The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival held annually in San Diego. The festival's top honorary award is the Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence that has been presented at the festival by the family of Gregory Peck since 2014. The festival also presents the Chris Brinker Award to first time directors. Those and other honorary and competitive awards presented by and at the festival are here organized by year and by award.
Film Competition Award Winners By Year
SDiFF2025 Oct 15-20, 2025
Best Feature: Aontas, Ireland Artistic Director’s Award: Matter of Time Best Gala Fil: Hamnet Best Documentary: Standout: The Ben Kjar Story Best International Feature: Hello Mother, Mongolia Best Ensemble: Fantasy Life Best Comedy: For Worse Best Women Film Series: The Fisherman, Ghana Best Short Documentary: The Opening Address Best Short Narrative: Sally, Get the Potatoes Best International Short Film: Kong Kong Best Animation: Forevergreen Best Student Film: Echoes of the Wild
Audience Choice Awards:
Feature: Obraz, Montenegro. Documentary: Standout: The Ben Kjar Story and A Quiet Love Short: Rise Gala Award: Hamnet
SDiFF2024 Oct 16-20, 2024 Artistic Director's Award: Drive Back Home Best Gala Film: Conclave Best Feature Film: Bob Trevino Likes It Best Documentary: Moses 13 Steps Breakthrough International: Mariana's Trench Best International Feature: Stranger's Case Best Drama Feature: The Uninvited Best Women's Film Series: We Are Dangerous Best Short Doc: Hello Stranger Best Short Narrative: The Last Ranger Best Shorts Track: Heartstrings Best International Short Film: Il Taglio Di Jonas Best Animation: Luki and the Lights Kumeyaay Award: Bring Them Home Best Student Film: Xander Audience Choice Awards: Audience Choice Feature: Evergreen$ Audience Choice Documentary: Bring Them Home Audience Choice Short: Buscando Alma Audience Choice Gala: September 5
SDiFF2023 Oct 18-22, 2023
Artistic Director's Award: Fresh Kills Best Gala Film: American Fiction Best Feature Film: Blood For Dust Best Documentary: The Grab Breakthrough Documentary: Hidden Masters Best International Feature: Ariel: Back to Buenos Aires Best Drama Feature: Junction Best Comedy Feature: A Kind of Kidnapping Best Women's Film Series: Miranda's Victim Best Short Doc: Squid Fleet Best Short Narrative: Things Unheard Of Best Shorts Track: Global Consciousness Track Best International Short Film: Lambing Best Animation: American Sikh Kumeyaay Award: Before The Sun Best Student Film: The External-Internal Monologue of an Interdependent Insomniac Best Military: Brothers After War Audience Choice Awards: Audience Choice Feature: Three Storey Comedy Audience Choice Documentary: Brothers After War Audience Choice Short: Desi Standard Time Travel Audience Choice Gala: The Holdovers
SDiFF2022 Oct 19-23, 2022
Artistic Director's Award: American Murderer (dir. Matthew Gentile) Best Gala Film: The Banshees of Inisherin Best Feature Film: Freedom's Path Best Documentary: With This Breath I Fly Best International Feature: The Woman In the White Car Best Drama Feature: What We Do Next Best Comedy Feature: Róise & Frank Best Women's Film Series: The Moon & Back Best Ensemble Cast: Bleecker Best Short Doc: For the Bees Best Short Narrative: Shower Boys Best International Short Film: The Red Suitcase Best Animation: Tehura Kumeyaay Award: The Wind & the Reckoning Best Local Film: Don't Do It Best Student Film: Black Whole Valor Award: Mending the Line (dir. John Waller) Audience Choice Awards: Audience Choice Feature: The Wind & the Reckoning Audience Choice Doc: Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter Audience Choice Short: Moon Audience Choice Gala: The Banshees of Inisherin
SDiFF2021 Oct 14-24, 2021
