Cambria Film Festival announces 2026 award winners
More than 500 films considered by judging panel
– The Cambria Film Festival announced the winners of its 2026 awards during a live ceremony held Saturday, Feb. 7, in Cambria.
The festival recognized more than 90 competition films, along with attending filmmakers, special event programming, and gala events. Winners were selected by a judging panel from more than 500 feature and short film submissions from around the world.
The Nancy Green Founder’s Award, presented to the film that exemplifies the potential of independent filmmaking to achieve impact in social, emotional, or societal arenas, was awarded to Whisper My Name from Iran, directed by Rasoul Sadrameli. The film is based on a book by Farhad Hassanzadeh and follows a mental patient named Khosrow as he seeks connection with his daughter, Ziba, on her 16th birthday. The film marked its U.S. premiere as the first Iranian feature film screened at the Cambria Film Festival.
Judges named the following films as the 2026 award winners:
Brother Verses Brother, directed by Ari Gold, won Best Feature – Narrative.
Baby Doe, directed by Jessica Earnshaw, won Best Feature – Documentary.
The Sentry, directed by Jake Wachtel, won Best Short – Narrative.
Monster Slayer, directed by Catie Skipp, won Best Short – Documentary.
A Woman is Many Things (Just Fine Isn’t One of Them), directed by Chase Musslewhite, won Best Short – Student.
Help Me Tom, directed by Jiahang Yang, won Best Animation.
Stay, directed by Dylan Kaufman, won Best Animation – Student and marked its California premiere.
Pow!, directed by Joey Clift, won Best Family Film.
Revenant, directed by Jeremiah Moss O’Donoghue, won Best Late Nite Film.
Beautifully Ugly, directed by Adalberto Angulo, received the Artistic Achievement Award.
Burt, directed by Joe Burke, received the Independent Spirit Award.
Synthesize Me, directed by Bear Damen, received the Director’s Award.
Whisper My Name, directed by Rasoul Sadrameli, also received the Nancy Green Founder’s Award.
Audience Choice Awards:
Whisper My Name, directed by Rasoul Sadrameli, won Audience Choice for Feature – Narrative.
In the Tracks of Lalo Schifrin, directed by Pascale Cuenot, won Audience Choice for Feature – Documentary.
Over the Board, directed by Emiliano Balado, won Audience Choice for Short – Narrative.
The Hardest Working Man, directed by Aaron Cassara, won Audience Choice for Short – Documentary.
Lovebite, directed by Will Nordstrom, won Audience Choice for Short – Student.
Help Me Tom, directed by Jiahang Yang, won Audience Choice for Animation.
Pow!, directed by Joey Clift, won Audience Choice for Family Film.
Paranoia, directed by Alina Bichieva, won Audience Choice for Late Nite Film.
The Cambria Film Festival is a program of the Cambria Center for the Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to local arts.
The festival will return for its 10th anniversary from Feb. 3 through Feb. 7, 2027.
For more information, visit www.CambriaFilmFestival.com.
