Couch Film Festival
SUMMER 2025 EDITION
BEST of the FESTIVAL
These titles are the Judges’ Favourites and were screened at our June 24 event in Toronto.
BEST FILM of the FESTIVAL: Nasaan dir Niko Chu, Canada
1st RUNNER UP for BEST FILM: Holy Cow dir Karthik Swaminathan, USA
2nd RUNNER UP for BEST FILM: The Dinner Party dir Jaye Lodhia, Steven Chau, Canada
HONOURABLE MENTION for BEST FILM: Eden dir Lester Lubuguin, Canada
HONOURABLE MENTION for BEST FILM: Clockwork Tension dir Jon Osei, Canada
HONOURABLE MENTION for BEST FILM: In Between The Lines dir Kira L. Wilson, USA
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD: Nasaan dir Niko Chu, Canada
CATEGORY AWARD NOMINEES
These titles have been privately screened for the jury.
1:00-5:00 MINUTES
Winners in RED, Nominees in BLACK
Nominees for Best Animation Canada
Before You Go dir Nancy Hatoum, Canada
The Feast (For My Beloved Son) dir Sara Gonzalez Lopez, Canada
The Stargift dir Sydney de Jong, Canada
Spark dir Rylie Prentice, Canada
Last Summer dir Sophie Eileen Corbett, Canada
Nominees for Best Animation International
Jailbreak dir Josephine Aimee Sarayar, Jade Storm Jonathan, Australia
Windows from the South dir Eugen Bilankov, Croatia
Home Sweet Home dir Eliane Posadas, Helena Gomes, Sophia Lopes, Vanessa Kimura, Brazil
Strokes of Wildflowers dir Livvy Seabrook-Wilkins, UK
Nominees for Best Animation USA
Internal Embers dir Alec Tufenkjian, USA
Roxie dir Kylie Fitzgerald, USA
Catchin' Z dir Natalie Constance Baumann, USA
The People Will Not Revolt dir John Maslowski, USA
Pinhole at the Edge of the Earth dir Julia Curry, USA
Nominees for Best Student Animation
Radical Claws dir Sarah Chen, Emily Purdum, Erin Brophy, USA
Hide and Seek dir Sophie Ring, USA
Phös dir Gus Dana, USA
Where Are You, Weird Baby? dir Jaden Lane Black Earl, USA
Nominees for Best Art Film
Chaos dir Susanne Layla Petersen, Denmark
Humarithms dir Pierre Ajavon, France
A DURAS (Dedicated to Marguerite Duras) dir Elisabet Mabres, Spain
The Christmas Operation dir Hyun Cheol Park, Korea
Nominees for Best Comedy
Way to Fly dir Robert Hicks, USA
Final Boarding dir Liam K Schmid, Canada
The Dancer? dir Jane Fleiss, USA
Low Stakes dir Bryan Patrick Moore, USA
Nominees for Best Crime/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Duct Tape Doesn't Fix Everything dir Larry Rosen, USA
Heirs of The Family dir José Vidal Hernández, Canada
Sad Psycho dir Chase Goforth, USA
Low Stakes dir Bryan Patrick Moore, USA
Kalp Fiction dir Siddharth Kumar, India
Nominees for Best Documentary
The Art of Mike Messier dir Mike Messier, USA
Strokes of Wildflowers dir Livvy Seabrook-Wilkins, UK
Haunted Arkansas: Teaser Trailer dir Gavin Webb, USA
Nominees for Best Drama
Euphoric dir Lajos Babai, Canada
Reaping The Whirlwind dir Nico Cariati, Canada
Apple Pie dir Sean Thrawn O'Neil, Canada
Sword & Shield dir Minh Nguye, USA
Troops in Contact dir Arash Shabany, USA
Nominees for Best Experimental International
Zone dir Susanne Layla Petersen, Denmark
Fissure dir Pedro Sena Nunes, Portugal
Zapping Mortal dir Nano Bot, Argentina
Vision dir Susanne Layla Petersen, Denmark
Nominees for Best Experimental North America
Mermaid Dreams dir Luke Meneok, Canada
