2026 AWARD WINNERS
The following list are the winners and full list of nominees (including secret nominess) for the 2026 FilmQuest Awards. The award winners, including the coveted FilmQuest Cthulhu Trophy winners, were announced in full at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on October 31st, 2026 in Provo, Utah. The 2026 FilmQuest Winners and Nominees are, as usual, filled with many more deserving films than can possibly win or be nominated. To the winners and nominees, congratulations!
The following winners nominees were culled from a process that began with a record breaking 2,944 submissions for the 2026 festival. Each Feature Film category, unless otherwise noted, has up to 8 nominees. Each Short Film & Other category, unless otherwise noted, has 10 nominees. A “secret” nominee in all short film categories (unless otherwise indicated) were announced at the Awards Ceremony, however there are no secret nominees for feature films. These “secret nominees” often beccome the winner of their categories, and is our patented twist on the awards process, a unique and fun activity that many have come to enjoy. 2 winners from 2026 were secret nominees. All “Virtual Exclusive” films were also eligible for awards, and several winners have emerged from this group as well. For this season, all Feature Films are eligible for “Best Feature Film” and as such no specific nomination will be announced at this time for the feature film.
Winners, Nomination, 1st – 3rd Place, and Finalists laurels for the 2026 season can be found on our site here and via FilmFreeway here.
Congratulations to all the 2026 Award Winners and Nominees, and start spreading the word today! Use hashtags #filmquest #beyondthefantastic #filmquest2026 #thebestofthebest #filmquestawards #filmquestwinner #filmquestnominee as you promote online!
BEST FEATURE FILM
Gaua
GRAND PRIZE BEST SHORT FILM
Azul
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson
BEST COMEDY SHORT
Callback
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Remembrance of Night Whispers
BEST FANTASTIC & BEYOND SHORT
Love in All the Wrong Places
BEST FANTASY SHORT
The Great Fish of the Lake
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
The Veil
BEST HORROR SHORT
99 GHosts
BEST MICRO SHORT
Family Dinner
BEST MINI SHORT
Tranquil
BEST MIDNIGHT SHORT
Man Eating Pussy
BEST SCI-FI SHORT
Azul
BEST STUDENT SHORT
Newcomer**
BEST UTAH SHORT
Relict
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Grylu Sker
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Anthrax’s The Edge of Perfection
THE MINERVA AWARD
Lee Lawson for “Man Eating Pussy”
BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
Casey Walker – Ithaqua
BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
Bravado – Alex Hanno & Luca Malacrino
BEST ACTOR – FEATURE (TIE)
Lou Taylor Pucci – The Avalanche
BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Britt Lower – Sender
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Teuku Rifnu Wikana – Bandi
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Influencers – Emily Tennant
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE
Sender
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE
Rain Catcher
BEST EDITING – FEATURE
Sender
BEST SOUND – FEATURE
The Peril at Pincer Point
BEST SCORE – FEATURE
Rain Catcher
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – FEATURE
Gaua
BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE
Gaua
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – FEATURE
THE RELIC | DRAGON
BEST MAKEUP – FEATURE
Gaua
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
Collin Black – Hell House
BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
Collin Black & Erin Belcher – Hell House
BEST ACTOR – SHORT (TIE)
Justin H. Min – Callback
BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
Louisa Connolly-Burnham – The Intimacy Coordinator
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
Maddox Blackwell – Milo
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT (TIE)
Ashley BeLoat – Venus in Furs
