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Festival Archive

2025 Festival Archive

2025 WMIFF Winners – World Music & Independent Film Festival

Celebrating the filmmakers, musicians, and independent voices that make this festival community special.

World Music & Independent Film Festival
A look back

Awards & Winners

2025

15th Annual WMIFF — 2025 Winners (Partial List)

Best Actress in Feature Film — Patricia Bursiel, Angel’s Tide
Best Actor in Feature Film — Tony Bravado, Thicker Than Blood
Best Sup. Actor in Feature Film — Chris Corulla, The Last Vendetta
Best Sup. Actress in Feature Film — Christina Smith, Thicker Than Blood
Best Cinematography in Feature Film — Vlad The Time walker
Best Cinematography in Feature Film (DMV) — Jason Alexander, Human Supremacist
Best Screenplay in Feature Film — Zeph E. Daniels, Angels Tide
Best Actor in Short Film — Brandon Wilkerson, Somewhere in Brooklyn
Best Actress in Short Film — Cali Nebe, Under the Hawthorne Tree
Best Sup. Actress in Short Film — Vesta Millard, Life is Torture
Best Cinematography in Short Film — Ruthi Grumbine, Under The Hawthorne Tree
Best Actor in Feature Film (DMV) — Bruce Dawson, The Road to Absolution
Best Actress in Feature Film (DMV) — Vie Lowe, The Road to Absolution
Best Sup. Actor in Feature Film (DMV) — Victor Manuel, Double Blended
Best Sup. Actress in Feature Film (DMV) — Zoe Donmoyer, The Human Supramacist
Best Actress in Short Film (DMV) — Imelda Antoc Bosley, Aswang Part 2
Best Actor in Short Film (DMV) — W. Keith Scott, Dark Matters
Best Sup. Actor in Short Film (DMV) — Jason Brown, Aswang Part 2
Best Cinematography in Short Film (DMV) — Jasmine Deanne Andrews, Don’t Play with Demons
Best Screenplay in Feature Film (DMV) — Lynai Jordan, The Volunteer
Best Screenplay in Short Film (DMV) — Lawrence Whitener, Its All Good…not
Best Director in Feature Film (DMV) — Robert Brown Jr. / Ethan Evans / Raymond
Best Director in Short Film (DMV) — Ken Lasso / Donna Britton Bukevicz
Best Country Music Video — My Life Between The Reins
First Time Filmmaker — Connie Matinez, Dream Chaser: The Story of Martinez Family
Women Filmmakers — Marilyn Lee Swick
Best Director in Documentary — Nara Garber, Bankie Banx: King of the Dune
Best Documentary in Music — Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story
Best Feature Documentary — Letters from the Battlefield?
Best Feature Documentary in DMV — Rising Tide: BOOST Documentary
Best Original Sound-tract (DMV) — Jasmine Deanne Andrews, The Road to Absolution
Best Original Sound-Track — Return
Best Student Film — Somewhere in Brooklyn
Best South East Asia — Pangako, by John Rey Malto
Best Director in Feature Film — Ciprian Dumitrascu, Vlad The Time-walker
Best Script — Maya
First Director — Angela Andronache, Small Things

16th Annual WMIFF Nominees – 2025

Full nominee list, grouped by category.

Best Actress in Feature Film

  • Giulia Anghelescu – Vlad The Timewalker
  • Patricia Bursiel – Angel’s Tide
  • Rheanna Trueman – A Van called Murial

Best Actor in Feature Film

  • Filip Monteanu – Vlad The Timewalker
  • Tony Bravado – Thicker Than Blood
  • Larry Linville – Angel’s Tide
  • Andre Joseph – The Last Vendetta
  • Alexander Arnold – The Entertainer

Best Sup. Actress in Feature Film (Partial List)

  • Patricia Place – Angel’s Tide
  • Christina Smith – Thicker Than Blood

Best Sup. Actor in Feature Film

  • Kevin Boles – Thicker Than Blood
  • Larry Gelman – Angel’s Tide
  • Costel Cascaval – Vlad The Timewalker
  • George Burcea – Vlad The Timewalker
  • Chris Corulla, Jr – The Last Vendetta