Brine dir Laura Herman, USA
Vita dir Doyoung Kim, Canada
It Seems dir Amin Nakhi, USA
Nominees for Best Horror
Dinner Date Night, Tastes Just Right dir Larry Rosen, USA
I Feel Pretty dir Christopher Pierantoni, USA
Haunted Arkansas: Teaser Trailer dir Gavin Webb, USA
Nominees for Best One-Minute Film
The Confession dir Chase Goforth, USA
Break the Silence dir Dax Phelan, USA
Unoriginal AF dir Laura Herman, USA
COMING SOON! Movie Trailer Parody The Man With No Face Satoshi Nakamoto Mystery dir Geo Thelen, USA
It Rained That Morning dir Kyle Scott Wilkinson, Canada
Nominees for Best Original Story
Taxi dir Donal O'Dea, Ireland
Dance of the Flies dir Anders Jay Ravenstad, Josh Thompson, USA
It Rained That Morning dir Kyle Scott Wilkinson, Canada
#FestLife dir Bryan Patrick Moore, Kira L. Wilson, USA
Subliminal dir Ronlad Black, USA
Nominees for Best Romance
Duct Tape Doesn't Fix Everything dir Larry Rosen, USA
Down Bad dir Catie Thorne, Canada
Apple Pie dir Sean Thrawn O'Neil, Canada
Tackled Trials dir Jane Fleiss, USA
Nominees for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Supernatural
Little Green Folk dir Jonathan Hawes, James Pyle, UK
Vita dir Doyoung Kim, Canada
The Only Morning Show dir Joe Miles, USA
Nominees for Best Student Film
Body Motion dir Lima Lipa, USA
Checkmate dir Olivia Bronwyn, Canada
Good Night dir Holly Buchanan Haines, Canada
The Casting Call dir Rachel Pevsner, Canada
Nominees for Best First-Time Filmmaker
Hailey Brittain - The Conversation, Canada
Kaleb Fitzpatrick - Disaster, Canada
Olivia Bronwyn - Checkmate, Canada
Liam K Schmid - Final Boarding, Canada
Nominees for Best Actor
Matthew Graham Wagner - Point, USA
Daniel David Stewart - Dance of the Flies, USA
Joe Miles - The Only Morning Show, USA
Nominees for Best Actress
Bärbel Horat - WiRSiNN, Switzerland
Khrystyne Haje - I Feel Pretty, USA
Sara Hamidia - Disaster, Canada
Nominees for Best Cast
Lunchtime dir Jaymes Camery, USA
Heirs of The Family dir José Vidal Hernández, Canada
The Casting Call dir Rachel Pevsner, Canada
Nominees for Best Cinematography
Shelby Parks - Dance of the Flies, USA
Arash Shabany - Troops in Contact, USA
Jeffrey Martes - I Feel Pretty, USA
Nominees for Best Writer
Riu Lohri, Christof Bünter - WiRSiNN, Switzerland
Desiree Magotiaux - Umbilical Stain by Paint Drying, Canada
Christopher Prinsloo - The Dancer?, USA
Nominees for Best Director
Jaymes Camery - Lunchtime, USA
Jane Fleiss - Tackled Trials, USA
Bryan Patrick Moore - Low Stakes, USA
5:01-20:00 MINUTES
Nominees for Best Animation
Saudade, Perhaps... dir José-Manuel Xavier, Portugal
The Ringing dir Ishwin Razdan, India
Demi-Demons dir Martin Gerigk, Germany
Solar Neighbor dir Austin Cole, USA
The Boy Who Dreamed Ball and Crafted Dreams dir Myrna de Fátima Gontijo Neiva, Ricardo Edilberto Pereira, Brazil
Nominees for Best Comedy Canada
Porch Pirates dir Tarek Jad, Dylan Best, Canada
Family Values dir Pooja Sethi, Canada
Detectives & Dragons dir Lucas Candelino, Benjamin Kostecki, Evan McDowell, Canada
A Robbery in Spanish dir Luis Armando Pacheco Larrea, Canada
Nominees for Best Comedy USA
Double Impact dir Minh Nguyen, USA
Lily Lumiere dir Rasmus Toyra, USA