Kelly Tappan – Revolver
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT
Matches
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT
Artichoke
BEST EDITING – SHORT
Azul
BEST SOUND – SHORT
Four Itchy Boys**
BEST SCORE – SHORT
Filther
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – SHORT
Grylu Sker
BEST COSTUMES – SHORT
Winds Howling
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – SHORT
The Bones Exist
BEST MAKEUP – SHORT
Anthrax’s The Edge of Perfection
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
1st Place – Goldy by Gregory Funaro
2nd Place – Bloody Marys by Zack Ogle
3rd Place – I Got You by Peter Ricq
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT
1st Place – Until God Listens by Paul Frank
2nd Place – Burning by Gerard Howard & Kay Qiao
3rd Place – The Surface Calls by Matthew Kravchuk
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – LONG PILOT
1st Place – Medusa by Nathan Shapiro
2nd Place – Precursor by Steve Brown
3rd Place – Stranded by Amy Kay DuBoff
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT PILOT
1st Place – Nina by Heather McDonald & Ryan Jafri
2nd Place – Meat Cute by Kate Bridal
3rd Place – Razor: The Rock and Roll Werewolf by John Connor Cook
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – FEATURE – TOP 20
A Savage Landscape by Guy Pooles
All Nazis Die by Nathan Shapiro
Alma’s Will by Kelly Karam & Jeffrey Howe
Bloody Marys by Zack Ogle
Goldy by Gregory Funaro
Heather Would Never by Emelie Claxton
I Got You by Peter Ricq
Nightbreak Canyon by Jennifer Trudrung
Oracle by Alec Gibbons
Road Kill by Ashley Wilson & Rebecca Wilson
The Boy Who Found Infinity by Richard Fenwick
The Executioner’s Wife by Gary Reimer
The Hallows by Layne Marie Williams
The Lambing by Jillian Corsie
The Last Call by Henry Winnik
The Storm in her by Erin Copen Howard
They All Died Happy by W. Alex Reeves
Universe 25 by Kelly Tappan & David Tappan
Unstrung by Jerold Wallace
Yanrface by Kirene Bolsen-Long & Elizabeth Long
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT – TOP 15
Burning by Kay Qiao & Gerard Howard
Dead Water by Kevin Machate
EVAluation by Marian Siwiak & Marlena Siwiak
Moribund by KC Mussman
Nothing Changes by Tyler Beveridge
Ravenous by Jake Allgeier
Retrograde by Michael H. Moore
Sam/Sam by Troy DeWinne & David Bornstein
Still Loading by Emily Faris
Surprise! by Jack Warner
Synnoia by J. H. Allely
The Elevator Pitch: Or How I Got Stuck in an Elevator with the Incomparable Doug Jones by Kieran Shea
The Surface Calls by Matthew Kravchuk
Until God Listens by Paul Frank
Where They Wait by Walter Mirkss & Shane Nolan
All Un-Produced Screenplay Competition judging was done by a group of third party professional judges.
**Indicates winner was a secret nominee
Live Awards Show Stream – via MyAirBridge (download/watch via link or watch below):
https://mab.to/Vw4FP7WFAXWAd/us3
2026 NOMINEES (COMPLETE LIST)
BEST FEATURE FILM
All 18 Features in Competition
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson
BEST COMEDY SHORT
A Hand to Hold
Callback
Cherubs
Matches
Please and Thank You
Scissors
That Damn Cat
The Humbug
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much
SECRET NOMINEE: Intimité
BEST FANTASTIC & BEYOND SHORT
Bundle
Four Itchy Boys
Headcase
Love in All the Wrong Places
Magpie
Meeting Your Maker
Odyssey on a Loop
Shelly
The Afters
SECRET NOMINEE: Savage
BEST FANTASY SHORT
Oma
Pack
Redneck
The Great Fish of the Lake
The Nymph
The Soulless
To Be Human
To Catch a Siren
Xolo
SECRET NOMINEE: Charlie is Not a Boy
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Filther – Norway
Hermit – Venezuela
Kāalgaon – India
Karayr – Jordan & United Arab Emirates
Madre Mia – Mexico
Something Scary – Argentina
Summer Project – Japan
The Catcher – Belgium
The Veil – Brazil
SECRET NOMINEE: Me First – Spain
BEST HORROR SHORT
99 Ghosts
Artichoke
Banshee
Crybaby
Hell House
It Helps
The Bones Exist
The Dysphoria
Tor Lewa
SECRET NOMINEE: Homonym
BEST MIDNIGHT SHORT
Bedfuck
Man Eating Pussy
Mantis Stream Like and Subscribe!
