Home > Awards > 14th Annual (2026) ARFF Awards Nominations

14th Annual (2026) ARFF Awards Nominations

Director's Choice

Drama	Ms, Omela
Comedy	Mr. Mittens
Genre Film	Horses
Feature Script	Hippopotamus For Christmas
Short Script	This Email Could Have Been A Knife Fight
Actor - Drama Actor - Comedy	Marc Wasserman Jalen Thurman
Actress - Comedy Actress - Drama	Nikki Huber Jeanine Bartel
Director.	Anjelica Hymel
Screenwriter	Jeff Naparstek
Texas Film	The Hard Way

Best In Show

Best In Show Actor:

Hoyt Richards (Short)

Hunter Shigley (Feature)

Best In Show Actress:

Jess Paul (Short)

Danielle Harris (Feature)

Best In Show Feature:

Pitchfork Retreat

Best In Show Short:

Do Evil Thoughts Make An Evil Man

Texas Film

Self-Help

Texas Filmmaker of the Year:

Ya'Ke Smith

David Jurney Film Education Award: Scott Rice

Billy Kring Award

Billy Kring Award:		Jason Tostevin
Billy Kring Award:		Alyssia Rivera
Billy Kring Award:		Cedric Thomas Smith
Billy Kring Award:		Eric Adair
Billy Kring Award:		Janet Mayson
Billy Kring Award:		Mike Donis (Video)
Billy Kring Award:		Jessica Bybee-Dziedzic

Male Filmmaker of the Year

Darien Sills Evans

Geno Garza

Lukas Hassel (Winner)

Budro Partida

Michael Charron

Ya’Ke Smith

Daniel Florio

Aaron Hose

Owen Dara

Waybe Gibson

Chris Ethridge

Timothy Troy

Female Filmmaker of the Year

Hope Madden

Neta Rhyne

Michelle Mower

Rachel Thomas-Medwid (Winner)

Shay Thurmon

Kaylin Allshouse

Alysha Daniele Haran

Anjelica Hymel

Lisa Ovies

Debra Markowitz

Lisa Stock

Melissa Skirboll

Male Screenwriter of the Year

Jeffrey Howe (Winner)

Cedric Thomas Smith

Benjamin Carlucci

Sylvester Fryson, JR

Max Woods

Joel DiMaggio Wein

John Shea

Alan Barkley

Wayne A. Gibson

Ryan Matthew Andrews

David Nicholas Reyes

Jeff Naparstek

Female Screenwriter of the Year

Sara Gaston (Winner)

Samantha Murdock Hussey

Jaci Kjernander

Elise Plakke

Melissa Skirboll

Kari Melissa Kennon

Linda Barkley

Erin Keefer

Debra Markowitz

Judith Newton

Lynn Elliott

Saskia Lynge

Writing Duo of the Year

Cedric Thomas Smith/Calvin Walker
(Winner)

Melissa Sheridan, Amy Traurig, Gayla Peevey

Kelly Karam, Jeffrey Howe

Shane Thompson, Michael Seabolt

Benjamin Carlucci, Chad Bruns

Michelle L. Morgan, David R. Schleicher

Daniel P Sullivan, Kate Queen, Gene P Sullivan

Alan Barkley, Linda Barkley

Melody Brooke, Michael Henricks

Eric Gerard Sollars, Ashley Kimberly Anne Schroff

Jeanine Bartel/Adam Knapp
(Winner)

Directing Duo of the Year

Courtney Sposato/Mark Sposato
(Winner)

Hope Madden/George Wolf
(Winner)

Gregory Van Vorhis/Nicole Van Vorhis

Tobe Hooper Award

The Pitchfork Retreat
(Winner)

Blue Murder

Between Two Waves

Dissection Day

And They Shall Handle The Serpents

Not Okay

Up Close

The Hard Way

On Broken Glass

These Colors Don’t Run
(Winner)

Best Writer/Director

Zach Machen

Sean Furey

Ya’Ke Smith

Kaylin Allshouse

Darien Sills-Evans. (Winner)

Alysha Daniele Haran

Rachel Thomas-Medwid

Shay Thurmon. (Winner)

Michelle Lee Mower

Chris Ethridge

Dante Fortaleza Trinidad

Lisa Stock

Best Actor/Director

Owen Dara

Luka Hassel (Winner)

