64th Ann Arbor Film Festival Award Winners
- Ann Arbor Film Festival
- Mar 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 31
Updated March 31, 2026
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is proud to announce this year’s award-winning filmmakers selected by jurors Sabine Gruffat, Elysa Wendi, and Jeremy Speed Schwartz. Read more about the 64th AAFF Jurors here.
The Ann Arbor Film Festival provides direct support to filmmakers. Our 2026 awards competition presents $39,500 to filmmakers through cash and in-kind awards that include film stock, film processing, and camera equipment rental.
The 64th AAFF Online Festival runs March 30 through April 13th at 11:59pm ET. An award from the AAFF confers prestige and financial support; it can also qualify filmmakers for an Oscar® nomination by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the short film category. Qualifying awards are the Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival, the Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film, and the Lawrence Kasdan Award for Best Narrative Film. Read more about our Awards here.
Don’t miss the chance to watch the two online awards programs showcasing this year’s outstanding winners. Purchase your ticket now for exclusive access to the awards programs, streaming online March 30 through April 13 at 11:59pm ET.
The Award Winners for the 64th AAFF
Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival
Tooborac, Richard Tuohy, Dianna Barrie
Tom Berman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker
Barbara Forever, Brydie O'Connor
Tom Berman Award Best Documentary Film
Divia, Dmytro Hreshko
Richard Myers Best Non-Narrative Film
The Stars Watch from Long Ago, Stacey Steers
Lawrence Kasdan Award for Best Narrative Film
0,∞, Mar Sudac
Kodak Cinematic Vision Award
Walnut of Knowledge, Niyaz Saghari
Susan Dise Best Experimental Film
Crystal Palace, Linda Izcali Scobie
The Barbara Aronofsky Latham Award for an Emerging Experimental Video Artist
As Told By a Corpse, Yace Sula
Barbara Hammer Feminist Film Award
Dead Name, Gina Kamentsky
Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film
Evacuations, Lilli Carré
Gil Omenn Art & Science Award
Faceless Hairy Cry, Paloma Schneideman, Sofia McIntyre
Prix DeVarti for Funniest Film
The Sky was Candy, Anh Tú Nguyen
The Terri Schwartz Film Award for Parody and Satire
Juggernaut, NEOZOON
The Eileen Maitland Award
Menders, Martha Barron Griffith
George Manupelli Founder’s Spirit Award
A Kite Killed a Plane, Daniel Sharoni
CameraMall Best Michigan Filmmaker Award
35 Days, Heidi Kumao
Lawther/Graff No Violence Award
By the Way, Mahboobeh Kalaee, Ali Fotoohi
Best Experimental Animation Award
Tales of Lake Dian, Sylvie Denet
Best in Dance Film Award
Pour the Water As I Leave, Daniela Repas
Leon Speakers Award for Best Sound Design
I died in Irpin, Anastasiia Falileieva
Martin Contreras and Keith Orr \aut\ Award for Best LGBTQ Film
Adam's Apple, Amy Jenkins
Peter Wilde Award for Most Technically Innovative Film
Au Hasard, Darren Dominique Heroux
The Terri Schwartz Asian Film Award
Water Sports, Whammy Alcazaren
Jury Award 1:
On the Inside We are Color, Elena Pardo
Jury Award 2:
Grandma Galya and Grandpa Arkadiy, Anna Kipervaser
Jury Award 3:
So Many Different Things, Sakshi Jain
Vox Populi 1
TheyDream, William David Caballero
Vox Populi 2
And the Fish Fly above Our Heads, Dima Adib El-Horr
The 2026 / 64th AAFF awards were conferred by jurors Sabine Gruffat, Elysa Wendi, and Jeremy Speed Schwartz.
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