No. 3
Open Mic
The Candle
The Devil’s Lettuce
Udders!
Zits
SECRET NOMINEE: Donation Box
BEST MICRO SHORT
Domeownation
Dormant
Family Dinner
How I Met My New Best Friend
Needle
Overlooked
Secondhand
Vape Glow
Vector
SECRET NOMINEE: Knitting Club
BEST MINI SHORT
Bloodsteel: Operation Kaboom
Clown Song
Feed the Dark
Headphones
Marv
Story Arcs Inc.
The Cranberry Effect
The Me in the TV
Tranquil
SECRET NOMINEE: I Spy
BEST SCI-FI SHORT
Anomaly | TR-3B
Aurora
Azul
Focal Point
Human Resource
Imprint
Infinite Rifts
The Color
Visitors
SECRET NOMINEE: 4 Minutes Before Forever
BEST STUDENT SHORT
Beware the Wolves (AFI)
Empty Lands (USC)
If Tomorrow Ever Comes (Loyola Marymount)
In My Blood (NYU)
Mr. L (Univ. of Television and Film Munich)
Night Feeds (AFI)
Nothing Grows on Salt (KASK School of Arts, Gent)
The Fabric of Darkness (Lodz)
The Sorrows of Young Charlotte (National Film School)
SECRET NOMINEE: Newcomer (USC)
BEST UTAH SHORT
After Us
Can I Put You On Hold
For Better or Hearse
Frostburn
Intramus
Relict (BYU)
The Sweater
Vampires Suck I.T.
Winds Howling: A Witcher Fan Film
SECRET NOMINEE: Helltapes
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Remembrance of Night Whispers
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Återsådd
Grylu Sker
Honey Business
Living with a Visionary
Meteoric
Miseros Morsu
My Name is Ringo
The Bard of the Mountain Valley
The Whistle
SECRET NOMINEE: Death’s Peak
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
(T)ouch! (Vanity)
Animals (Mowth)
Anthrax’s Edge of Perfection (Anthrax)
Fingers Crossed (The Moth & The Flame)
Gold Star, Good Citizen (Die Shiny)
Lightning Scar (Bronco Forte)
The Core
The Kill 2 (Lex Amarni)
Trophia (Kataria)
SECRET NOMINEE: Monty
THE MINERVA AWARD
(Awarded to a short film female identifying filmmaker/duo/group whose work embodies the advancement of the voice and empowerment of the female filmmaker in genre cinema today. Must have been a film directed, written, and/or produced by the same female filmmaker.) (*No Secret Nominee)
8:38 – Imole Ladipo
Coffin Therapy – Zéré Turlykhanova
God’s Future Soldiers – Jerry J Sampson
It Had To Be You – Monisha Dadlani
Man Eating Pussy – Emily Lawson
Method – Mackenzie Breeden
Money’s Tight – Scarlet Moreno
No Worries – Amber Steigelfest
Pea – Summer Benowitz
Red Velvet – Haley Hope Bartels
Redneck – Alexandria Basso
The Candle – Ren Ariel Sano
The Intimacy Coordinator – Louisa Connolly-Burnham
The Witchening – MK Kopp
Thick Skin – Helena Hawkes
Yaoguai – Mimi Lee
BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
Bandit – Brian L Tan
Gaua – Paul Urkijo Alijo
Godhead – Mark H. Rapaport
Ithaqua – Casey Walker
Rain Catcher – Michele Fiascaris
Sender – Russell Goldman
The Avalanche – Johnny Coffeen
THE RELIC | DRAGON – J.M. Logan
BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
Bandit – Husein M. Atmodjo
Bravado – Alex Hanno & Luca Malacrino
Gaua – Paul Urkijo Alijo
Godhead – Mark H. Rapaport
Rain Catcher – Michele Fiascaris, Alba Moyano & Filippo Polesel
Sender – Russell Goldman
The Avalanche – Johnny Coffeen
