DIFF Announces 2026 Grand Jury Prizes and Audience Awards for 20th Dallas International Film Festival
DALLAS (May 2026) – DIFF has announced the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winners for the 20th edition of the annual Dallas International Film Festival, which wrapped April 30 and included screenings of more than 120 films curated from submissions received from more than 150 countries.
The Dallas International Film Festival is one of only 59 film festivals in the United States and only 181 film festivals worldwide to earn the designation of Oscar® Qualifying Festival by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oscar® Qualifying short film awards at the Dallas International Film Festival are: Grand Jury Prize – Best Animated Short Film; Grand Jury Prize – Best Documentary Short Film; and Grand Jury Prize – Best Narrative Short Film.
Jurors included:
Narrative Feature Competition
Sonny Bunch – Culture Editor at The Bulwark and host of The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood
King Hollis – Award-winning director and producer
Amy Talkington – Award-winning writer, director, producer and author
Documentary Feature Competition
Sarah Harris – Director of Awards, Non-Fiction Programming for HBO Max
David Gil – Sponsorship Director Austin Film Festival
Bart Weiss – Award-winning independent film and video producer, director, editor, and educator, producer the TV show “Frame of Mind” on KERA-TV
Texas Feature Competition
Pierce Cravens – Actor and producer and founder of Newsweek Studios
Chyna Robinson – Award-winning director and screenwriter
Jonathan Alvarez – Theatrical Sales Manager at Well Go USA Entertainment
Short Film Competition
Ashton Campbell –Emmy Award-winning documentary director and filmmaker
Farah White – Award-winning actor, director, and producer
Christian Vazquez – Award-wining director and Senior Video Producer at KERA
Limbert Fabian – Emmy Award-winning director and illustrator
Kara Leonard – COO FilmFrog Marketing
Max Geschwind – Media Finance Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Winners included:
Grand Jury Prizes
Narrative Feature – IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME
Documentary Feature – ONE IN A MILLION
Texas Feature – AMERICAN BABY
Student Short – IN THE STILL OF NIGHT
International Short – LIFE GOES ON
Texas Short – JUST MY LUCK
Documentary Short – THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL
Animated Short – THAT NIGHT
Narrative Short Presented by ShotDeck – MEETING YOUR MAKER
Special Jury Mention for Student Short – SHIFT
Special Jury Mention for International Short – FELLOW
Special Jury Mention for Documentary Feature – POWWOW PEOPLE
Special Jury Mention for Narrative Feature – PINCH
Special Jury Mention for Texas Feature – VALENTINA
Audience Awards
Short Film – FLESH & BLOOD
Music Video – 99 PROBLEMS
Documentary Feature – OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD: THE FIRST CORAL REEFERS
Narrative Feature – ONE IN A MILLION
International Feature – PINCH
North Texas High School Showcase – VALUE
Dallas County Historical Commission Awards
Best Historical Film (Feature): REVOLUTION’S DAUGHTER
Best Historical Film (Short): THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL
Screenwriting Competition
Texas Winner – STRANGE, BUT PERFECT
Pilot Winner – SEX IS WORK
Shorts Winner – MISSED CONNECTIONS
Feature Winner – WHY NOT HER?
“It’s an honor to wrap our 20th Festival by celebrating these winning films and filmmakers,” said James Faust, DIFF Artistic Director. “Seeing the power of connection both through the art as well as the artis is what makes the Festival experience so rewarding, and we’re proud to now get to say we at DIFF got to be a part of these powerful film journeys.”
The Dallas International Film Festival is a global adventure featuring more than 120 film screenings, panels, Q&As with filmmakers and actors, nightly Red Carpets, live screenplay table reads, awards, and other events and activations where filmmakers, screenwriters, film industry leaders, celebrities, sponsors, and audiences come together to experience and discuss film. Films are curated from submissions received by filmmakers from 150+ countries worldwide, across Texas, and the United States, and include narrative features, documentaries, and short films of all genres from studios and independent filmmakers. Festival information is available at https://diffdallas.org/diff.
Virgin Hotels Dallas is the Premier Sponsor of the 2026 Dallas International Film Festival.
Additional Sponsors included: AB Squared, AdChat DFW, Akin, AllGood Cafe, Angle Herr, Asana Partners, BestofGuide.com, Brooke Brooks, Burned to Light Media, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park, City of Dallas Office of Arts & Culture, CMG Visuals, Commerce House, Lisa Cooley, Dallas County Historical Commission, Dallas Film Commission, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, DFW MSP, DGN Entertainment News, Eataly Dallas, Edgemere, Event Horizon Films, Filmfrog, Fort Worth Film Commission, Tanya and Pete Foster, Linda and Jon Halbert, Harwood District, Mary Hatcher, H-E-B, Tim Headington, History Undressed, Hôtel Swexan, Susan Kandell, KERA, Keurig Dr Pepper, Lakewood Brewing Co., Lynn Lewis, LOBO AR Studios, Sarah Losinger, MID49, Lynn McBee, Moody Fund for the Arts, Ruth Mutch, NBC5 DFW, Nowadays Orange Productions, Jim Nugent, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, OneBar USA, Panavision, SAG-AFTRA, Reeder Capital Partners, Screen Dallas, Sherrill Actors Studio, State Fair of Texas, ShotDeck, Kathryn Stecke, Anne and Steve Stodghill, TACA, Texas Commission on the Arts, Texas Film Commission, Texas Film Gear, Tiff’s Treats, Victory Park, Virgin Hotels Dallas, Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard, Visit Dallas, W Dallas, Julia and Jambi Ysbrand.
About DIFF Dallas | Dallas International Film Festival
DIFF Dallas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and culture organization established as Dallas Film Society, Inc. in 2006. Through year-round screenings and events, film series, educational programs, community partnerships, and film festivals, DIFF Dallas builds community and raises awareness of the world’s most approachable and inclusive art form.
Named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Oscar® Qualifying Festival, The Dallas International Film Festival is the signature presentation of the organization. Through curation of the broadest range of expression through film, the Dallas International Film Festival serves as the region’s most powerfully inclusive and equitable platform for diverse, emerging and underrepresented voices. Since its founding, the Festival has screened more than 2,500 widely diverse new films from 60 countries, provided more than $1.1 million in awards and hosted more than 100,000 filmgoers and filmmakers.
DIFF Dallas is committed to celebrating films and their impact on society, honoring filmmakers and recognizing their contribution enhancing both the creative community and the city of Dallas, providing leadership in film education, and celebrating excellence in the art of film. More information is available at https://diffdallas.org/.
INSTAGRAM – @WeAreDIFFDallas, FACEBOOK – @WeAreDIFFDallas
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