Invaders of the Valley Saloon dir Dustin Tidwell, USA
Murder, But Epic! dir Alex Greaney, USA
Second Language dir Shuojia Sandy Chen, USA
Nominees for Best Coming-of-Age Film
Almost Perfect dir Daniel Krastek, USA
Unwritten End dir Rishi Babu, India
Shayla dir Matthew Shawn Miller, USA
Nominees for Best Crime/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Canada
Avarice dir José Vidal Hernández, Canada
Shadows dir Joe Lyko, Canada
Beneath The Stripes dir Dylan Gregory, Canada
RUNNER: Episode 1 - "Good Luck, Jason" dir Justin Gothreau, Canada
B&E dir Jamie Robertson, Canada
Nominees for Best Crime/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller International
Bloodlines and Betrayal dir Rob Winward, UK
The Shedded Skin of a Bounty dir Luke Hawkins, USA
Dive dir Victoria Horn, USA
Riding Hood dir Dwight Dwayne Mathis, USA
The Burden of the Oath dir Calderon-Villarreal Alan, Mexico
Nominees for Best Dark Comedy
Rotten dir Telly Bitsakakis, Canada
The Devil and His Son dir Lily Andrews, USA
Bust and Hustle dir Nick Malakhov, UK
The Uninvited Guest dir Benedikt Sebastian, USA
Nominees for Best Documentary
The Invisible School dir Isaac Peter Stacey, Canada
How to Write a Travel Guide dir Robert Isenberg, USA
To the Finish Line dir George Daios, UK
Ujvala Jupalli: Asterisk Athlete dir Josephine Harrison, USA
Beekind dir Olivia Bronwyn, Canada
Nominees for Best Drama Canada
When Love Stood Still dir Noah Trentadue, Canada
The Honest Guest dir Jon Osei, Canada
Suicide Prevention dir Hunter Scott Amos, Canada
Blueberry-Lemon dir Christian Sweeney, Canada
Nominees for Best Drama International
What's Right as a Human dir Masahiro Ota, Japan
You Never Know dir Vicky Wanless, Australia
Astral Journey dir Riccardo Galli, UK
Kasit Shay dir Omar Ahmad Al Sarayreh, Jordan
Nominees for Best Drama USA
Never Too Late dir Marilyn Chen, USA
Girly Boy dir Cole J. Crawford, USA
Hitchhiking to Heaven dir Reilly McKay, USA
Frangible dir Marie France Louis, USA
Nominees for Best Experimental
Demi-Demons dir Martin Gerigk, Germany
The Wire dir Jill Kolodka, Canada
Solar Neighbor dir Austin Cole, USA
Able Time dir Christopher Prinsloo, USA
Barthes from Mabres dir Elisabet Mabres, Spain
Nominees for Best Horror Canada
Desire dir Mandy Magnan, Canada
Harvester dir Eric Porta, Canada
Chain Link dir Stephen J. Birtles, Canada
The Carousel dir Breanna Mistal, Canada
Nominees for Best Horror International
Bad Blood dir Hyeongtae Kim, Korea
Old Well dir Andrés Hernández Covarrubias, Mexico
To The Water dir Savvy Hanna, Ireland
Nominees for Best Horror USA
Are You There dir Jaclyn Fleming, USA
Project Moonshot dir Jake Zaleski, Katherine Wang, USA
Midnight Tales dir Adam Gorman, USA
Collectors dir Brian Pollock, USA
Ghosts_alive.mov dir Austin Boggs, USA
Nominees for Best Original Story Canada
It Takes Two dir Éric Arsenault, Canada
Felt dir Joseph Rossi, Canada
Tubers dir Matt Hallworth, Canada
Chain Link dir Stephen J. Birtles, Canada
Nominees for Best Original Story International
The Dreammaker - You Don't "Play" With Dolls dir Fabio d'Avino, Italy
Old Well dir Andrés Hernández Covarrubias, Mexico
Victim dir Jiang Chengxuan, Korea
Bad Blood dir Hyeongtae Kim, Korea
Nominees for Best Original Story USA