The Peril at Pincer Point – Jake Kuhn & Noah Stratton-Twine
BEST ACTOR – FEATURE
Bandit – Wafda Saifan
Godhead – Al Warren
Ithaqua – Luke Hemsworth
Rain Catcher – Dudley O’Shaughnessy
The Avalanche – Lou Taylor Pucci
The Crawling – Will Brittain
The Peril at Pincer Point – Jack Redmayne
The Velocipastor 2 – Greg Cohan
BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Bravado – Caitlin Morris
Gaua – Yune Nogueiras
Godmother – Paige Evans
Mother and Me – Caylee Cowan
Oddities – Lilimar
Sender – Britt Lower
The Avalanche – Alex Essoe
THE RELIC | DRAGON – Taylor Bini
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Bandit – Teuku Rifnu Wikana
Bravado – Luca Malacrino
Godhead – Kimball Farley
Godmother – Bruce Davison
Ithaqua – Michael Pitt
Mother and Me – Brady Noon
Sender – David Dastmalchian
Whiskey Throttle – Jasen Wade
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Godhead – Sarah Coffey
Godmother – Dee Wallace
Mother and Me – Tara Janae Smith
Oddities – Adrienne Barbeau
Oddities – Lovie Simone
Rain Catcher – Jessie Mei Li
Sender – Rhea Seehorn
The Crawling – Katherine Hughes
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE
Gaua
Grind
Ithaqua
Sender
The Peril at Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2
Whiskey Throttle
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE
Bandit
Gaua
Godhead
Mother and Me
Rain Catcher
Sender
The Peril at Pincer Point
Whiskey Throttle
BEST EDITING – FEATURE
Bravado
Gaua
Grind
Rain Catcher
Rubberhead
Sender
The Avalanche
Whiskey Throttle
BEST SOUND – FEATURE
Bandit
Gaua
Grind
Ithaqua
The Crawling
The Peril at Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON
Whiskey Throttle
BEST SCORE – FEATURE
Gaua
Godhead
Ithaqua
Rain Catcher
Sender
The Avalanche
The Peril of Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION – FEATURE
Gaua
Grind
Ithaqua
Sender
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2
BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE
Gaua
Ithaqua
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2
BEST VISUAL FX – FEATURE
Gaua
Godmother
Grind
Ithaqua
Oddities
The Avalanche
The Peril at Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON
BEST MAKEUP FX – FEATURE
Gaua
Godmother
Grind
Ithaqua
Oddities
The Crawling
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
99 Ghosts – Gonzalo Torrens
Azul – Algoritmo Malvado
Bundle – Carlo Milillo
Callback – Matthew Puccini
Hell House – Collin Black
Love in All the Wrong Places – John Roche III
Man Eating Pussy – Emily Lawson
The Catcher – Luka Galle
Tor Lewa – Paul Holbrook
SECRET NOMINEE: Grylu Sker – Kevin McTurk
BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
4 Minutes Before Forever – Yoann Zak
99 Ghosts – Gonzalo Torrens
Callback – Matthew Puccini
Hell House – Collin Black & Erin Bechler
Intimité – Aldo Arias & Poppy Gordon
Odyssey on a Loop – Benjamin Lussier
Savage – Connor Paolo
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much – Eric Jackowitz
The Veil – Gabriel Motta & Jonts Ferreira
SECRET NOMINEE: Matches – Jake Delaney
BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
4 Minutes Before Forever – Tilly Woodward
