Awards

2024 PRIZES & AWARDS:

Grand Jury Prize - Bill Plympton, Slide

Lisa Runnels Shelton Emerging Artist - Jasmyn Ramirez

Jury Prize Feature - Chelsea Bo, No Right Way

Outstanding Documentary Feature - Sebastian Diaz & Noam Osband, A Thousand Pines

Outstanding Foreign Feature - Halder Gomes, Red Monet

Jury Short - Adi Parige, The Lascar

Outstanding Documentary Short - Christopher Stoudt, One Buck Won’t Hurt

Outstanding Animated Short - Mitra Shahidi, Starling

Outstanding Foreign Short - Victor Cesca, Fortissimo

Outstanding Narrative Short - Patrick Michael, Black Silk

Outstanding Visual Effects - Benjamin Mulholland, The Lake Merritt Monster

Outstanding First Time Filmmaker - Luana Fanelli - I, Lina

Fantastic art deserves recognition. In addition to providing a platform for filmmakers to tell their stories, AIFF is proud to recognize specific achievements and award more than twice in cash prizes than it takes in from submission fees each year.

The Festival producers select the films and curate the programs very carefully and consult a jury of film lovers as well as film professionals in arriving at the final programming and awards.

We know the hard work it takes to create films and are proud to be able to award over $5,000 worth of prizes this year.

“AIFF is a festival that truly understands and supports the filmmaking journey.”

-George McGuire

Producer, Generations *Ensemble Acting Award Winner 2017

“What a blast! It was so much fun to show my film here. Not only do lots of other filmmakers, in and out of the program, attend, but so do many Alameda residents. This really changed my usual audience and made for a very memorable time. Can't speak highly enough of how professional and fun this was!”

-Jack Nop
2023 Recipient Phil Tippett Animation Award, Absolution Parsin

“AIFF means it when they say they are a Filmmakers Festival. The screening venue is 10/10, the social scene is a great hang, and all the awards come with a cash prize.”

- Cameron Thuman
2023 Winner Best Documentary Short - Dreaming of a Better Place