiasm and sincerity. Beneath its entertaining adventure lies a heartfelt message about home, heritage, and the importance of protecting history. Rich in imagination and rooted in Chinese cultural traditions, I Wanna Go Home offers a charming and accessible introduction to larger themes of identity, belonging, and the value of civilization’s shared treasures.
Iran In The Hermitage by Behrouz Sebt Rasoul (Iran)
Best Documentary Short
With elegance, patience, and a profound respect for history, Iran in the Hermitage offers a unique journey through centuries of Iranian civilization as reflected in the collections of the renowned Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Eschewing narration and interviews, the film embraces a purely visual approach, allowing artifacts, architecture, and carefully composed imagery to speak for themselves. The result is a meditative viewing experience that invites audiences to contemplate the enduring cultural connections between past and present.
Directed by veteran Iranian filmmaker Behrouz Sebt Rasoul, whose extensive documentary work has earned international recognition, the film demonstrates the power of visual storytelling at its most refined. Through its quiet confidence and meticulous attention to detail, Iran in the Hermitage transforms museum objects into living witnesses of history, revealing the artistic, cultural, and historical legacy of Iran across generations. Both educational and deeply atmospheric, it is a documentary that rewards careful observation and exemplifies the enduring value of cultural preservation.
Jingle Jangle by Sionne Elise (USA)
Best Comedy Short
What begins as a harmless prank quickly descends into complete chaos in Sionne Elise’s wildly entertaining dark comedy Jingle Jangle. When two friends sneak into an apartment to gain the upper hand in an ongoing prank war, they unexpectedly witness a murder and find themselves trapped in a situation far beyond anything they anticipated. Balancing escalating absurdity with sharp comedic timing, the film embraces the unpredictable energy of genre cinema while never losing sight of its sense of fun. The result is a fast-paced and delightfully twisted ride that keeps audiences laughing even as the stakes continue to rise.
Making her directorial debut, Sionne Elise demonstrates a confident command of tone, blending comedy, suspense, and horror-infused chaos into a highly entertaining short. The film thrives on its energetic performances, clever premise, and willingness to push situations to increasingly outrageous extremes. Beneath the mayhem lies a filmmaker with a clear understanding of how humor can emerge from discomfort, surprise, and human folly. Bold, inventive, and consistently funny, Jingle Jangle stands out as a delightfully offbeat genre comedy.
Mom Is Here by Zhigang Zhao (China)
Best Foreign Short (Grand Jury Prize)
Tender, compassionate, and emotionally resonant, Mom Is Here explores the profound bond between a widowed mother and her son with Down syndrome. As Ai-li Zhou dedicates herself to helping her son Xiang-shang navigate the world, the film reveals both the challenges and the quiet moments of beauty that define their relationship. Blending everyday reality with elements of dreamlike surrealism, the story moves beyond conventional portrayals of disability, offering instead an intimate portrait of love, resilience, and the universal desire for connection.
Director Zhigang Zhao approaches the subject with remarkable sensitivity, contrasting the mother’s exhausting daily responsibilities with the rich inner world experienced by her son. Forest dreams, mysterious visitors, and tactile encounters become expressions of Xiang-shang’s unique perspective, inviting audiences to see beyond labels and assumptions. Supported by heartfelt performances and a thoughtful visual style, Mom Is Here is both deeply personal and universally affecting. The film’s ability to balance emotional authenticity with imaginative storytelling makes it a moving celebration of family, empathy, and unconditional love.
Our Monsters by Mia Petrovic (Canada)
Outstanding Achievement Award for Children Short and Acting Duo
At first glance, Our Monsters appears to be a charming childhood adventure about two friends preparing to battle the creature lurking inside a bedroom closet. Armed with homemade armor, toy weapons, and boundless imagination, Daniel and Peter embark on a mission familiar to anyone who has ever confronted childhood fears. Yet beneath its playful surface, the film gradually reveals a deeper and more poignant story about friendship, empathy, and the invisible struggles many children face behind closed doors.
Writer-director Mia Petrovic skillfully combines live-action storytelling with animated elements inspired by children’s drawings, capturing both the wonder and vulnerability of childhood. The film is elevated by the heartfelt performances of young actors Azriel Dalman and Xander Wilson, whose natural chemistry brings authenticity and emotional weight to the story. Warm, imaginative, and emotionally resonant, Our Monsters is a moving reminder that friendship can be one of the strongest forms of courage.
The Gift of Talisman by Weixing Chen (China)
Outstanding Achievement Award (Grand Jury Prize) for Foreign Short
Quietly observed yet emotionally charged, The Gift of Talisman explores the complex intersection of family devotion, personal freedom, and the weight of expectation. Set in a small-town community, the film follows a young woman caught between her mother’s carefully planned vision for her future and an unexpected connection that awakens the possibility of a different life. As tradition, duty, and desire collide, the story unfolds with increasing emotional tension, revealing the difficult choices that emerge when love and control become intertwined.
Drawing from personal experiences and cultural traditions, writer-director Weixing Chen crafts a thoughtful and nuanced portrait of life on the margins of change. The talisman itself becomes a powerful symbol, representing both protection and confinement, care and constraint. Through restrained visual storytelling and a deliberate refusal to offer easy answers, Chen invites audiences to reflect on their own understanding of family, independence, and belonging. Sensitive, mature, and emotionally resonant, The Gift of Talisman is a compelling exploration of the delicate balance between honoring those we love and finding a path of our own.
Unruly by David Ernesto Herrera (UK)
Best Microfilm, Best Male Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing
Raw, unsettling, and emotionally uncompromising, Unruly follows a troubled teenager struggling with addiction and grief as she is forcibly enrolled in a so-called therapeutic reform program. What is presented as a path toward healing soon reveals itself to be a system built on control, humiliation, and psychological manipulation. Inspired by the real-life experiences of producer and co-writer Antonia Horlick, the film confronts difficult subject matter with remarkable intensity, exploring the lasting impact of institutional abuse through the perspective of a young woman fighting to preserve her sense of self.
Director David Ernesto Herrera approaches the story with a striking visual style that blurs memory, nightmare, and reality, creating an atmosphere that feels both deeply personal and universally unsettling. Anchored by powerful performances from Alexa Mansour and veteran actor Richard Brake, the film immerses viewers in an environment where fear, vulnerability, and resistance coexist. Boldly executed and emotionally affecting, Unruly captures the confusion, fear, and defiance of a young woman confronting a system designed to break her.
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