Melissa Skirboll (Winner)

Lisa Ovies

Best In Show Music Video

Shiny Things (Winner)

Pirate Radio (Winner)

Best In Show Documentary - Feature

The Sons of Hercules: Three Decades of Spittin’ Fire

I Took The Road Less Traveled

Tino Is The Bum

Justin Zee

Best In Show Documentary - Short

A City That Cares

Beneath The Same Sky

Buddy Two Socks

Best In Show Documentary Director

Darien Sills Evans

Budro Partida

Geno Garza

Wayne Gibson

Aaron Hose

Christine Kane

Neta Rhyne

Best U.S. Feature

Turmoil

The Pitchfork Retreat

Tino Is The Bum

Blue Murder

Between Two Waves (Winner)

A Lesser Gift

Justin Zee

Best U.S. Short - Drama

Love, From Ellie

$13

Silent Harmony

Beneath The Same Sky

Stone Garden (Winner)

Herbie

Taste of a Memory

Smoke, Embers, Ash

Ms. Omela

Best U.S. Short - Comedy

SALT!

Move The Needle

The Weatherman Who Knew Too Much (Winner)

Bad Candy

Tinklebox

Rerun

Pointe of Obsession

The Eulogy

Best U.S. Short - Genre

Horses

Do Evil Thoughts Make An Evil Man

Dissection Day

And They Shall Handle The Serpents

Not Okay

Heart

Up Close

The Hard Way

On Broken Glass (Winner)

These Colors Don’t Run

Drunkula

A Brimstone Lullabye

Best U.S. Actor - Feature

Owen Dara

Dave Coleman

Hunter Shigley (Winner)

Tony Todd

Andrew Divoff

Best U.S. Actress - Feature

Jessica Lacaster (Winner)

Koko Marshall

Mara Beir

Jewel Bressler

Danielle Harris

Best U.S. Actor - Short

Jalen Thurman

Marc Wasserman

Rashaan Rondo

John Marean (Winner)

Jason Tostevin

Donovan Riley Wolfington

Joe List

Samuel Dunning

Peter DiMaggio

Beau Roberts

Hoyt Richards

Brian Dunkleman

Best U.S. Actress - Short

Julia Winter

Tova Weinberger

Hannah Efsits

Anne Bobby

Catherine Collier

Laurel Nicole Blairsden

Nikki Huber

Jess Paul

Ruth Reynolds (Winner)

Courtney Maginnis

Linda Collins

Melissa Skirboll

Jeanine Bartel

Best U.S. Produced Script - Feature

Turmoil

The Pitchfork Retreat

Blue Murder (Winner)

Between Two Waves

A Lesser Gift

Best U.S. Produced Script - Short

And They Shall Handle The Serpents
(Winner)

Ms. Omela

Beneath The Same Sky

Stone Garden

Herbie

The Hard Way

On Broken Glass

These Colors Don’t Run

Drunkula

The Weatherman Who Knew Too Much

Bad Candy

Tinklebox

Producer/Actor

Linda Collins

Table Reading

Manifest Destiny

Student Creators

Jett Sheridan

Frances Bullock

Best Texas Feature

The Sons of Hercules: Three Decades of Spittin’ Fire

I Took The Road Less Traveled

Moving On (Winner)

Best Texas Short - Drama

’Til Death

The Ohio, Texas Remix

Taste of a Memory (Winner)

Love, From Ellie

A City That Cares

Self-Help

Best Texas Short - Comedy

It’s Hard Not To be Romantic About Time Travel (Winner)

Mr. Mittens

The Eulogy

Best Texas Short - Genre

Not Okay (Winner)

The Hard Way

Best Texas Actor

Ronald Short

Eric Anderson

Toby Bornhausier (Winner)

Best Texas Actress

Eve Raymond

Faith Murphy

Caroline Helander

Sara Gaston

Natalie Williams

Olivia Clari Nice

Mikala Gibson (Winner)
Ray-Nita Powell

Darcy Doyle

Best Texas Documentary

The Sons of Hercules: Three Decades of Spittin’ Fire (Winner)

I Took The Road Less Traveled

A City That Cares (Winner)

Best Texas Produced Script

’Til Death

The Ohio, Texas Remix

Taste of a Memory

Love, From Ellie

A City That Cares

Self-Help

It’s Hard Not To be Romantic About Time Travel

Mr. Mittens

The Eulogy

Not Okay (Winner)

