Sony Future Filmmaker Awards names 2026 short-film winners in Culver City on June 11 after a four-day program at Sony Pictures Studios for 30 shortlisted filmmakers from over 20 countries.

The awards program, established by Creo and sponsored by Sony, honoured winners selected from more than 8,400 filmmakers across 162 countries and territories. The ceremony took place in the Sony Pictures Studios Scenic Arts Building and was hosted by Emmy Award winner Denny Directo.

Jack Hughes of the UK won the Fiction category for Deadheading, about a wife seeking her dying husband’s dream allotment garden. Christine Seow of Singapore won Non-Fiction for Two Travelling Aunties, about two Singaporean women in their fifties embracing life on the road.

Michelle Brøndum and Ida Melum from Denmark and Norway won Animation for Ovary-Acting, depicting a woman confronting her desire for children. Student winner Ana A. Alpizar of Cuba, studying at New York University, was recognised for Norheimsund, about a Cuban girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man.

Nigerian filmmaker Innocent Yama Lamido won the Future Format competition for Creating Without Permission, made for vertical viewing. Winners and shortlisted filmmakers participated in workshops and masterclasses on cinematography, animation, script-writing, documentary filmmaking, marketing, technology, and soundtracking during the four-day program.

Following this fourth edition, organisers said the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards will return in spring 2027, with submissions opening in July 2026. Winners received Sony Digital Imaging equipment, and category winners also received cash prizes of $5,000 in Fiction, Non-Fiction and Animation.