Best Feature Film: Queen of Glory (dir. Nana Mensah) Best Documentary Feature: Holy Frit (dir. Justin Monroe) Best International Feature: Petite Maman (dir. Céline Sciamma) Best Thriller Feature: The Boathouse (dir. Hannah Cheesman) Best Drama Feature: The Beta Test (dir. Jim Cummings) Best Comedy Feature: They/Them/Us (dir. Jon Sherman) Best Ensemble Cast: Voodoo Macbeth Best Short Doc: The Bitter Root Best International Short: Good Morning, Ignacio (dir. Alan Jonsson Gavica & Leticia Fabián) Best Animation: Freebird Kumeyaay Award: Pictures of My People (dir. Mark Ruberg) Military Award: Do Not Hesitate Best Local Film: Cheyenne Best Student (College): Cheyenne Best Student (High School): Mazel Tov Chris Brinker Award: Women is Losers (dir. Lissette Feliciano) Audience Choice Awards: Audience Choice Feature: Somos ecos Audience Choice Doc: The Disruptors (dir. Stephanie Soechtig) Audience Choice Short: Munkie (dir. Steven Chow) Audience Choice Gala: Belfast (dir. Kenneth Branagh)
SDiFF2020 Oct 15-18, 2020
Best Narrative Feature: Drunk Bus (dir. John Carlucci and Brandon LaGanke) Best Documentary: MLK/FBI (dir. Sam Pollard) Best International Feature: 150 Million Magical Sparrows (dirs. Brahmanand S. Singh, Tanvi Jain) Best Thriller Feature: Through the Glass Darkly (dir. Lauren Fash) Best Drama Feature: Farewell Amor (dir. Ekwa Msangi) Best Comedy Feature: Eat Wheaties! (dir. Scott Abramovitch) Best Ensemble Cast: Before/During/After (dir. Stephen Kunken, Jack Lewars) Best Short Documentary: Panthoot (dir. Richard Reens) Best Short Narrative: Last Queen on Earth (dir. Michael Shumway) Best International Short Film: Chen Chen (dir. Kargo Chen) Best Animation: To: Gerard (dir. Taylor Meacham) Kumeyaay Award: Invasion: The Unist'ot'en's Fight for Sovereignty (dirs. Michael Toledano, Sam Vinal) Best Local Film: Anna (dir. Rich Underwood) Chris Brinker Award: The MisEducation of Bindu (dir. Prarthana Mohan) Artistic Director's Award: You Asked for the Facts: Bobby Kennedy at the Univ of Mississippi Audience Choice Awards: Audience Choice Documentary: The Mustangs: America's Wild Horses Audience Choice Short: Feeling Through (dir. Doug Roland) Audience Choice Gala: Nomadland Audience Choice Feature: Drunk Bus
SDiFF2019 Oct 15-20, 2019
Best Narrative Feature : The Steed (dir. Erdenebileg Ganbold) Best Documentary: Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War (dir. Kerry David) Best Short Film: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller (dir. Nora Kirkpatrick) Best International Short Film: Portraitist (dir. Cyrus Neshvad) Best Animation: Riptide Best Global Cinema: Philophobia (dir. Guy Davies) Kumeyaay Award: Angelique's Isle (dir. Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Michelle Derosier) Best Ensemble Cast: Inside Game (dir. Randall Batinkoff) Best Original Screenplay: Love in Kilnerry (dir. Daniel Keith) Best World Premiere: 100 Days to Live (dir. Ravin Gandhi) Best Student Film: Sonora Best Local Film: Flourish (dir. Christopher Allan Francis, Nicole Franco) Best Comedy Film: Babysplitters (dir. Sam Friedlander) Best Thriller Feature: Safe Inside (dir. Renata Gabryjelska) Litecoin Filmmaker Award: Philophobia Artistic Director's Award: Safe Spaces (dir. Daniel Schechter)
Audience Choice Awards:
Studio Film: Marriage Story (dir. Noah Baumbach) Feature Film: Carol of the Bells (dir. Joey Travolta) Documentary: Breaking Their Silence, Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War (dir. Kerry David) Short Film: Men of Vision (dir. Frank Todaro)
SDiFF2018
Oct 10-14, 2018 | Jury Awards:
Best Animation: The Driver is Red (dir. Randall Christopher) Best Student Film: Learning to Swim Best Global Cinema: My Name is "Batlir", Not Butler (dir. Stare Yildirim) Kumeyaay Award: Indian Horse Most Inspirational Film: The Push (dir. Grant Korgan, Brian Niles) Best World Premiere: Electric Love (dir. Aaron Fradkin) Best Local Film: Daisy Belle (dir. William Wall) Best Local Breakout: Romance is Dead (dir. Todd Jackson) Best Short Film: Akeda (dir. Dan Bronfield) Best Short Comedy Film: Hero (dir. Drew and Nate Garcia) Best Documentary: Stroop: Journey into the Rhino Horn War Best Thriller: Rust Creek Best Breakout Feature: I May Regret (dir. Graham Streeter) Best Feature Film: Tiger Artistic Directors' Award: Soufra (dir. Thomas A. Morgan)
