29th Annual FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia Announces Juried, Audience Award Winners

Philadelphia, PA, June 12, 2026 --(PR.com)-- The 29th annual FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia announced the Juried Award winners in more than 20 categories at an awards ceremony at the Film Society Bourse. Winners of the Audience Choice Awards, which were determined by audience votes throughout the festival, were recently announced as well.

Featuring 40 new independent films by professional, emerging, and student filmmakers from around the world, the festival ran from Friday, May 8, through Sunday, May 10.

Juried Awards included: Best Director, Animation, Comedy, Horror/Thriller, SciFi-Fantasy, Drama, Most Imaginative Film, Ensemble Cast, Actress and Actor, Young Actor, Breakout Performance, Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects, Sound Design, Shot in Philly Narrative and Documentary, and the Mela Hudson Award.

Juried Award Winners:
Best Director
Feature - “The Legend of Juan Jose Mondo,” Michael Walker
Documentary - “For the Living,” Marc Bennett, Tim Roper
Short - “It’s About Time,” Dan Hertzog
Best Animation - “Denmark,” Robert Petrie
Best Comedy- “Eggs,” Akanksha Cruczynski
Best Horror/Thriller – “Blindsided,” Patrick Hogan
Best SciFi/Fantasy – “Blur: A HuMech Story,” DK Greenley
Best Drama – “It’s About Time,” Dan Hertzog
Most Imaginative Film – “Teodoro,” Esteban Roel
Best Ensemble Cast
Feature - “The Legend of Juan Jose Mondo,” Michael Walker
Short - “Gimme My Money,” William Vigil
Best Actress
Feature - Hannah Kepple - “The Legend of Juan Jose Mondo,” Michael Walker
Short - Marci Miller - “Gimme My Money,” William Vigil
Best Actor
Feature - Jonathan Green – “Miss Matched,” Jonathan Green
Short - Emil Leysen – “The Catcher,” Luka Galle
Best Young Actor
Blair Newman – “The Drive,” David Arrow
Colbie Tomei – “Evelyn,” Fabian Farina, Mariano Mattei
Breakout Performance - Gabriella Pizzigoni – “Grace and the Red Glow,” Lizzy Plimpton
Best Cinematography – “The Catcher,” Luka Galle
Best Editing - “Gimme My Money,” William Vigil

Best Special Effects - “Blur: A HuMech Story,” DK Greenley
Best Sound Design - “Blindsided,” Patrick Hogan
Shot in Philly
Narrative - “Freebird,” Zach Phaneuf
Documentary - “Brewing Possibilities,” David Y Block
Mela Hudson Award- “Eggs,” Akanksha Cruczynski
Audience Choice Awards were given for: Feature Film, Documentary, Short Film, Shorts Too, Animation, Student Film, International Short, and Best of the Fest.
Audience Choice Award Winners:
Feature – “Miss Matched,” Jonathan Green
Documentary – “Show Mom,” Brendan Gaul
Short – “The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry,” Derek Frey
Shorts Too – “Blindsided,” Patrick Hogan
Animation – “Humphrey,” Harry Scheld
Student Film – “Catching Fireflies,” Andrew Schlegel
International Short – “Teodoro,” Esteban Roel
Best of Fest – “Show Mom,” Brendan Gaul

"For 29 years, FirstGlance has been celebrating and exhibiting indie filmmakers to audiences across the country, and each year the filmmaking, acting, and craftsmanship get better and better, making FirstGlance a great place to screen and be seen,” said Bill Ostroff, FirstGlance Film Festival Founder and Director.

Visit firstglancefilms.com to learn more about Philadelphia’s longest-running indie film festival.

About FirstGlance Films
FirstGlance Films began in 1996 as an indie film festival in the basement of a small theater in Center City Philadelphia. FirstGlance Films has produced more than 50 festivals in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In addition to producing their award-winning bi-coastal film festivals, FirstGlance promotes and champions indie filmmakers year-round using the supportindiefilm hashtag on social media. For more information, please visit firstglancefilms.com.