BOSTON – September 24, 2026 – Today, the 42nd Boston Film Festival officially announced its 2026 award winners, capping off an electrifying season celebrating groundbreaking storytellers across feature, documentary, animated, and short film categories. 

This year’s dynamic program delivered world premieres, exciting red carpet moments, and high-impact educational initiatives in partnership with Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) to inspire the next generation of cinematic talent.

Highlights included the World Premiere of Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of The Hollywood Vampires at the iconic Boch Center Wang Theatre, featuring a lively post-screening Q&A with rock icons Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen, alongside director Daniel E. Catullo III, moderated by Eddie Trunk. Additional high-profile premieres featured Tina Alexis Allen’s A Minor Time, with stars William Sadler, Chloe Guidry, and Judee Wales in a Q&A, and the U.S. Premiere of Ed Burns’ feature, Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies. 

Taking the Best Documentary Film Award was Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires from director Daniel E. Catullo III. Other documentary awards included the Mass Impact Award for 4000 Days from director Daniel E. Catullo III, and the Eco Film Award going to Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge from director David Schendel.  

The 42nd Festival also marked the debut of two new awards: 

• Boston Film Festival Award for Excellence in Cinematic Storytelling – Presented to prolific independent filmmaker Ed Burns.
• Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking – Awarded to feature documentary Papertown from directors Jeremy Seifert and Benjamin James Roberts.

Beyond the screen, WBTVG brought industry powerhouses directly to local students. Emerson College hosted two exclusive panels: a deep dive with The Voice Showrunner/EP Audrey Morrissey and Season 29 winner Alexia Jayy, and a “Next Gen” panel featuring rising stars Adi Roy (Unaccustomed Earth), Maximo Salas (Rooster), and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre (All American), recorded for WB’s A Lot More podcast with host Jonathon Buckley. WBTVG also hosted a behind-the-scenes look at Adventure Time: Side Quests at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design with series creatives Nate Cash, Victor Courtright, Keith Pakiz, and Matt Yang.

“Each year, the Boston Film Festival showcases stories that challenge, entertain, and inspire,” said Robin Dawson, Executive Director, Boston Film Festival. “We are thrilled to celebrate this year’s honorees reflecting both the diversity of filmmaking voices and the universal themes that resonate with audiences everywhere.”

More information about The Boston Film Festival can be found at: bostonfilmfestival.org.

Excellence in
Cinematic Storytelling

Best Film

Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies – Ed Burns, Director

Best Director

 Little Audrey – Michael Mailer

Best Screenplay

Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies – Ed Burns, Writer

Best Actor

A Minor Time – William Sadler

Best Actress

A Minor Time – Judee Wales

Best Ensemble Cast

Little Audrey, – Aidan Quinn, Jennifer
Esposito, Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman, Robert Wahlberg

Best New Director

A Minor Time – Tina Alexis Allen

Best Story

My Father, Dick Allen – Andy Billman, Director / Writer, Dr. David J. Fletcher, Writer / Executive Producer

Audience Favorite

Old Man Walking Club – Michael Connelly, Director

Best Comedy

Bolio – Jim Issa, Director

Best Actor in a Comedy

Bolio – Gabriel Hogan

Best Actress in a Comedy

BoBo Saves Christmas – Maria Menounos

Best Feature Documentary

Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires – Daniel E. Catullo III, Director

Outstanding Achievement In Nonfiction

Papertown – Jeremy Seifert, Benjamin, James Roberts, Directors

Mass Impact Award

4000 Days – Daniel E. Catullo III, Director

EcoFilm Award

Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge – David Schendel, Director

Best Cinematography

Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge – Samuel Crossley, Joe Pavlo, David Schendel, Harlan Taney

Best Music

Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires – Marco Beltrami, Tristan Beltrami, Ben Babylon, Tommy Henrikson, Jamie Muhoberac, Composers

Best Editing

Papertown – Adam Loften, Benjamin James Roberts

Best Short Film

Best Short Documentary

The Kid from Boston – Alex Stoddard, Director

Best Animated Short

Birdsong – Michelle Cheng, Director

Best Animated Short (Honorable Mention)

The Lonely Life of Lint – Sarah Sklar, Director

Best Actor – Short

Arlene – Tanner Ashenfelter

Best Actress- Short

Arlene – Kathe Mazur

Sponsors of the 42nd Boston Film Festival include Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, Boston Harbor Studios, FAN EXPO Boston, TVPaint, 10Lives, Shelter Music, First Blood, The Boch Center – Wang Theater, Meet Boston, Sip Wine Bar and Kitchen, Dream Alley, OUTFRONT, Emerson College, Boston Public Library, Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Patrice Vinci Salon.

ABOUT THE BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL: 

The Boston Film Festival is one of America’s longest-running and most industry-recognized film festivals. Celebrating its 42nd program in September 2026, the festival brings together an exciting selection of independent films, documentaries, shorts, animation, environmental films, fall studio releases, and more, alongside its annual awards program. Launched in Boston, Massachusetts in 1984, the renowned festival has premiered notable films including Greenbook, Don’t Worry Darling, Jo Jo Rabbit, Wild, The Last Kiss, North Country, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Catching Hell, Earth Days, Common Ground, and Requiem for a Dream, among many others. The festival has also hosted and honored iconic talent including Sam Rockwell, George Clooney, Aaron Eckhart, Melissa Leo, Cory Hardrict, Bob Yari, Alex Gibney, Andy Garcia, Leslie Bibb, Greg Kinnear, Shane Black, Suzanne Todd, Uma Thurman, Sir Ridley Scott, Sam Mendes, Tony Goldwyn, Chris Evans, Al Pacino, Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Bening, Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Bridges, Steve Martin, Gian Carlo Esposito, and many others. https://bostonfilmfestival.org

HIGH-RES IMAGES: LINK
(*Additional art available upon request)

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Ashley Sandberg
ashley@triple7pr.com

Wendy Zocks
wendy@wendyzockspr.com