After eight unforgettable days of cinematic excellence, we proudly celebrate the incredible films and talented storytellers that made the 27th Newport Beach Film Festival so special.

A heartfelt thank you to our filmmakers, jury members, and festival attendees for their passion, creativity, and continued support of the art of cinema. Your contributions made this year’s festival a remarkable celebration of storytelling, creativity, and the power of film.

Congratulations to all of our 2026 award winners!

Feature Film Awards

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Best Narrative Feature: ‘Wild Horse Nine’

Best International Feature: ‘La Bola Negra’

Best Animated Feature: ‘In Waves’

Best Music Documentary Feature: ‘Frampton’

Best Documentary Feature: ‘4000 Days’

Best Thriller Feature: ‘Better’

Best Action Sports Feature: ‘Stern Fever’

Best Art, Architecture + Design Feature: ‘Heroic: Sabin Howard Sculpts the National WWI Memorial’ & ‘Leica – A Century of Vision’

Best Environmental Feature: ‘The Sludge War’

Best Culinary Feature: ‘How To Feed a Dictator’

Best Family Feature: ‘Whale Shark Jack’

Best Irish Feature: ‘You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead’

JURY & FESTIVAL AWARDS

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Short Film Awards

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Best Narrative Short: ‘The 65th’

Best Documentary Short: ‘Guardians of Anatolia’

Best International Short: ‘To Save a Life’

Best Animated Short: ‘The Whistle’

Best Action Sports Short: ‘Hunter’s Moon’

Best Art, Architecture + Design Short: ‘Women Laughing’

Best Irish Short: ‘Listen’ & ‘FAT’

JURY & FESTIVAL AWARDS

Best Animated Short: ‘That Night’

Best Documentary Short: ‘The Baddest Speechwriter of All’

Best Narrative Short: ‘Every Time I See a Yellow Car’

Outstanding Achievement in Narrative Short Filmmaking: ‘Fire Lily’

Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Short Filmmaking: ‘Bright Harvest: Powering Earth From Space’

Outstanding Achievement in International Short Filmmaking: ‘Submitting Tigers’

Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Animation: ‘Wait!’

Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Action Sports: ‘On Flying’
Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Art, Architecture + Design Short: ‘Curating Modernism’

Best Irish Short: ‘A Vinyl Goodbye’

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:
Peroni Nastro Azzurro