Diya

Jury Statement

This was an excellent selection in the spirit of the Ted Pedas Award, and for the Jury represented a difficult decision upon examination of the various aspects intervening in a film.

After a lengthy deliberation considering the many merits of each of the films the Jury concluded Diya was the closest to fulfilling the mission of the Ted Pedas Award.

The story takes place in an authentic, challenging and unfamiliar environment. The viewer is enlightened and affected emotionally at the same time. The plot sustains its layering depth until the end.

We hope all the films selected in this category will succeed in finding a broader exposure.

Margaret Parsons, Phylis Geller, and Felix Angel
Washington DC - April 26, 2026

Bad Faith: Christian Nationalisms' Unholy War on Democracy

Jury Statement

Our panel unanimously selected "Bad Faith" as the winner of the 2024 Social Justice award. Bad Faith: Christian Nationalisms' Unholy War on Democracy unravels the forces behind the powerful movement of the Christian right.

The in-depth research that underlies this film reveals a cabàl of corporations and special interest groups whose portfolio includes the elimination of corporate taxes and defunding such public interests as the school systems and public health. A well-planned and well-funded initiative organized most especially by conservative strategist Paul Weyrich over several decades, took advantage of the expanding power of the Christian nationalist movement to deliver this message.

Well edited, with pertinent interviews from the Christian right and from activists such as Reverend William Barber, this is an important film that must be seen by everyone who is interested in social justice and the future of democracy in our country.

Rainbow Warrior

Jury Statement

The panel also wants to recognize a second film, the well-made documentary Rainbow Warrior, which investigates the bombing of the Greenpeace flagship vessel, the Rainbow Warrior. The jury recognizes this well-crafted and important film with an Honorary Mention.

Beast of the Seine

Jury Statement

The MetroShorts and Short Stories Awards acknowledge emerging filmmakers based on their unique creative spark, intentionality, and commitment as illustrated in their films — all of which we feel need broader recognition. The jury hopes this award provides validation and encouragement to them to further develop their voices. Congratulations to these promising filmmakers!

This animator sets his short in a turn-of-the-century Paris, replete with unibrow butchers, love-lorn nutrias, indifferent snails, and gluttonous dogs. In recognition of his singular inventiveness, playful whimsy, and a distinctive style, the Short Stories award goes to Jon Portman, director of Beast of the Seine.

Somewhere To Be

Jury Statement

The MetroShorts and Short Stories Awards acknowledge emerging filmmakers based on their unique creative spark, intentionality, and commitment as illustrated in their films — all of which we feel need broader recognition. The jury hopes this award provides validation and encouragement to them to further develop their voices. Congratulations to these promising filmmakers!

Honorable mention to Christy Chen. In her film, Somewhere To Be, a young child is thrust into a charged incident of racial discrimination. Christy nails the task of directing a child actor, capturing both her overwhelm and her respite in a small but powerful moment of agency.

Sudakas

Jury Statement

The MetroShorts and Short Stories Awards acknowledge emerging filmmakers based on their unique creative spark, intentionality, and commitment as illustrated in their films — all of which we feel need broader recognition. The jury hopes this award provides validation and encouragement to them to further develop their voices. Congratulations to these promising filmmakers!

This year's MetroShorts Award recipient compassionately and graciously brings us into the world of his mother, an accomplished lawyer/civil servant forced to flee her home country and reestablish herself in the US, where she now works as a hotel maid. Congratulations to Ricardo Betancort, director of Sudakas.

Hill Boy

Jury Statement

The MetroShorts and Short Stories Awards acknowledge emerging filmmakers based on their unique creative spark, intentionality, and commitment as illustrated in their films — all of which we feel need broader recognition. The jury hopes this award provides validation and encouragement to them to further develop their voices. Congratulations to these promising filmmakers!

Honorable mention to Eilythia Penati, whose film, Hill Boy, shows us a cathartic moment of euphoria in the life of a troubled teen.

The Sixth Child

Jury Statement

Signis is an international lay Catholic media organization which seats juries in some forty international film festivals worldwide – including Cannes, Venice, and Berlin – celebrating films of exceptional artistic merit that also delve deep into the human spirit.

The Signis Award at Filmfest DC goes to the film judged by its jury to "best illuminate and celebrate what it means to be human in a diverse and challenging world."

The Filmfest DC Signis Prize goes to The Sixth Child.

Writer/director Leopold Legrand and his co-writer, Catherine Paille, deftly tell the story of two couples from opposite ends of the economic/cultural spectrum who share a desperation: on one side to have a child, on the other side to avoid having an unaffordable sixth baby. The resulting clash of legal realities and human yearning leads to excruciating decisions and a moving exploration of the meaning of love. It is a film that brilliantly illuminates the human condition in these difficult times, earning it the Filmfest DC Signis Prize 2023.

One Careful Owner

Jury Statement

In this Spanish comedy two disgruntled women struggling with meaning in their lives overcome their mutual hostilities and transform one another through laughter to embrace the joy of life.