03/05/2026
Awards from Sunday are up
http://www.brightsidetavernfilmfestival.com/march-2026-award-winners--nominees.html
Working on the High School and College ones, should be up tomorrow night.
NJ Achievement in The Art of Acting "The Tom Parisi" Award: Shoshanna Withers
NJ Achievement in The Art of Filmmaking Award: Robert T. Cunniff
Best Actor Long Short
Mark Buerck for The Enigmatic Crew
Phillip Russell for Day 365
Casey Sullivan for Double Zero
Robert Asencio for DreamZzz WINNER
Hedi B. Asencio for DreamZzz
Best Actor-Medium
Dan Gregory for Pretty Piranha
Abdurrosyid Imanudin for Breaking the Stigma
Michael McGuirk for Tiny Pencils WINNER
Joe Harkins for On the Horizon
David Towne for Hold Me Close
Sameer Jawar for Shelter
Best Actor-NJ
Dan Gregory for Walking with Ray WINNER
Tyler Brooks for Something Else Tonight
Hedi B. Asencio for DreamZzz
Robert Asencio for DreamZzz
Larry Rosen for Duct Tape Doesn’t Fix Everything
Best Supporting Actor
Brett Eidman for Pretty Piranha WINNER
Best Actress Long Short
Anissa Eisenberg for Salt Circles
Jamie Ragusa for Double Zero
Rebecca Gialanella for Day 365
Hannah Leonard for Fading at Dawn WINNER
Janeena Pinero for DreamZzz
Best Actress-Medium
Abagail Aune for Hit It Off
Victoria Andrunik for On the Horizon
Mona Moriya for Maki
Meredith Vivian for Hold Me Close
Jenilyn Rodriguez for Shattered Mirror
Madison Angus for Shelter
Diane Harrington for Wanna Be a Star! WINNER
Best Actress-NJ
Stella Berrettini for Survival Traits
Sarina Freda for Something Else Tonight WINNER
Hannah Leonard for Fading at Dawn
Victoria Andrunik for On the Horizon
Jenna Kildosher for Walking with Ray
Sasha Scout for Fading at Dawn
Maria Varela for Orion: A Gay Ass Love Story
Best Acting Duo-Comedy
Michael McGuirk & Amanda Gabbard for Tiny Pencils WINNER
Best Acting Duo-Drama
Gracie Connell & Jacob Burke for The Audition WINNER
Best Ensemble
Art Time WINNER
Double Zero
Fading at Dawn
DreamZzz
Choice
Day 365
Best Director-Long Short
Pat Bradley for Double Zero
Herry Fuentes, Jaden Quan for The Invisible Patient
Mark Buerck for the Enigmatic Crew
Vanessa Powers for Salt Circles
Phillip Russell for Day 365
Hedi B. Asencio for Dreamzzz WINNER
Anshul Mahakud for Fading at Dawn
Best Director-Medium
Mona Moriya for Maki
Lance J. Reha for Pretty Piranha
Ana Milena Rojas Alarcon, Brian Patrick Hoffman for A Matter of Time
Frank Cettina for On the Horizon
Kaushik Tare for Atomic Eve WINNER
Chris Veninga, Mithi Sivaprakash for Hit it Off
Cameron Lockwood for Rotten
Best NJ Director
Monica Rose Nowik for Survival Traits
Anshul Mahakud for Fading at Dawn WINNER
Frank Cettina for On the Horizon
Kaushik Tare for Atomic Eve
Lance J. Reha for Walking with Ray
Hedi B. Asencio for DreamZzz
Tyler Brooks for Something Else Tonight
Michael Sodano for Backstory: The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music
Best Director-Comedy
Rich Adams for Art Time
George Carrillo for Wham! WINNER
Brian Russell for Tiny Pencils
Phillip Russell for Day 365
Kurt St. Thomas for Magnet Brain
Brian Russell for Wanna Be a Star!
Best Director-Horror/Thriller
Cameron Lockwood for Rotten WINNER
Lar Collicott for Tucked In
Nick Benjamin for Under
Giancarlo Estrada for Shattered Mirror
Laurence Roberts for Shelter
Naddine Madell for Choice
Vanessa Powers for Salt Circles
Best Short-Long
Double Zero WINNER
The Invisible Patient
The Enigmatic Crew
DreamZzz RUNNER UP
Salt Circles
Fading at Dawn
Day 365
Best Short-Medium
Maki WINNER
Pretty Piranha RUNNER UP
A Matter of Time
On the Horizon
Atomic Eve
Hit it Off
Rotten
Best Short-Short
Fe**er RUNNER UP
Muffin Boy
Duct Tape Doesn’t Fix Everything
Cataclysm.Begins: The Catalyst
The Audition WINNER
Wanna Be a Star! RUNNER UP
Rain was Not in the Forecast
Best Micro-Short
Random Thoughts
Doomed City (in) 3D
Ice Cream Tears
Cold Slice WINNER
Abusive RUNNER UP
Round the Corner
Still Waiting
Best Local Short
Rotten RUNNER UP
A Matter of Time WINNER
Muffin Boy
Viral
Still Waiting
Cold Slice
DreamZzz
Best NJ Drama
Atomic Eve
Fading at Dawn
Something Else Tonight RUNNER UP
DreamZzz
On the Horizon WINNER
Walking with Ray
Backstory: The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music
Best NJ Comedy
Survival Traits
Still Waiting
Muffin Boy WINNER
Orion: A Gay Ass Love Story RUNNER UP
Best Comedy
Wham! RUNNER UP
Art Time
Tiny Pencils
Day 365 WINNER
Magnet Brain
Wanna Be a Star!
Best Horror/Thriller
Shelter
Tucked In
Under WINNER
Shattered Mirror
Salt Circles
Choice
Rotten RUNNER UP
Best Animation
The Ugly Resistor
Ball Lightning RUNNER UP
Venus: Fate's End
The Family Photo
The Duke of Sorenburgh PT. 2 WINNER
Larry the Caddie
Best Cinematography
Breaking the Stigma
On the Horizon
Shelter
Atomic Eve WINNER
Something Else Tonight
Maki RUNNER UP
Fading at Dawn
Best Concept
Rain was Not in the Forecast WINNER
Random Thoughts
The Audition
Love Can Be Poison RUNNER UP
Celestial Echoes: Remnants of the Past
Cataclysm.Begins: The Catalyst
Under
The Invisible Patient
Best Unproduced Script
Mark Buerck for One Last Time
Jack Mulcahy for DISCLOSURE RUNNER UP
Robert Benn for Bugsy Siegel & The Flamingo Hotel
Mike Farragher and Charlie Defazio for Old Stew WINNER
Michael Robert Anderson for Dead Letter
Diana Foronda for Dancing Queens
Mark Buerck for Betrayal
John B. Marean for Time For Coffee
John Norris Ray for ATTU
Roman L Santos, Rachel Santos, and Amy Santos for Space Pets RUNNER UP
Brandie L. Grasso for Bat S**t Crazy
Best International Film
Breaking The Stigma WINNER
Best Documentary
The Invisible Patient WINNER
Award Nominations Awards held on Sunday, March 1st, 7:30pm NJ Achievement in The Art of Acting "The Tom Parisi" Award: Shoshanna Withers NJ Achievement in The Art of Filmmaking Award: Robert T....