Best Director in Feature Film

  • Anthony Williams – Thicker Than Blood
  • Zeph E. Daniels – Angel’s Tide
  • Ciprian Dumitrascu – Vlad The Timewalker
  • Oscar Hewitt – A Van CAlled Muriel
  • Cory Schwartz – The Psyhocdelics
  • David Clay Diaz – The Entertainer
  • Andre Joseph – The Last Vendetta
  • Woody Keith

Best Screenplay in Feature Film

  • Anthony Williams – Thicker Than Blood
  • Zeph E Daniels – Angel’s Tide
  • Alexandru Molico – Vlad The Timewalker
  • Jesse Stewart – Chance Encounters
  • Andre Joseph / Chris Corulla – The Last Vendetta

Best Cinematography in Feature Film

  • David Trulli – Angel’s Tide
  • Hasi Eldib – Chance Encounters
  • Julian Krubasik – The Entertainer, Vlad The Timewalker

Best Experimental Film

  • Breaking Out
  • Freelm
  • Chance Encounter
  • Cronofios
  • 3rd Eye
  • Tage in Winter

Best Actress in Short Film

  • Deb Jungin Kim – Lily
  • Gracie Holland – Life is Torture
  • Angie Doan – LINH 99
  • Angelique Alita – Somewhere in Brooklyn
  • Eren Stauraki – Lampros
  • Hana Hemmati – Stop it
  • Angela Andronache – Small Things
  • Calli Nebe – Under the Hawthorn Tree

Best Actor in Short Film

  • Aris Nikou – Lampros
  • Brandon D. Wilkerson – Somewhere in Brooklyn
  • Ryan Holcomb
  • Ramesh Bajracharya – Kipa
  • Roni Schamlian – A House Near the Sun

Best Sup. Actress in Short Film

  • Vesta Millard – Life is Torture
  • Casey Breneman – Under the Hawthorn Tree

Best Director in Short Film

  • Tracy Jane – Life is Torture
  • Brandon D. Wilkerson – Somewhere in Brooklyn
  • Dion Sulerman – Amber Alert
  • Ali Delgoshael – Stop it
  • Tori Layne – Under the Hawthorn Tree
  • Maryam Samadi – A House Near the Sun
  • Sanish Maharjan – Kija Puja

Best Cinematography in Short Film

  • Gregory Mohn – Life is Torture
  • Adam Reign – Lily
  • Mahmoud Kameli – Stop it
  • Ruthie Grumbine – Under the Hawthorn Tree
  • Maryam Samadi – A House Near the Sun
  • Rojin Pathak – Kija Puja
  • Michael Lines – Amber Alert

Best Screenplay in Short Film

  • Tracy Jane
  • Calli Nebe – Under the Hawthorn Tree
  • Roni – A House Near the Sun
  • Angela Andronache – Small Things

Women Filmmaker

  • Carol J. Amore
  • Trina Davenport
  • Marilyn Lee Swick
  • Maryam Samadi

First Time Filmmaker

  • Cory Schwartz
  • Connie Martinez
  • George Vasilakopoulis
  • Lin H 99

First Director

  • Angela Andronache – Small Things
  • Ashkan Sepehr – The Gray, the Black

Best Animation

  • The Music Factory
  • WTF is Love
  • Cronopus
  • The Splint

Best Feature Documentary

  • I cross the Sea With You
  • Persian Diary
  • Letters from the Battlefield
  • Rising Tides: The BOOST Legacy
  • Bill Helman – The Woofdriver

Best Feature Documentary in Music

  • Mimy & Tony: The Creation of a Dream
  • I Dance But My Heart Is Crying
  • Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story
  • Bankie Banx: King of the Dune
  • Music for Mushroom

Best Short Documentary

  • French Camera
  • The World of Rap
  • Time is the thief off Memory
  • Underground Sound

Best Director Documentary

  • Alisson Duke – Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story
  • Nara Garber – Bankie Banx: King of the Dune
  • Christopher Weinert – I Dance but my heart is crying
  • Rod Lopez – Bill Heman -The Woofdriver
  • Carlo Grande – Persian Diary
  • Kary Hyunjeong Rho – I Cross The Sea with You
  • Tony Succar, Santiago Díaz – Mimy & Tony: The Creation of a Dream

