Naples International Film Festival wraps with presentation of Filmmaker Awards and a lot of cash prize money

The 2026 Naples International Film Festival (NIFF) announced the filmmaker award winners during a spirited Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, October 25, rounding off four days of screenings and celebrations. Cash prizes awarded totaled more than $18,000.

A.R. Ephraim’s drama A Woman’s Work won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature (and a cash prize of $2,500). The Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature (and $2,500) went to Rebecca Tansley’s Tenor: My Name Is Pati. NIFF expanded the presentation of jury awards for short films to recognize excellence in three categories. Those films were Mohamed Taher’s 32B – Internal Issues (Best Live Action Short), Dana Nachman’s The Second Life of Freddie Nole (Best Documentary Short) and Don Hertzfeldt’s Paper Trail (Best Animated Short). Each winning short film received a cash prize of $1,500.

NIFF’s trio of jurors for the 2026 edition of the juried competition included industry professionals R.C. Samo (FanboyNation), Brian Sebastian (Movie Reviews and More) and PBS’s Wendy Llinás.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature (and $1,250) went to Jay Silverman’s Yale, while the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature (and $1,250) was presented to Daniel E. Catullo III’s 4000 Days. The Audience Award for Best Short Film (and $1,000) went to Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko’s One Last Order.

Additional filmmaker awards selected by the festival programmers included Arthur Egeli’s Anne Packard: An Artist’s Resolve receiving NIFF’s Focus on the Arts Award (and a cash prize of $1,500), Lara St. John’s Dear Lara receiving the Impact Award, Rob Arthur’s Frampton earning the Programmers’ Choice Award, and Jeff Dickamore and Aurora Florence’s Too Soon taking Best First Feature honors. Emma Knott received the Rising Star Award for her performance in Line Cooks, Eamonn Murphy’s Solitary won NIFF’s Indie Spirit Award, and Cassidy Rast and Odin Wadleigh’s Body of Work received the Florida Film Award. The additional programmers’ awards carried a $750 cash prize.

For the first time, the Naples International Film Festival added awards in two student filmmaking categories, with Hunter Nickless’ The Hard Way Home receiving the Best Student Film, K-12 Division and a $250 cash prize and Harsh Vardhan Singh’s Watchdog winning Best Student Film, College Division and receiving a $500 cash prize.

Throughout the awards ceremony, filmmakers expressed their appreciation for the enthusiastic support they received from NIFF and Artis—Naples staff and the Naples community. Among the evening’s emotional highlights were remarks from Lara St. John about what the recognition of Dear Lara meant to the survivors featured in the film. Another moving moment came when the sister of Eric Anfinson, the subject of Body of Work, accepted the film’s award on his behalf. Anfinson discovered his calling as a painter after sustaining a spinal injury in high school. The ceremony capped a festival that once again demonstrated why NIFF continues to earn recognition from MovieMaker Magazine as one of its top film festivals.

NIFF opened with its signature Opening Night Film and Party, featuring a red carpet celebration and a program of short films in Hayes Hall on the Artis—Naples Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus. For the third consecutive year, the event drew a full audience. Several films also screened to sold-out audiences at Paragon Theaters – Pavilion and during NIFF’s popular Screenings Under the Stars in Norris Garden. The festival concluded with a special presentation of Superman in Concert in Hayes Hall, featuring the Naples Philharmonic performing John Williams’ iconic score from the 1978 film live under the direction of Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly—a fitting finale to NIFF’s multidisciplinary celebration of film and the arts.

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The 2026 Naples International Film Festival Award Winners:

NIFF JURY AWARDS

Best Narrative Feature – $2,500
A Woman’s Work

Director: A.R. Ephraim

Best Documentary Feature – $2,500
Tenor: My Name Is Pati

Director: Rebecca Tansley

Best Live Action Short – $1,500
32B – Internal Issues

Director: Mohamed Taher

Best Documentary Short – $1,500

The Second Life of Freddie Nole

Director: Dana Nachman

Best Animated Short – $1,500

Paper Trail

Director: Don Hertzfeldt

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NIFF PROGRAMMERS’ AWARDS

Focus on the Arts Award – $1,500
Anne Packard: An Artist’s Resolve

Director: Arthur Egeli

Impact Award – $750
Dear Lara

Director: Lara St. John

Indie Spirit Award – $750
Solitary

Director: Eamonn Murphy

Programmers’ Choice Award – $750
Frampton

Director: Rob Arthur

Best First Feature – $750
Too Soon

Directors: Jeff Dickamore, Aurora Florence

Best Florida Film Award – $750
Body of Work

Directors: Cassidy Rast, Odin Wadleigh

Rising Star Award – $750
Emma Knott, actor

Line Cooks

Best Student Film (K-12 Division) – $250

The Hard Way Home

Director: Hunter Nickless

Best Student Film (College Division) – $250

Watchdog

Director: Harsh Vardhan Singh

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NIFF AUDIENCE AWARDS

Best Narrative Feature – $1,250
Yale

Director: Jay Silverman

Best Documentary Feature – $1,250
4000 Days

Director: Daniel E. Catullo III

Best Short Film – $1,000
One Last Order

Directors: Lauren DeFilippo, Sam Soko

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