Slamdance Film Festival Announces Award Winners from Inaugural Los Angeles Edition
After a week of celebrating Los Angeles’ vibrant independent film community, the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival has come to a close. It was a year of new beginnings for the indie festival, as the 2025 edition marked its debut in its new Los Angeles home and introduced a new February calendar slot that did not overlap with Sundance.
But while the timing and location have changed, the spirit of Slamdance has not. The festival continued to celebrate debut works from filmmakers working on low budgets, providing a showcase for a slew of new talents. The Narrative Feature Grand Prize went to Henry Bernadet’s solo directorial debut “Gamma Rays,” while Nicholas Clark and Dylan Frederick’s “American Theater” took the documentary prize. The coveted AGBO fellowship, which comes with mentorship from Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo, went to Margot Budzyna, the director of “Deuce.”
More from IndieWire
Keep reading for the complete list of award winners from the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival.
GRAND JURY AWARDS – FEATURES
Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize: “Gamma Rays” (Henry Bernadet, Canada)
Honorable Mention: “Alice-Heart” (Mike Macera, United States)
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize: “American Theater” (Nicholas Clark and Dylan Frederick, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Twin Fences” (Yana Osman, Russia/Ukraine)
Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize: “Silent Trees” (Agnieszka Zwiefka, Poland)
Honorable Mention: “In The Mouth” (Cory Santilli, United States)
Episodes Grand Jury Prize: “Serjan Bratan” (Alisher Utev, Kazakhstan)
Honorable Mention: “I Need Your Love” (Walker Kalan, United States)
GRAND JURY AWARDS – UNSTOPPABLE
Unstoppable Feature Grand Jury Prize: “Racewalkers” (Phil Moniz and Kevin Claydon, Canada)
Honorable Mention: “Disposable Humanity” (Cameron S. Mitchell, Austria/Germany)
Unstoppable Short Grand Jury Prize: “Iron Lung” (Andrew Reid, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Super High: A Period Piece” (Bianca D. Lambert, United States)
JURY AWARDS – 6XTY
6XTY Jury Award: “Vermin Beings” (Kat Messing, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Red Light, Green Light” (Corey Grispo, United States)
JURY AWARDS – SHORTS
Narrative Short Grand Jury Prize: “Bita Joon” (Sara Boutorabi, United States)
Honorable Mention: “Contours” (Aisha Amin, United States)
Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize: “Hooked” (Glen Fulthrope, UK)
Honorable Mention: “Only if the Baby Cries” (Shadab Farooq, India)
Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: “Your Mailbox is Full” (Allie Viti, United States)
Honorable Mention: “One Rehearses, The Other Doesn’t” (Jessica Hankey, United States)
Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: “A Night at the Rest Area” (Saki Muramoto, Japan )
Honorable Mention: “Never Fall in Love” (Lucy Sao Wa Iao and Angela En-Yu Lao, China/Macao)
FESTIVAL WIDE AWARDS:
The AGBO Fellowship, presented by Joe and Anthony Russo, Award Winner: Margot Budzyna director of “Deuce” (United States)
Summer Chastant Episodic Award: Becca Schall and Jessica Taylor directors of “Victorian Ladies” (United States)
Slamdance Acting Award: Lissa Carandang-Sweeney for “Alice-Heart” (United States)
George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner: Ben Kjar of “Standout: The Ben Kjar Story” (United States)
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: “Under the Burning Sun” (Yun Xie, United States)
Audience Award for Documentary Feature: “Coroner To The Stars” (Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno, United States/Portugal)
Audience Award for Unstoppable: “Disposable Humanity” (Cameron S. Mitchell, Austria/Germany)
Best of IndieWire
Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
