The 18th Annual SoCal Film Awards Announces Winners, Honorable Mentions, and Official Selections
The SoCal Film Awards is a long-running event that has wrapped its 18th year honoring the independent film and screenwriting community once again.
The event started back in 2005 and screened movies in a live environment until quarantine hit in 2020. Since then, the SoCal Film Awards has been entirely an online-based event but still continues to honor and showcase creative artists.
This is an open-form and open-genre event so it has a pretty wide selection of entries. There are three main categories honoring features, shorts, documentaries, and screenplays, with the Diamond Awards being the top honor.
Matthew MCaulley’s feature film, unDefiled (featured picture above), took top honors as the Diamond Award Winner for Best Feature Film. Nocturne, directed by Alysha Haran, grabbed the same honor for Best Short. Best Actress in a Lead Role went to Missing (Desparaecida) star, Mariana Sanjuan. Best Actor was awarded to the familiar face of Raymond J. Barry in The Painter for his outstanding performance.
A complete list of winners and honorable mentions in all categories is listed below.
For more about the SoCal Film Awards and a full list of the more than 100 movies chosen as Official Selections, visit their website.
DIAMOND AWARDS
Best Feature Film: unDefiled, dir. by Matthew McCaulley
Best Short: Nocturne, dir. by Alysha Haran
Best Documentary Feature: Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams, dir. by Robin Greenberg
Best Documentary Short: Planet Ocean Blues, dir. by Michael Buckley
Best Screenplay (Long-Form): #instaboys, by Matthew Rodney Chess
Best Screenplay (Short-Form): The Black Cross, by Korea Black and Gianna Rose
AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Best Feature: See Me Once More, My Dear Kid, dir. by Bihong Sha
Best Short: The Painter, dir. by Jahanshah Vafaeisefat
Best Documentary Feature: The Race of Our Lives, dir. by Roy Medawar
Best Documentary Short: Ñunuyachiy: Breastfeeding with Affection and Care, dir. by Jose Miguel Soriano and Ricardo Macian
Best Screenplay (Long-Form): Code 10, by Matthew Margo
Best Screenplay (Short-Form): Girls Like Me, by Bruce Hickey
AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENT
Best Feature: 12th of April, dir. by Antonello Deidda
Best Short: Moonlight Dancer, dir. by Dun-Ru Chiang
Best Documentary Feature: Vaklush, dir. by Nikolay Vladimirov Vasilev
Best Documentary Short: Wild Mustangs of the Sagebrush, dir. by Mary Piller
Best Screenplay (Long-Form): Prince of Chicago, by Bruce Hickey
Best Screenplay (Short-Form): Rough Cut, by Matthew Margo
ADDITIONAL AWARDS
Actor in a Lead Role:
The Painter, Raymond J. Barry
Actress in a Lead Role:
Missing (Desparaecida), Mariana Sanjuan
Animated Feature
With You, dir. by Evan Doll
Animated Short:
The Donut Mob, dir. by Stephen Bushnik
Cinematography:
The Nightmare Eater, dir. by Ruei-Ci Jhou
Cultural Impact:
The Enigmatic Power of a Bitch, dir. by Sharon Cleveland Blount
Director:
Ellie, dir. by Vinny O’Brien
Editing:
Over Coffee, dir. by Ger Skinder
Educational:
BirdBrains, Inc., dir. by Kayla Farber
Experimental Movie:
Spells Before Destiny, dir. by Akisai M.
Faith Based Movie:
The Best Gifts, dir. by CarrieAnn Lee
Family Film:
Cookie and Caramel, dir. by Sunghwan Lee
First-Time Filmmaker:
Group, by William R.A. Rush
Gamer Video
How Am I Here, dir. by Mey Seifan, Tanween Collective, and Slowfuture
International Film:
Die in Seoul, dir. by Choi Hancho
Micro Short:
New Me, dir. by Chico Bennett
Music Video:
Dirty Freaken Joe – Sci-Fi Sam, dir. by Timothy A Bennett
Score:
Missing, dir. by Julian Scherle
Sound Design:
The Devil’s Entrance, dir. by Tom Michaels
Screenplay Adaptation:
The Twelve Brothers, by Jacqueline A. Blackwell and Rachael N. Blackwell
Trailer:
Deforestation, Dir. Kyle Zanika
Web Series:
Cinching Saddles, dir. by Kevin Sengara and Aman Pannu
Youth Movie:
Vampire Sandwich, dir. by Ethan Wahamaki
YouTube Creation:
Prophecy Till the End of Time – Tui Bei Tu, dir. by Shihyun Wang
HONORABLE MENTION AWARDS
Long-Form Screenplay Honorable Mention
Aiden, by Michelle Cherland
Agency, by Helen Sun and Laura Malatos
Lucid Dreams, by Benjamin G Neuber
Sacred Sun, by Michael Louis Gould
The Colour of the Horse, dir. by Kristina Schippling
The Seduction of Ruby Jewel, by Donna Loehrer
This Thing of Ours, by Ben Monaco
The Warden, by Korea Black and Gianna Rose
Two Kinds of People, by Thomas Pace
Short-Form Screenplay Honorable Mention
Shut In, by Michael Morales
What Would Lombardi Say, by Patrick Cottington
Honorable Mention Movies
Clout Chaser, dir. by Lubomir Atan
DHĪ(ਧੀ): Daughter Bound by Society, dir. by Achint Singh
Jinn Chapter 1, dir. by Hamid Baig
Masquerade, dir. by Gina Salatino and Lucy Corey
Opaque Buckets, dir. by Hayden Bone
Odd/Even, dir. by Ya-Ting “Itchy” Yang
Shadows, dir. by Tom Lovegrin
Survival of the Sexiest, dir. by Sam Stewart
The Necklace, dir. by Kyle Gaunt
Wherever You Are, I Know You’re Dancing, dir. by Olga Hajnosz
