Summer 2025 – Award Winners – Cal Film Festival

Best Narrative Short (Grand Jury Prize)

Lamp by Zoe Peng (China)

Best Documentary Short: Trapped by Madeleine Engel and Joe Purtell (USA)

Honorable Mention (Documentary Short): One in Two by David Izekor (UK)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Comedy Short): Hard to Say by Haojie Yan (China)

Honorable Mention (Comedy Short): The Self Starter by Ben Heller and Daniel Calcagne (USA)

Honorable Mention (Crime Short): Knight Owls by Ron Aldrin Bilon (Philippines)

Honorable Mention (Sci-Fi Short): New Horizons by Jared Fassbender and Easton Tabin (USA)

Honorable Mention (Children Short): Mimi’s Day by Yihfen Chou (Taiwan)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Women Short): Evelyn by Laurel Eisenmann (USA)

Best LGBTQ Short: Pining by David Jaffe (USA)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Student Short): There Goes Stacy by Gabriel Del Rosario (USA)

Honorable Mention (Experimental Short): No.1614 by Junhao Fu (UK)

Honorable Mention (Microfilm): Self Control by Jared Adler Gomez (USA)

Honorable Mention (Web Series/TV Pilot): A Slice Of The Family Business by Stefano Da Fre (Italy and USA)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Music Video): I’m Back by Ilya Noyabrev (Ukraine)

Outstanding Achievement Award (Short Script): It’s Open by Doug Maguire (USA)

Honorable Mention (Short Script): Delvin by Terry Luke Podnar (USA)