The Best of NFMLA Awards recognize the best talent in independent cinema from around the globe. The 2025 Awards honor 130 Nominees across 16 Award Categories. The Nominees are comprised of projects that screened as part of the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival 2024 season which ran from January 1st, 2024 through December 31st, 2024.
Best New Filmmaker
Ashley Eakin Best
Feature Film
Riley – Directed by Benjamin Howard and Produced by Benjamin Howard, Tommy Anderson & Laura Scarano
Best Documentary Feature Film
Impossible Town – Directed by Meg Griffiths, Scott Faris and Produced by Meg Griffiths, Brandon Hill & Alia Mansoori
Honorable Mention: The Walk – Directed by Tamara Kotevska and Produced by Harri Grace, Orlando von Einseidel, David Lan & Tracey Seaward
Best Short Film, Documentary
Woyane – Directed by Jonathan Stern and Produced by Jonathan Stern & Adam Fried
Best Short Film, Comedy
Golden Child – Directed by Hannah Levin and Produced by Hannah Levin & Gracie Catanzarite
Best Short Film, Drama
When Big People Lie – Directed by Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz and Produced by Gus Murray & Kouxiao Amy Zhang
Best International Short Film, Comedy
Nea – Directed by Alex Ulises & Nelson G. Navarrete and Produced by Jesus Peña
Best International Short Film, Drama
The Steak – Directed and Produced by Kiarash Dadgar
Best Short Film, Animated
The Old Young Crow – Directed and Produced by Liam LoPinto
Best New Media & Experimental
Harlem Fragments – Directed by Cameron Tyler Carr and Produced by Flor Tejada, Collin Meath, Ben Thompson & Salma Qarnain
Best Screenplay
A Great Divide – Written by Jeff Yang, Jean Shim & Martina Nagel
Best Performance, Comedy
Carmen Sylvestre, Lumen
Best Performance, Drama
Rubab Rasheed, Eid Mubarak
Best Cinematography
Jonathan Stern, Woyane
Best Film Editing
Fatima Wardy, Hair Care
Best Sound Design
Abdolreza Heydari, The Steak
Best Score
Dan Deacon, A Body Called Life
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