The 32nd Slamdance Film Festival saw awards for films such as Whisper of the Moon, Silver, and Zmeka. An in-person awards ceremony was held at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles on February 25th to celebrate emerging filmmaking talent from around the world.
This year’s festival lineup consisted of 141 films (50 of which were world premieres) selected from 10,000 applications.
You Look Fine, a documentary detailing comedian Jared Snow’s struggle with sickle cell anemia, won both the Audience and Jury Awards and received an offer from Utopia for theatrical distribution.
“Moon Whisper”, directed by Lai Yu-ching, won the Grand Jury Prize in the feature-length story category. The director passed away in December 2025, so Lai was awarded this honor posthumously.
“‘Whisper of the Moon’ is a dazzling love story between two underprivileged Cambodian women who meet through the art of theatre,” the award’s judges said in a statement. “The unforgettable performances and visceral imagery leave a deep imprint on your soul. We lost writer and director Lai Yu-ching far too soon, an irreplaceable voice in filmmaking.”
Steve Kang, chairman of the Board of Public Works and chief of film for the city of Los Angeles, opened the ceremony and announced a new pilot program to make low-impact independent filming more accessible in the Los Angeles area. Kang announced that the city will significantly reduce permit fees for productions applied through FilmLA, as well as expand access to iconic locations.
This year’s Slamdance Festival is also a testament to the power of the grassroots film community. Festival attendance was up 10% from the previous year, with more than 12,000 tickets sold and net box office revenue in the six figures. Almost all screenings in LA were sold out.
“As the entertainment industry continues to face massive disruption, Slamdance in Los Angeles is proving that we can grow cinema through event experiences and fill every seat in our venues,” Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of Slamdance, said in a statement. “While some may think celebrity culture is the only way to achieve this, Slamdance has long known that grassroots communities can actually help themselves when it comes to recognizing talent, launching careers, and attracting audiences.”
The full Slamdance lineup can be viewed online on the Slamdance Channel until March 6th.
See the complete list of winners below.
Grand Jury Award – Features
Narrative Feature Jury Grand Prize: “Whispers of the Moon” (Yuqing Lai, Hong Kong, Cambodia, India)
Honorable Mention: “Ten Will” (Max DeFalco, USA)
Documentary Feature Jury Award: “Silver” (Natalia Konialts, Poland, Norway, Finland)
Honorable Mention: “House 4” (Philip Schaefer, Germany)
Breakouts Special Jury Grand Prize: “Zumeca” (David Mahler, Dominican Republic)
Honorable Mention: “BRB” (Kate Cobb, USA)
Episode Grand Jury Award: “Vicky Wakes Up” (Victoria Blade, USA)
Honorable Mention: “Cat & Nat” (Aaron Hughes, USA)
Grand Jury Award – Unstoppable
Unstoppable Feature Jury Grand Prize: “You Look Fine” (J.Snow, USA)
Honorable Mention: “The Tallest Dwarf” (Julie Forest Wyman, USA)
Unstoppable Short Film Jury Grand Prize: “Everhand” (Shane Hillier, USA)
Honorable Mention: “The Girl in the Wind” (Southwest Garden, China)
Jury Award – 99 Special Award
1999 Special Jury Award: “Dead Grandma” (Rachel Kemp & Nick Toti, USA)
Honorable Mention: “Pickup” (Viktoria Lapushkina, Russia, USA)
Jury Award – Short Story
Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Short: “The Beak” (Xavier Dumoulin, France)
Honorable Mention: “It Means Hope” (Shadi Karamroudi, Iran)
Short Documentary Jury Prize: “Panther Pat” (Ashley Brandon, USA)
Honorable Mention: “In Exchange For Flesh” (Sandro Ramani, Cory Devon Arthur, USA)
Grand Prix Jury Prize in the Experimental Short Category: “I wanted to make a different film” (Suse Itzel, Germany)
Honorable Mention: “Whose Woods Are These” (Kate Nartker, USA)
Short Animation Award Jury Award: “Busy Bodies” (Kate Renshaw-Lewis, USA)
Honorable Mention: “One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six” (Lai Indang, USA)
Festival Wide Award:
AGBO Fellowship by Joe and Anthony Russo Recipient: Ji-In Oh, Director of “SPEEDY!”
Summer Chastant Episode Award: “Cat & Nat” (Aaron Hughes, USA)
Slam Dance Performance Award: Angela Cano for “Zmeka”
George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner: Jalen Wilson-Nelen, director of Pook Bitch
Audience Award:
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: “Three Colors: Pan-African” (Elijah Davis, Alison A. Waite, Tyler Ocasio Holmes, USA)
Documentary Audience Award: “Kings Of Venice” (Svein Ingimundarsson, SD Saltarelli, USA)
Unstoppable Audience Award: “You Look Fine” (J. Snow, USA)
