12th Annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival Announces Award Winners
“Mono 222,” “Dreaming of Lions” and “I Got Bombed at Harvey’s” Receive Top Jury Prizes.
Photographer Chris Cambio
Mammoth Lakes, California (May 24, 2026) – The 12th Annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (MLFF) announced this year’s jury and audience award winners at the Closing Night Award Ceremony in Mammoth Lakes on Sunday, May 24, 2026. The festival, held from May 20-24, featured 32 narrative shorts, 15 documentary shorts and 16 animation shorts, as well as a program of music videos and a screenplay competition, and presented over $40,000 in awards and cash prizes to the winners.
“This year’s festival reaffirmed the power of independent film to spark conversation, foster connection, and champion daring creative voices,” said Shira Dubrovner, Festival Director and Founder. “We were thrilled to welcome a record number of filmmakers whose work reflects the passion and originality that continue to define the festival.”
“Our goal has always been to champion fearless storytelling and provide a platform for artists pushing the boundaries of the medium,” said Paul Sbrizzi, Director of Programming. “This year’s lineup showcased bold, entertaining, and culturally resonant films that reflect the future of independent cinema.”
Films winning the top awards from the jury included Best N. American Narrative Feature “Mono 222,” directed by Quinton Dominguez, and Best International Narrative Feature “Dreaming of Lions,” directed and written by Paolo Marinou-Blanco. The Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to “I Got Bombed at Harvey’s,” directed by Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel. “Danny Is My Boyfriend,” directed by Lucy Sandler & Mechi Lakatos, won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature; “Tony Odyssey,” directed by Thales Banzai, won the Audience Award for Best International Narrative Feature; and “Nuisance Bear,” directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden, was awarded the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The full list of Juried and Audience Awards is below:
Jury Awards
Best N. American Narrative Feature: “Mono 222,” directed by Quinton Dominguez
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$1,000 cash award, $15,000 Panavision Camera Rental Grant,
Honorable Mention: “Debt to the Dead,”directed by Daniel Castro Zimbrón
Best International Narrative Feature: “Dreaming of Lions,” directed by Paolo Marinou-Blanco
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$1,000 cash award
Honorable Mention: “Tony Odyssey,” directed by Thales Banzai
Best Documentary Feature: “I Got Bombed at Harvey’s,” directed by Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel
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$1,000 cash award
Bravery Award for Documentary Feature: “Sugarfly,” directed by Max Schoenfeld
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$1,000 cash award
Best Screenplay: “The Unseen,” written by Shivakumar Ramanathan
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$1,000 cash award and a Slated script and financial analysis bundle.
Best Narrative Short: “Reunion,” directed by Kyle Montgomery and Judd Myers
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$500 cash award
Honorable Mention: “Boat Movie,” directed by Anna Torzullo and Stephanie Ibarra
Best International Narrative Short: “Leivalaul (Breadsong),” directed by Katariina Aule
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$500 cash award
Best Documentary Short: “Jar of Time,” directed by Nevena Semova and Swapnil Arjun
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$500 cash award
Honorable Mention: “Hyodo’s Paradise,” directed by Jacque Rabie
Best Animation Short: “Wan Wan,” directed by Mayuko Kobayashi
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$500 cash award
Honorable Mention: “Long Live Livia,” directed by Zach Dorn
Best Music Video: “High Season,” by Yuliia Yanko and Trygve Luktvasslimo, directed by Trygve Luktvasslimo
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$500 cash award
Honorable Mention: “Erghad Afewo,” by Tinariwen, directed by Axel Digoix
Audience Awards
Best N. American Narrative Feature: “Danny Is My Boyfriend,” directed by Lucy Sandler & Mechi Lakatos
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$1,000 cash award and $5,000 Panavision Camera Rental Grant
Best International Narrative Feature: “Tony Odyssey,” directed by Thales Banzai
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$1,000 cash award
Best Documentary Feature: “Nuisance Bear,” directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden
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$1,000 cash award
The 2026 Jury Members: Carlos Aguilar (RogerEbert.com), Allison Amon (EP, Superconductor), Sean Barnes (Artist), Amanda Bonaiuto (Animation Filmmaker), Kimberley Browning (Tribeca), James Costa (Producer, All the Empty Rooms), Sarah Diamond (Slamdance Programmer), Allison Foreman (Indiewire) Shaun Hill (Indican Pictures), Kangmin Kim (Animation Filmmaker), Randal Kleiser (Director, Grease), Brian Morataya (Photographer), Kiva Reardon (former TIFF programmer), Pat Saperstein (Variety), Jacques Thelemaque (Filmmakers Alliance), Katherine Tulich (AP & RogerEbert.com).
Photos from the 2026 Mammoth Lakes Film Festival can be found below:
Awards: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hpyrxyEbqLCGPodi2jZxjEH_bbBEcA13
Festival: https://radarpics.dphoto.com/album/mkgo3uhq
For information on the 13th annual festival taking place 05/26/2027 - 05/30/2027, visit www.MammothLakesFilmFestival.com.
About the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, held in the scenic and majestic setting of Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra region of California, brings together world-class cinema, emerging filmmakers, industry veterans, and audiences from around the world to celebrate films with thought-provoking style and vision. The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival is a non-profit 501(c)3 under the Eastern Sierra Arts Alliance, which has contributed to the arts and culture of the area through theatre and film festival programming. Visit www.MammothLakesFilmFestival.com for more information or connect on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
2026 Mammoth Lakes Film Festival Sponsors include Panavision, Macfarlane Foundation, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Mono County, Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Illuminar, and more.