The Hard Way

Best Texas Director

Geno Garza

Zach Machen

PJ Mills

Michelle Lee Mower

Michael Charron

Christine Kane

Eli Elan Gonzalez, Jr

Ya'Ke Smith

Elijah Broughton (Winner)

Sean Fury

Chantelle James (Winner)

Glenn Maxwell

Best International Feature

I Took The Road Less Traveled (Winner)

Best International Short

Blood Mist

Cringe (Winner)

Best International Actor

Alec Gillis (Winner)

Jhon Eric Perez Marmolejos

Best International Actress

Lisa Ovies

Julia Helbich (Winner)

Best Web Series

My Robot Roommate (Winner)

Best Web Series Director

Dan Stearns (Winner)

Best Web Series Actress

Brenna Wetsell (Winner)

Hanna Rose Richards

Best Series Actor:

Rudolph Runnels (Winner)

Bryce Durfey

Best Podcast

Re-Vamped

Back to the Bullpen (Winner)

Table Read

Crush City Territory (Winner)

Moving Goal Posts (Winner)

Locked On Longhorns

The Film Festival Doctor (Winner)

Beyond the Diamond

Best Male Podcast Host

Chandler Rome

Tyler Stafford

Brad Kellner

Jack Daniel (Winner)

Best Female Podcast Host

Amanda Atwell
Rebekah Louisa Smith

Juliet Landau (Winner)

Screenplays

Best Feature - Comedy

Christmas Stalking

Johnson Laundromat's Boy Wonder Halloween Czar

Hot Girl Summer (Winner)

STACHE

Charity

In Our Past Time

Oh, my Leo!

Charity

A Family’s Business

Joe Returns A Video

Makin’ It

Letty & Jack Want Out

The Back Nine

Horologium

Best Feature - Drama

The Only Harold You Know

Squadre

14 Minutes

Outhouse Sherry

Rio Malo

A Taste of Home

Uncle Charlie

Mister Blizzard
Runaway Trains

Wings

Nan

Deadly Seven Sins

Hippopotamus For Christmas

Macho Picchu (Winner)

Burning Water

South Tower

Best Feature - Genre

Frontier Cop

Holding Cell

Stilletto

Trapped AF

Alaska Syndrome

Whitechapel Revisited (Winner)

Where The Sun Don’t Shine

Singapore Sunset

Alma’s Will

Where Th Cold Wind Blows

The Final Fight

The Dyer Curse

Best Feature - Sci-Fi

Four Corners

Ceasefire: The Neutral Zone

Biological Imperative (Winner)

Meglacanda

What Lurks Above

Yrrem Samtsirhc From Mars

Catalyst

But Not Today

Viper

Genesis 4:24

American Ooze
Dragons & Ducks

Kina and Kya

Best Feature - Romance/RomCom

Class Act

Hippopotamus (Winner)

A Day At The Rodeo

Blizzard

Best Short - Drama

Jubilee

Old Fashioned

Connecting Doors

Circus Freak

Mirror Mirror

Down Home

When Stars Align

Friends To Adults

From the Tide Pool To The Stars

Let’s Stand At The Grab and Go
(Winner)

Jump for Jesus

The Melting Clock

Fatigue

Pointe and Grapple

The Drummer Boy

Best Short - Genre

Jesus: Texas Ranger

A Huge F*cking Spider! (Winner)

Pale Shelter

The Shepherd

Dead Ed

Best TV Script

Jazlyn’s Sight

Shadowfall

The Distance Home (Winner)

Algorithim

Cave Inn High School

Dallas Law

Try Hard

Way Points

Wormwood

Best Short - Comedy

KILLER VIEWS

FIRST DATE

Manifest Destiny

Party Hard

This Email Could Have Been a Knife Fight

Back Alley Birthday

Pearl Before Swine

Olivia Colman Says My Farts Dont Stink
(Winner)

Christmas Homecoming

Short Script - Genre

Jesus: Texas Ranger

Dead Ed

Pale Shelter

The Shepherd

A Huge F*cking Spider! (Winner)

Short Script Romance/Rom-Com

Just Sex (Winner)

Hummingbird

Short Sci-Fi Script

Becoming Einstein

Kiss of a Blade (Winner)

Still

Kill Them With Kindness

P.O.O.L