ITWIFF 2026 Wraps Its 11th Year With Record Turnout and Unforgettable Stories
After three unforgettable days, the Imagine This Women's International Film Festival (ITWIFF) has officially closed out its 2026 edition, and what a festival it was.
From September 25 to 27, filmmakers, screenwriters, industry professionals, and audiences filled Regal Union Square for a weekend of powerful storytelling, meaningful conversation, and community. This year's lineup spanned continents and genres: eight shorts programs, two feature documentaries, a narrative feature, an immersive experience, and a screenwriting competition showcasing some of the most exciting emerging voices in the industry.
Despite a stretch of unpredictable weather midway through the weekend, the ITWIFF community showed up and showed out. Packed houses, standing-room lobbies, and sold-out screenings became the story of the festival almost as much as the films themselves.
Learning and Connection Beyond the Screen
This year's programming went beyond the theater. As part of the NextWave Film + Media Summit, attendees got hands-on with the business side of filmmaking at Pitch Perfectly: Pitching and Packaging Your Film, led by line producer Gautam Singhani, and dove deep into the craft of world-building at Building Cinematic Worlds, a panel featuring award-winning department heads across costume, editing, production design, and cinematography, moderated by the Motion Picture Association's John Gibson. Panelists included Canella Williams-Larrabee, Caroline Duncan, Hillary Fyfe Spera, Joe Giganti, Kalina Ivanov, and Stefanie Maridueña, ACE.
The weekend also made room for connection off screen. Sunday morning brought the ITWIFF community together for brunch, a chance for filmmakers, screenwriters, and industry professionals to sit down together, trade stories, and build relationships that will carry beyond the festival itself.
These conversations, paired with post-screening Q&As throughout the weekend, gave filmmakers and audiences alike a rare chance to sit with the people behind the work and hear firsthand what it takes to bring a story to life.
And the Winners Are…
The festival closed with an awards celebration honoring the very best of this year's selections. Congratulations to all of our 2026 winners:
Best Narrative Feature — A Mess of Memories, Ebony Blanding
Best Documentary Feature — Reservation Redemption, Brenda Fisher & Blake Pickens
Best Narrative Short Film — Between Two Words, Soore Vahe
Best Documentary Short — Snowdrops for the Bairns, Donna Dees
Best International Narrative Short — Sun Girl, Bahar Ghasemi
Best International Documentary Short — Papa Omri, Monia Kashmire Derrstroff
Best TV Pilot — Love. [nonfiction] - Episode One: Soulmates., Evie Joy
Best Drama (Short) — Simple Somewhere Else, Amatus-sami Karim
Best Comedy — It Happened: The Judy Tenuta Story, Taylor Blackwell
Best Animated — Breaking News, Faedra Hose
Best Sci-Fi — Europa, Jacqueline Elyse Rosenthal
Best Horror — Do Not Rewind, Vivian Owen
Best Thriller — They Kill By Night, Grace Uther & Sam Uther
Best Immersive — Tea For Two, Leah Churchill
Best NY Film — Child Check, Natalia A. Warchol
Best Emerging Storyteller — Matrescence, Harvey Albury
Best Original Screenplay — And Then They Were Dumb..., Allie Sharma Nelson
Best Original Short Screenplay — Coney Island's Daughter, Martine Emile
Best TV Pilot Screenplay — Bombay Duck, Sharbari Zohra Ahmed
Congratulations to all of our winners, and to every filmmaker and screenwriter who submitted their work this year. The depth of talent on display made this one of our strongest festivals to date.
Thank You
None of this happens without the people who show up for it, year after year. Thank you to our filmmakers and screenwriters for trusting us with your stories. Thank you to our audience for filling seats and staying for every conversation. Thank you to our volunteers, panelists, moderators, sponsors, and partners for making this festival possible.
ITWIFF has always been about more than screenings; it's about building a community where women, non-binary, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ storytellers can be seen, supported, and celebrated. This year proved once again why that mission matters.
See you next year!
Patrice & Susie
