2025 Award Winners Announced!
The Ojai Film Festival is proud to announce the award winners of its 2025 season. This year showcased exceptional storytelling, global voices, and a vibrant celebration of independent cinema here in Ojai. We offer our sincere thanks to the filmmakers, audiences, volunteers, sponsors, and community members who made this year's festival such a resounding success.
Primary Film Awards
Best Narrative Short — Winner:
Zari — Shruti Parekh
Honorable Mentions:
Hearts of Stone — Tom Van Avermaet
Life Support — Jamon Tolbert
Best Documentary Feature — Winner:
The Kids Are Not Alright — Mikaela Shwer
Honorable Mentions:
Among Neighbors — Yoav Potash
Shuffle — Benjamin Flaherty
Best Documentary Short — Winner:
ORIGINS — Drea Cooper
Special Awards & Honors
Audience Choice Award — Winner:
The Singers — Sam Davis
Bill Paxton Award – Best Gold Coast Film — Winner:
The Singers — Sam Davis
Limelight Award – Best Student Film — Winner:
Dandelion — Fiona Obertinca
Festival Theme Award — Winner:
My Dear Théo — Alisa Kovalenko
Best Original Screenplay — Winner:
Losing Nelson — Alessandra Carlino & Lewis John Carlino
Social Impact & Vision Award — Winner:
The Golden Hours — Jorrit Van Der Kooi
Honorable Mentions:
Among Neighbors — Yoav Potash
Burt — Joe Burke
Zari — Shruti Parekh
Distinguished Artist Awards
The festival also recognized two celebrated artists whose careers have made a profound impact on the world of film:
- Juliet Mills — Distinguished Artist Award
- Wally Pfister — Distinguished Artist Award
We congratulate all the winners and extend our gratitude to every filmmaker, attendee, and community partner who helped make the 2025 festival an unforgettable celebration of cinema in Ojai.