Audience Choice Awards:
Best Documentary: Soufra Best Feature: I May Regret Best Short: Your Call Is Important To Us Best Studio: Boy Erased
SDiFF2017
Oct 4-8, 2017 | Jury Awards:
Best Narrative Feature: The Bachelors (dir. Kurt Voelker) Best Documentary: The Last Animals Best Short Film: The Foster Portfolio Best Foreign Short: Ostoja Will Move Your Piano Best Animated Short: Green Light (dir. Seong-Min Kim) Best Global Cinema: The Divine Order Kumeyayy Eagle Award: Waabooz (dir. Molly Katagiri) Best Military Film: Apache Warrior (dir. David Salzberg, Christian Tureaud) Best Ensemble Film: Butterfly Caught (dir. Manny Rodriguez Jr.) Best World Premiere: Dismissed (dir. Benjamin Arfmann) Best Comedy Feature: The Lonely Italian (dir. Lee Farber) Best Breakthrough Feature: Selling Isobel Chairman's Award: Dog Years (dir. Adam Rifkin)
Audience Choice Awards:
Best Documentary: Resistance is Life (dir. Apo W. Bazidi) Best Feature: Life Hack Best Short: The Dog With the Woman (dir. Phoebe Arnstein, Stephen Ledger-Lomas) Best Studio: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
SDiFF2016
Sept 28-Oct 2, 2016 | Jury Awards:
Best Narrative Short: Bon Voyage (dir. Marc Raymond Wilkin) Best Comedy: The Late Bloomer (dir. Kevin Pollak) Best Military Film: Railway Spine (dir. Samuel Gonzalez, Jr.) Kumeyayy Eagle Award: Te Ata (dir. Nathan Frankowski) Best Documentary: Political Animals Best International Film: Julieta (dir. Pedro Almodovar) Breakthrough Feature: Po Chairman's Award: Citizen Soldier (dir. David Salzberg, Christian Tureaud) Best Narrative Feature: So B. It Breakthrough Documentary: In Utero
Audience Choice Awards:
Best Documentary: Seed: The Untold Story Best International Film: The Cliff (Acantilado) Best Narrative Feature: Dead Draw (dir. Brian Klemesrud) Best Narrative Short: Mine (dir. Simon Berry)
SDFF2015 Sep 30-Oct 4, 2015 | Jury Awards:
Best Narrative Feature – Diablo Best Documentary – India's Daughter Best International Film – Victoria Best Narrative Short – SubRosa (dir. Thora Hilmarsdottir) Best Animated Film – SOAR (dir. Alyce Tzue) Best Military Film – No Greater Love (dir. Justin Roberts) Kumeyaay Award – For Blood (dir. Chadwick Pelletier, John T. Connor) Chairman's Award – Kidnap Capital
Audience Choice:
Best Feature – Moments of Clarity Best Documentary – Return to Dak To Best Short – The Gunfighter (dir. Eric Kissack) Best Gala – He Named Me Malala
SDFF2014 Sep 24-28, 2014 | Jury Awards:
Best Narrative Feature: Where the Road Runs Out (dir. Rudolf Buitendach) Best Documentary: Waiting for Mamu Best International: Schimbarev (dir. Álex Sampayo) Best Narrative Short: The Bravest, The Boldest (dir. Moon Molson) Best Animated Film: The Dam Keeper Kumeyaay Award: Sycuan: Our People. Our Culture. Our History. U-T San Diego Award: Where the Road Runs Out Chairman's Award: The Hornet's Nest
Audience Choice:
Best Gala Film: The Imitation Game Best Feature: Cas & Dylan Best Documentary: Waiting for Mamu Best Short: Sure Thing Best International: Noble
SDFF2013 Oct 2-6, 2013 | Jury Awards:
Best Narrative Feature: Autumn Blood Best Latin Feature: Dirty Hearts
SDFF2011
Best Narrative Feature - East Fifth Bliss (dir. Michael Knowles) Best Documentary - Semper Fi: Always Faithful (dir. Tony Hardmon & Rachel Libert) Best Short Film - It Takes Balls (dir. Benoit Lach) Best San Diego Film - Repeat After Me (dir. Bryan Bangerter) Best Screenplay - James Westby (Rid of Me) Best Actor - John Turturro, (Somewhere Tonight) Best Actress - Rachel Boston (The Pill)
Audience Choice:
Best Feature - Like Crazy (dir. Drake Doremus) Best Documentary - The Highest Pass, dir. Jon Fitzgerald
SDFF2010