2025 Santa Barbara International Award Winning Films Announced

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is excited to announce the award-winning films for the 40th edition. Awards were announced at a ceremony this morning hosted by El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel, in Santa Barbara with Jury and Filmmakers in attendance.

“It’s an undeniable pleasure to celebrate such a diverse and wonderful array of winning films,” said Claudia Puig, SBIFF Director of Programming. ” We have been so excited to showcase storytelling from 60 countries around the world in our slate of 185 films at SBIFF. The  jury winners this year hail from Cyprus, Spain, Germany, Iran, Taiwan, and the US and exemplify the best of creative independent filmmaking, covering subjects ranging from immigration, pay equity. environmental dangers, unwanted pregnancy,  neuroscience and hempcrete construction.  Congratulations to all the winning filmmakers, and a big thank you to our dedicated jurors.”

The winning films were chosen by jury members Margaret Lazarus, Max Barbakow, Estrella Araiza, Shawn Patterson, Jeff Christian, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Gregory Nava, Andres Castillo, and Jeff Arch.

See full list of winners below:

The Audience Choice Award sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent goes to
OUT OF PLAIN SIGHT directed by Daniel Straub, Rosanna Xia

Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema
O HORIZON directed by Madeleine Rotzler

The Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for Best International Feature Film
YEN AND AI-LEE directed by Tom Shu-yu Lin

The Best Documentary Award
ROADS OF FIRE directed by Nathaniel Lezra

The Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema
GLIMMERS directed by Pilar Palomero

The Best Animated Short Film Award
THE THREE SISTERS directed by Timur Kognov

The Best Documentary Short Film Award
THE GREEN BUFFALO directed by Joel Caldwell

The Best Live-Action Short Film Award
BITTER CHOCOLATE directed by Sahar Sotoodeh​

All three of these short award recipients are now eligible for the 2026 Academy Awards.

The Social Justice Award sponsored by the Fund for Santa Barbara
SEPARATED directed by Errol Morris

The ADL Stand Up Award sponsored by the ADL
LILLY directed by Rachel Feldman

The ASC Award for Cinematography sponsored by The American Society of Cinematographers
COLOR BOOK directed by David Fortune

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a celebrated venue for independent and international cinema. Over its 40-year history, SBIFF has grown into one of the leading film festivals in the United States, known for its commitment to community education and the arts. The festival not only showcases world-class filmmaking but also supports educational initiatives aimed at students and underserved communities within Santa Barbara County. For detailed information on films and events featured at the festival, please visit SBIFF’s official website.