Your Last Wishes dir by Mason Beck, USA
The Booth dir Ryan Christopher, USA
The Purr-ge dir Kim Best, USA
Spooniverse dir Xander Brzezinski, USA
Nominees for Best Romance
What If Something Goes Wrong? dir Kayla Neves, Canada
Power Chord dir Jedric Villar, USA
Heartdrop dir Daniel Yaqo, Canada
The Wingmen dir Lucas Swangard, Canada
Nominees for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Supernatural Canada
Waking David dir Kyle Graham, Canada
Zero O'Clock dir Noah Landry, Canada
Paid In Pieces dir Justin Egan-Costello, Canada
Love from the Machine? dir Maxence Harbour, Canada
Nominees for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Supernatural USA
The Last President dir Bin He, USA
SLEEP|WALKING dir B. A. Carroll, USA
Solar Neighbor dir Austin Cole, USA
Psycho-Pass: Mass Division dir Minh Nguyen, USA
Invaders of the Valley Saloon dir Dustin Tidwell, USA
Nominees for Best Student Film
Creatively Challenged dir The Fox, USA
Letters Home dir Adrian Campbell, Wayne Elliot, Clara Ballena, Brazil, Canada
The Voice dir Ana Iacovleva, Canada
Blockbuster dir Nathan Wright-Edwards, Canada
Brains! dir Kai Fernandez, Mason Edwards, USA
Nominees for Best First-Time Filmmaker
Milad Ahmadi - Shadow Department, Iran
Arwen Saleah Mercado - Shadow Boxing, Canada
Winston Schroeder - Terror in the Toilet, Canada
Lucas Swangard - The Wingmen, Canada
Nominees for Best Actor
Anthony E. Brown - The World of James Gagmy, USA
Mackenzie Donohue - State of Mind, Canada
Jake Merrick - To Kill a Character, Canada
Sam Tarasco - Chain Link, Canada
Wesley Clark - In The Passenger's Seat, USA
Nominees for Best Actress
Panayiota - You Never Know, Australia
Reyna Jeanelle - Frangible, USA
Jaclyn Fleming - Are You There, USA
Saoirse Carey - To The Water, Ireland
Sydney Kaiser - It Takes Two, Canada
Nominees for Best Cast
Canopy dir Massimo Russo, Canada
Anonymous dir Ryker Sixkiller, Colby Luper, USA
I Know What You Did dir Hanan Berei, Nathaniel Pantola, Canada
Family Values dir Pooja Sethi, Canada
Unwritten End dir Rishi Babu, India
Nominees for Best Cinematography
Danny Lau - Canopy dir Massimo Russo, Canada
Michael Hou - I Know What You Did, Canada
Moath Ahmed - To Kill a Character, Canada
Samarika Dhiman - Family Values, Canada
Ryan Torrens - What If Something Goes Wrong?, Canada
Nominees for Best Writer
Diya Chabria - Anaphylaxis, USA
Lar Collicott - Tucked In, Canada
Joshua Liang, Jake Zaleski - Project Moonshot, USA
Lucas Candelino, Benjamin Kostecki, Evan McDowell - Detectives & Dragons, Canada
Savvy Hanna - To The Water, Ireland
Nominees for Best Director
Lon Takiguchi - The World of James Gagmy, USA
Mark Herbrand - Prism, Canada
Ana Iacovleva - Through His Eyes, Canada
Julie Langlois - The Pink House, Canada
Calderon-Villarreal Alan - The Burden of the Oath, Mexico
20:01-45:00 MINUTES
Nominees for Best Long Short Film
The Pluto Theory dir Greyson Wayne Duncan, USA
Nobody Sleeps at Night dir Max Presement, Canada
Spooky Wednesday on Kiruna Radio 97.3 dir Magnus Fredriksson, Daniel Ojanlatva, Sweden
Birchwood dir Peter Ropek Hewson, UK
Redefining Impossible dir Matthew John Biggar, UK
Nominees for Best Actor
Ruggiero Abbruzzese - Nobody Sleeps at Night, Canada