Are We Still Married? – Taylor Misiak
Human Resource – Mia Vallet
I Wanna Go Home – Ashley Bell
Lacuna – Sadie Soverall
Love in All the Wrong Places – Aedin Waldorf
Savage – Bridget Regan
The Intimacy Coordinator – Louisa Connolly-Burnham
When She Sings – Laura Bayston
SECRET NOMINEE: Silver Anniversary – Samantha Sloyan
BEST ACTOR – SHORT
4 Minutes Before Forever – Gabriel Gil-Sanllehi
Are We Still Married? – Dustin Milligan
Bundle – Fionn Whitehead
Callback – Justin H Min
Callback – Michael Hsu Rosen
Cherubs – Richard Sammel
Hell House – Jim Cummings
Milo – Sam Huntsman
Please and Thank You – Tony Cavalero
SECRET NOMINEE: Tor Lewa – Frank C. Keogh
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT
Beware the Wolves – Amy Aquino
Human Resource – Veanne Cox
Magpie – Margarita Levieva
Marge – Liv Davenport
Mr. L – Lara Feith
Nothing Grows on Salt – Iona Kewney
Revolver – Kelly Tappan
Thick Skin – Courtney Eaton
Venus in Furs – Ashley BeLoat
SECRET NOMINEE: Hell House – Erin Bechler
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
Albert – James Howard
Bundle – Finn Cole
Headcase – Pat Moonie
Ignis – Allen Leech
Milo – Maddox Blackwell
My Private Yellowstone – Jason K. Ralph
The Intimacy Coordinator – Kieron Moore
The King of the Full Moon Night – Alex McKelvey
The Smother – Demetri Belardinelli
SECRET NOMINEE: Lily of the Valley – Dakota Daulby
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT
*No Secret Nominee
99 Ghosts
Banshee
Empty Lands
Four Itchy Boys
Intimité
Is It Okay To Pick Up a Gucci Box
Lily of the Valley
Matches
Obscure Identity
Reset
Savage
Scissors
The Afters
The Higher Path
This is a Zombie Movie
Total Party Kill
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT
Artichoke
Azul
Night Ride
Nothing Grows on Salt
Odyssey on a Loop
Okay
Relict
Savage
The Color
SECRET NOMINEE: Love in All the Wrong Places
BEST EDITING – SHORT
Azul
Focal Point
Four Itchy Boys
Hell House
Infinite Rifts
Intramus
Love in All the Wrong Places
Million Dollar Man
The Humbug
SECRET NOMINEE: Mantis Stream Like and Subscribe!
BEST SOUND – SHORT
99 Ghosts
Bundle
Focal Point
Headphones
Hell House
It Helps
Krew
The Color
The Manor
SECRET NOMINEE: Four Itchy Boys
BEST SCORE – SHORT
Artichoke
Banshee
Europa
Filther
Hand Job
Odyssey on a Loop
Something Scary
The Nymph
The Sweater
SECRET NOMINEE: Venus in Furs
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION – SHORT
Charlie is Not a Boy
Grylu Sker
Hell House
Lightning Scar: Bronco Forte
Nothing Grows on Salt
Odyssey on a Loop
The Core
The Cranberry Effect
The Nymph
SECRET NOMINEE: Filther
BEST COSTUMES – SHORT
Charlie is Not a Boy
Filther
Lily of the Valley
Newcomer
Nothing Grows on Salt
Space Chai
The Great Fish of the Lake
The Lone Piper
Winds Howling
SECRET NOMINEE: Banshee
BEST VISUAL FX – SHORT
Aurora
Azul
Dormant
Europa
Filther
Kemet
The Bones Exist
The Color
The Manor
SECRET NOMINEE: Focal Point
BEST MAKEUP FX – SHORT
Anthrax’s Edge of Perfection
Bigfoot Lover
Feed The Dark
Filther
Grylu Sker
Imago
Nail-Biter
Sapling
There is Always a Monster
SECRET NOMINEE: Man Eating Pussy