Best Music Video

  • My Face
  • Mercy Me
  • Mckenna Michels Monster
  • Angelica Levoiser
  • Black Magic Woman
  • My Life Between The Reins

Best Director in Music Video

  • Nicholas Nephi Peterson – Mckenna Michels Monster
  • Egor Gavrilin – Angelica Levoiser — She walks in Beauty
  • Jeff Hilliard – My Face
  • Jay Ray Malto – Pangako
  • Steve Schuster – Mercy Me

Best Director in DMV Films

  • Jasmine Deanne Andrews
  • Donnald Imm
  • Trina Davenport
  • Miguel Mas
  • Rico Mickens
  • Paulo Perez
  • Robert Brown Jr. / Ethan Evans / Raymond
  • Ken Lasso / Donna Britton Bukevicz
  • Lynai Jordan

Best Screenplay in DMV Films

  • Robert Brown Jr.
  • Lawrence Whitener
  • Will Ward
  • Miguel Mas
  • Paulo Perez
  • Aaron Sampson
  • Lynai Jordan

Best Actor in DMV Films (Short & Feature)

  • Bruce Dawson – The Road to Absolution
  • Lawrence Whitener – It’s All Good, Not
  • Theophilus Knight – Bloody Addiction
  • Darrelle Brown – Double Blended
  • W. Keith Scott – Dark Matter
  • Kyeon Boyd – The Disciples
  • Robert Brown Jr. – Double Blended
  • Jae Damuier – The Volunteer
  • Sudaan Burton – The Disciples
  • Mamza Elnaggar – The Disciples

Best Cinematograhy in DMV Films

  • Dexter Brain – Night Haul
  • Rico Mickens – Dark Matter
  • Jacob Alexander – The Human Supremacist
  • Javier Prato – Cronofios – Connected To Love
  • Jason Jordan Sr. – The Volunteer
  • Jasmine Deanne Andrew’s – Don’t Play with Demons

Best Sup. Actress in DMV Films (Short & Feature)

  • Zoe Donmoyer – The Human Supremacist
  • Amy Young – The Road to Absolution
  • Annie Gill – The Human Supremacist
  • Madelaines Shouse – Bloody Addiction
  • Karen H. Brown – Double Blended
  • Arlyne Spalla – The Road to Absolution
  • Sharon Toliver – Dark Matter
  • Joy Sarah Brewer – Double Blended
  • Dedra Simons – The Disciples
  • Sheila Miller – The Volunteer
  • Darletta Perry – Double Blended
  • Denise Lattimore – The Volunteer
  • Elaina Braverman – The Road to Absolution
  • Teri Ballou – The Disciples
  • Savonna Champ – Aswang Part 2

Best Actress in DMV Films (Short & Feature)

  • Connie Martinez – Dream-chaser
  • Toiya Vernon – Dark Matter
  • Cassandra Grant – The Road to Absolution
  • Rachel Mackall – The Human Supremacist
  • Kris Lloyd – Double Blended
  • Vie Lowe – The Road to Absolution
  • Brittany Langley – Dark Matter
  • Imelda Antoc Bosley – Aswang Part 2
  • Lyndell Banks – Double Blended
  • Rachel Johnson – The Volunteer

Best Sup. Actor in DMV Films (Short & Feature)

  • Nikolaus Booth – The Road to Absolution
  • Brian Anthony Wilson – It’s All Good, Not
  • Mel Thomas – Bloody Addiction
  • Damien Lynch – The Road to Absolution
  • David Vega – Bloody Addiction
  • Jason Brown – Aswang Part 2
  • W. Keith Scott – The Road to Absolution
  • Victor Manuel – Double Blended
  • Derek Quick – The Disciples

Best Script

  • Heartstrings (Detailed Cover Page)
  • Maya

Best Original Sound-tract

  • Masked
  • Music to die for
  • A Gloucester Fisherman
  • The Entertainer
  • The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess
  • The Road to Absolution
  • Return
  • Off The Grid

Best Trailer

  • Night Haul
  • It’s Not You, It’s Me
  • Trailer: Barriers in Bertie Documentary

Best South East Asia

  • Pangako
  • Zindagi Hai (USA)