Sebastian Greene - The Pluto Theory, USA
Marsel Avdic - Ardent Suitor, Canada
Nominees for Best Actress
Lina Brännström - Spooky Wednesday on Kiruna Radio 97.3, Sweden
Marina Seccatto - There She Goes, Brazil
Tara Kennedy - Ardent Suitor, Canada
Nominees for Best Cast
Emergency Broadcast dir Holden Charles Conner, USA
Strange World dir Nomdian, Korea
RED: Beast Huntress dir Benjamin Maublanc, France
Nominees for Best Cinematography
Matthew John Biggar, Ganesh Thapa - Redefining Impossible, UK
Jackson Adams - Nobody Sleeps at Night, Canada
John P Martinez - The Days of Knight: Chapter 1, USA
Nominees for Best Writer
Алексей Митягин - Garbage, Russia
Seamus Smyth - Silvergirl & the Planet Chokers, Ireland
Daniel Ojanlatva - Spooky Wednesday on Kiruna Radio 97.3, Sweden
Nominees for Best Director
Ronald Black - Swine and Dine, USA
Benjamin Maublanc - RED: Beast Huntress, France
Peter Ropek Hewson - Birchwood, UK
45:01-120:00 MINUTES
Nominees for Best Narrative Feature Film
First Friday dir Joshua Ojeda, USA
49 Miles More dir Oliver Cox, UK
The Solution dir Andrew J. Bullard IV, USA
What Really Happened dir Simon Stockdale, USA
Red Bird dir Alexandre Laugier, Thomas Habibes, Houssam Adili, France
Nominees for Best Documentary Feature Film
Wounds – Veterans’ Stories dir Ping Hai Wu, Taiwan
Forgiveness dir Roisin Clarke, Canada, Ireland
The Resilience Tour dir Geoff Guich, Canada
Matarife, The Real Movie dir Daniel Mendoza Leal, Colombia
Nominees for Best Actor
Thomas Habibes - Red Bird, France
Matthew Svoboda - StartUp Movie, USA
Palmer Ashe III - What Really Happened, USA
Nominees for Best Actress
Sh'Neil Gaskin-Kerr - The Solution, USA
Candace Joy - First Friday, USA
Victoria Harrington - What Really Happened, USA
Nominees for Best Cast
StartUp Movie dir Shane Michael Konicki, USA
The Resilience Tour dir Geoff Guich, Canada
The Solution dir Andrew J. Bullard IV, USA
Nominees for Best Cinematography
Romain Reboul - Red Bird, France
Eron Rawson - StartUp Movie, USA
Ben Walters, Nathan Walters - The Solution, USA
Nominees for Best Writer
Oliver Cox, Michael Guthrie - 49 Miles More, UK
Logan Stover - The History of Las Vegas, USA
Joshua Ojeda, Elijah Fuchs, Jemell Lewis, John Wherry - First Friday, USA
Nominees for Best Director
Daniel Mendoza Leal - Matarife, The Real Movie, Colombia
Geoff Guich - The Resilience Tour, Canada
Yair Qedar - Outsider. Freud, Austria, Germany
15-SECOND STORY
Nominees for Best 15-Second Story
Dear Friend dir Surapong Wetsuwanmanee, Nigeria
Cyclops dir Mari Watson Walker, USA
Underneath dir Kevin Lucero Less, USA
Kavi AI Lab: 1st Advertisement Showcasing the Power of AI dir Kavi Chua, Malaysia
The AI You'll Actually Want To Be Friends With dir Kavi Chua, Malaysia
Kavi AI Lab’s 水族馆 Showcase: Aquarium Animation Ads dir Kavi Chua, Malaysia
Unveiling the Future Through Design: The Kavi AI Model Festival 2024 Poster dir Kavi Chua, Malaysia
Knock Knock dir Chen Zhan, Canada
Flooding in Memphis dir Levi Frazier III, USA
Baker's Dozen dir Lucy Craig Cameron
..Fleeting Love.. dir Txus Angulo, Spain
|
|
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||||
|
|
| ||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||
