Sundance Institute Celebrates 2025 Short Film Award Winners

The Sundance Institute honored the winners of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program at the Short Film Awards Ceremony & Party, presented by Vimeo. Filmmakers from across all 57 selected shorts gathered at The Park in Park City, Utah, for the private event celebrating the power of short-form storytelling.

Many of the award-winning films will be available to stream online nationwide from January 30 to February 2, allowing audiences to experience these visionary works from home. The festival, running through February 2, continues to showcase premieres, screenings, discussions, and events in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.

2025 Sundance Short Film Award Winners

Grand Jury Prize:

• The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing (International Nonfiction) - Directed by Theo Panagopoulos

Jury Citation: Recognized for its timely, urgent, and beautiful examination of colonialism, reclaiming history through archival footage.

Short Film Jury Awards:

• U.S. Fiction: Trokas Duras - Directed by Jazmin Garcia

• International Fiction: Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites - Directed by Chheangkea

• Nonfiction: We Were The Scenery - Directed by Christopher Radcliff

• Animation: Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado - Directed by Natalia León

Special Jury Awards:

• Animation Directing: The Eating of an Orange - Directed by May Kindred-Boothby

• Directing: Tiger - Directed by Loren Waters

  
  

Celebrating Emerging Voices in Short Film

The 2025 Sundance Short Film Jury, composed of Kaniehtiio Horn, Maggie Mackay, and Kibwe Tavares, selected the winners from an impressive pool of 11,153 submissions.

“Each year, we are fortunate to present so many impressive shorts that showcase unique storytelling from around the world,” said Mike Plante, Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer, Short Film. “We aim to bring new audiences to their work, especially as many filmmakers are attending Sundance for the first time. Congratulations to this year’s winners, whose films exemplify the artistic excellence of the festival.”

Past Sundance short film award winners include acclaimed works such as The Masterpiece (Alex Lora Cercos), When You Left Me On That Boulevard (Kayla Abuda Galang), and Thunder Road (Jim Cummings), underscoring the festival’s legacy in launching new voices in cinema.

For full details on the festival and to watch the award-winning short films online, visit festival.sundance.org.