WHAT. A. DAY.
Hello everyone!
Wow, what an amazing time we had at HIDE Fest 2026! We’re overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for everyone who helped make our first year possible. Our favorite part was seeing filmmakers come together and experience their work with a live audience. Those moments made all the hard work worth it.
It was a whirlwind few months and one incredibly busy day, but we can’t wait to do it again next year—bigger, better, and bolder, with everything we learned along the way.
Thank you to our filmmakers, musicians, volunteers, venues, and everyone who came out to support independent creativity. You helped bring HIDE Fest to life, and we’re excited to keep building it with you!
HIDE FEST 2026 AWARD WINNERS
HIDE Discovery Award: Dale Dobson
Best Short Film: A Grim Day — Director: Kefir Klee
Best International Short: Black Rope — Director: Mostafa Akbari Manjili
Best Director: Isaac Latimer — Sense of Sight
Best Overall Production: Burning Studios — Sense of Sight
Best Actor: Yves Garvy — Sense of Sight
Best Actress: Kasey Ferguson — Oh, That’s Okay
Best Young Actor: Nico Cabrera — Sense of Sight
Rising Star Filmmaker: Faith Audrey Pearson — Truth Cutz Deep
Rising Star Actor: Kefir Klee — A Grim Day
Rising Star Actress: Emma Zoe Harris — Shedding
Best Black and White Feature: The Raker House — Director: John Covert
Best Animated Short: The Three Naughty — Director: Victor Volkov
Best Student Film: False — Director: Dakota Schneider
Best Children’s Short: Alvin’s Assignment — Director: Michelle David
Best Family Friendly Short: Shondra on the Hike — Director: Diana Densmore
Best Music Video: I Wonder If We’re Home — Directors: Ethan Redmon, Antoine Hemphill, Emily Norman
Best Song: I Wonder If We’re Home — Artist: Bob&Bobby
Best Vertical Short: Behind the Door — Director: Leonardo Valenti
Funniest Short: The Most Delicious Game — Director: Ethan Schmaltz
Most Original: Westley Northrup — Meg Has A Yard Sale
Most Thought Provoking: Shedding — Director: Willow Ann Richardson
Best Practical Effects: How to Become a Chameleon — Director: Tyler Kincaid
Best Set Design: Shedding — Director: Willow Ann Richardson
Best Makeup: Truth Cutz Deep — Director: Faith Audrey Pearson
Best Poster: Shush — Director: Deanna Hope
Best Photo: Hail to the Queen — Photographer: Rachel Bramall
Most Disturbing Short: How to Become a Chameleon — Director: Tyler Kincaid
Scariest Villain: How to Become a Chameleon — Director: Tyler Kincaid
Best Creature: Lupus — Director: Alejandro Herrera
Best Mask: Truth Cutz Deep — Director: Faith Audrey Pearson
Best Puppet: Poppy McCorn — Director: Max Radbill
Best Kill: Dietary Restrictions — Director: Austin Torres
Best Twist: Truth Cutz Deep — Director: Faith Audrey Pearson
Best Homage: Lucy and The Devil — Director: Adam Raynes
Best Throwback: Just Me and the Graves — Director: Ellison Winterstein
Most Fun: Dietary Restrictions — Director: Austin Torres
Best Use of Prop (Book): Shush — Director: Deanna Hope
Dad’s Favorite: Me, My Dad, and the Thing in the Shed — Director: Tanner Hamilton
Awards are a tricky thing. We want to celebrate YOU: the filmmakers, writers, and creatives. And we know how much that recognition can mean.
This year, we received an incredible number of screenplays. Seriously… an insane amount. We brought in additional readers to help give them the attention they deserved, and then came the debates. Which stories stayed with us? Which characters felt the most alive? Which scripts made us want to see the movie?
Picking just one winner proved difficult. Different scripts stood out for different reasons, and we wanted to recognize that. So… we picked multiple!
You might be thinking, “Wait, can they give the same award to several different screenplays?”
Well, we make the rules here at HIDE Fest, and we say yes.
Each winning screenplay gave us something worth celebrating, and we’re proud to recognize the writers behind them. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and thank you to everyone who trusted us with their work!
Best Screenplay (Feature): Salem — Writer: Destiny
Best Screenplay (Feature): What Makes You Tick — Writer: J. R. Kinnard
Best Screenplay (Short): Writer Chops — Writer: James M Watjen
Best Screenplay (Short): Time For Supper — Writer: Victoria Thomas
Best Screenplay (Short): Fresh Drop — Writer: Joseph Chillers
Best Screenplay (Short): Sushi Date — Writer: Bailey Seifferly
Best Screenplay (Short): Carnage — Writer: Izzy Torres