58th SF Film Fest Winners: Of Men and War, Sworn Virgin and More
The 58th San Francisco International Film Festival has wrapped and winners were announced last night in Director, Documentary, Narrative, Short and Student film categories. In all, nearly $40,000 was given by the festival to various filmmakers.
GOLDEN GATE NEW DIRECTORS PRIZE
Winner: “Sworn Virgin,” Laura Bispuri (Italy/Switzerland/Germany/Albania/Kosovo)
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Documentary Feature Winner: “Western,” Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross (USA)
Special Jury recognition: “Of Men and War,” Laurent Bécue-Renard (France/Switzerland)
Bay Area Documentary Winner: “Very Semi-Serious,” Leah Wolchok (USA) • Receives $5,000 cash prize
Special Jury recognition: “T-Rex,” Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari (USA)
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
Narrative Short Winner: “The Chicken,” Una Gunjak (Germany/Croatia) • Receives $2,000 cash prize
Documentary Short Winner: “Cailleach,” Rosie Reed Hillman (Scotland)
Animated Short Winner: “A Single Life,” Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins, Job Roggeveen (Netherlands)
New Visions Short Winner: “Discussion Questions,” Jonn Herschend (USA)
Bay Area Short First Prize Winner: “The Box,” Michael I Schiller (USA)
Bay Area Short Second Prize Winner: “Time Quest,” John Dilley (USA)
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR FAMILY FILM
Winner: “The Story of Percival Pilts,” Janette Goodey, John Lewis (Australia/New Zealand)
Honorable Mentions: “Lava,” James Ford Murphy (USA) and “One, Two, Tree,” Yulia Aronova
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR YOUTH WORK
Winner: “Two and a Quarter Minutes,” Joshua Ovalle (USA)
Honorable Mention: “The Off / Season,” Lance Oppenheim (USA)
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2026 Cannes Film Festival Winners: Cristian Mingiu’s ‘Fjord’ Takes the Palme, Seventh Win in a Row for NEON - May 23, 2026
- Cannes 2026: Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’ Wins Un Certain Regard Grand Prize - May 22, 2026
- ‘Coward’ Review: Belgian Soldiers Find Love in Lukas Dhont’s Hidden Romance Masterpiece [A] Cannes - May 21, 2026
Carrie Preston (‘Elsbeth’) on the Resurgence of Broadcast Television and What She Sees for Season 4 [VIDEO INTERVIEW] 
AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future 
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B] 
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+]