2025 FESTIVAL RECAP
2025 Winners
BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Flowers Beyond the Dark , Iryna Pravylo
BEST FILM ON THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
The Fight for Monterey Bay: Sanctuary for Our Future, Dana Frankoff and James Moore
BEST HISTORICAL LEGACY FILM
Jack O’Neill’s Legacy , Yamal Duryea
BEST SURFING FILM
Haagua , Marc Antony Chavez & Octavio Aceves Coutiño (Mexico)
BEST SHORT EXPERIMENTAL FILM
Of My Glory , Ava Bernadette Daniels
BEST STUDENT FILM
Bukra , Alex Aljouni (Collegiate)
Ecdysis , Adam Angel (High School)
An Everyday Occurrence , Virginia Porter Hepp (Honorable Mention)
BEST SHORT FILM
Fault Line , Lauren Himmelvo
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
Carma , Sunny Na (Korea)
BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY
Patrick Gatov, Codex
BEST FEATURE SCREENPLAY
Jared DeAmaral, Isabel’s Room
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Flashpoint , Van Spaulding
BEST SERIES
The Long Long Night , Barret O’Brien
Ocean Stories: Wyland (pilot episode), Patrick Creadon (Honorable Mention)
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Snow Bear, Aaron Blaise (Short)
Mosley, Kirby Atkins (Feature)
BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
Mark Mancina & Marlon E. Espino, Snow Bear
BEST EDITING IN A SHORT FILM
Lauren Stave and Michael Costello, A Disturbance in the High Desert
Justin H. Reich, How the Rose Reaches (Honorable Mention)
BEST EDITING IN A FEATURE FILM
Stephanie Kaznocha & Co-Editor, Kyle Boston, Magic Hour
BEST ACTRESS
Esther Harrison, Trash Baby
Chloe Kramer, Trash Baby (Honorable Mention)
BEST ACTOR
Jordan Covington, Into the Night
Robert Chestnut in Carma (Honorable Mention)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Justin H. Reich, How the Rose Reaches (Short)
Daryl Gilmore, Midnight in the Orange Grove (Feature)
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
Trash Baby , Jacy Mairs
ON THE RED CARPET
Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton, Annette Andersen Conton & Lawrence Roek
ON THE RED CARPET
Excited for the start of CIFFest 2025
ON THE RED CARPET
X and X making their grand entrance at CIFFest.
ON THE RED CARPET
CIFFest nights start with a red carpet moment.
ON THE RED CARPET
Kevin Armstead and X kicking off the festivities at CIFFest 2025
PRODUCING: THE ART OF CREATING FILM & TELEVISION
A standing-room-only conversation at CIFFest. Panel guests:Mark Mancina, Graham Yost, and Mark Duplass, moderated by Lawrence Roeck and Adrian Clark
PRODUCING: THE ART OF CREATING FILM & TELEVISION
Mark Mancina, Graham Yost, and Mark Duplass
ACTING: THE ART OF CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS
The stars aren’t just on screen — they’re on this panel. Panel guests:Katie Aselton and Mimi Kennedy, moderated by Annette Andersen and Amanda Mai
THE ART OF CINEMATOGRAPHY
Storytelling at its finest — on and off the screen. Panel guest:Dean Cundy
AWARD CEREMONY
Lawrence Roek and Annette Andersen present the award to X
AWARD CEREMONY
Elijah accepts the award for his group’s film with excited fervor.