We are excited to announce the winners and nominees of the 2026 Genesis International Film Festival (GIFF). This season, the festival received more than 900 submissions from filmmakers representing over 60 countries. The festival’s principal honors, presented in the Special Awards section, are marked by the GIFF statuette, while winners across the festival’s other competitive categories receive the official Winner’s Wreath. Together, these awards recognize outstanding films, filmmakers, performances, and creative achievements from this year’s selection. We are proud to present the winners and nominees of GIFF 2026:
GENESIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 WINNERS
SPECIAL AWARDS
GIFF Grand Prix: Tarantino by Daniil Aristov
Best Short Film: The Gentle Fall by Jinglin Shi
Best Debut Film: Coffin Therapy by Zéré Turlykhanova
Best National Film: Scroll by Mikhail Malinin
Best Documentary: MUKUNAN APRENDIZ DE PAJÉ by Rodrigo Sena
People’s Choice Award: Cats by Danilo Stanimirović
SHORT FILM AWARDS
Best Short – Drama: The Night I Left Behind by Luciano Besares Barra
Best Short – Comedy: The Last Ride by Vijesh Rajan & Yashoda Parthasarthy
Best Short – Animation: Submarine by Evgeny Fadeev
Best Short – Experimental: THAT LIGHT by Yun Zhang
Best Short – Arthouse / Indie: See Together by Yik Man Law
Best Short – Fantasy: El Cuero - Skinned by Hans von Marées Peede & José Tomás Urrutia Goldsack
Best Extra Short Film (under 3 min.): Goodbye, balcony! by Uliana Lavor
Best Director: №1158 — Natasha Akimochkina
Best Actress: Tarantino — Anna Karyakina
Best Actor: The Night I Left Behind — Sebastián Rubio
Best Cinematographer: Cow Killer — Mohsen Hoseini
Best Editing: Railbound — Jake Bann
Best Music or Score: Bon voyage — Michael Lyamin
Best Visual Effects (VFX): Computer Animayhem by Theron Smith
Best Title Sequence (Opening / End Credits): The Last Ride by Vijesh Rajan & Yashoda Parthasarthy
SCREENPLAY AWARDS
Best Short Screenplay (filmed): Happiness loves silence — written by Polina Zoteeva
Best Short Screenplay (script): SOUTHBOUND — written by Zhen Li & Shu Lin Zhang
DIGITAL ART
AI / Neural Networks / Generative Design: Railbound by Jonathan Perry
DEBUT SHORT FILM AWARDS
Best Debut Short – Drama: Coffin Therapy by Zéré Turlykhanova
Best Debut Short – Comedy: Gum by Belal Albader
Best Debut Short – Animation: Hippocrate's True Color by Louis Gatignol
Best Director – Drama: Coffin Therapy — Zéré Turlykhanova
Best Actress: Avant — Renee Garibay
Best Actor: IRUL VAAN MUGIL — Uragapathakam
Best Cinematographer: Tevel — Nir Bitan
Best Editing: Haven — Evgeny Kozlov
Congratulations to all the winners and nominees! We would like to thank all the participants for their hard work and dedication. We hope to see you all again next year.