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Festival Archive · September 11–13, 2026

The 2026 Festival.

Three nights at the Sumter Little Theatre in Sumter, South Carolina — film, story, and music from around the world, presented with the Romans VIII Film Festival.

2026 · Honorees

The honorees.

Congratulations to the winners, nominees, and honorable mentions of the 2026 Moonless International Film Festival & Competitions — chosen from entries spanning five continents.

Feature Screenplay Best Female Screenplay Writer

Saving a Christmas Carol

Shirley Amitrano

Pilot Screenplay

Disclosure

Darius Wright

Short Film Screenplay

I Killed a Deer and Probably Walker Percy Too

Russ Franklin

Full-Length Stage Play

The Tomb

Darren Nash

One-Act Stage Play

One Million

Vilém Dubnička — Czechia

Best Short Horror Film Best Female Director

Nix Figment

Dir. Cassandra Dawn

Nominees

  • Romancing Sydney — Anmol Mishra Best Feature Film
  • My Dog’s Final “Stay” — Dave Turner Documentary Feature
  • Remembering the David — Shirley Amitrano Feature Screenplay
  • The Last Man on Earth — Vilém Dubnička One-Act Stage Play
  • Uncommon Threads — Ronny Jay One-Act Stage Play
  • Underground Live! — Michael Meyers One-Act Stage Play

Finalists

  • Slouching Towards Branson — Will Wood Best Feature Film
  • Viv + Eddie — Andi Watson Feature Screenplay
  • Oar River — Jody McNicholas Feature Screenplay
  • Books in the Attic — Katharine Rex Short Film Screenplay
  • High Moon — Sean Bridges Best Trailer
  • FORWARD — Chad A. Rivera Best Music Video
  • Southern Life — Brittaney Delsarté Chatman & Mario Johnson Best Music Video

Honorable Mentions

  • Transference — Zeph E Daniel
  • Generational — Joseph Galyean
  • I Am With You — Brittney Morgan & Tara Massey
  • Home — Douglas Harvey White
  • Following in the Footsteps of My Ancestors — Ute Koehler
  • Built On Zydeco — Dustin Cravins & Milton Arceneaux
  • The HoodTrophy Bino Story — Sam “Gebar” Gebremiche
  • Journey Through the Dark — Erin Cuellar
  • Deep Within Us — David Miller
  • See Through — Martin Foroz
  • An Evening with Charles Dickens — Shaun Delliskave
  • Horizon — Analog Mirage
  • Fear Not Fear Itself — Dawn Westlake
  • DPB — Peer Pressure — Ouiwey Collins
  • Frank Palangi — Vampire — Frank Palangi
2026 · Also Recognized

Every round was earned.

Semi-Finalists

  • Silent Sundays — David Michael Glahn Short Film Screenplay
  • A Bottle’s Echo — Dir. Ronny Law Best Short Film
  • Ho Hum — Frances Sophia Hutchison Feature Screenplay
  • Call Light — Arthur Csider Feature Screenplay
  • Remembering the David — Shirley Amitrano Best Female Screenplay Writer

Semi-Finalists · Stage

  • An Untethered Woman — Cynthia Webb One-Act Stage Play
  • Almost Family — Darius Wright One-Act Stage Play
  • My Dearest Cuba (Mi Viejo Cuba) — Jason Garcia-Suarez Full-Length Stage Play
  • Earl’s Shoe Shine — Darius Wright Full-Length Stage Play

Quarter-Finalists

  • On My Shoulder — Martin L. Cohen Feature Screenplay
  • I’ll Look Out. — Mark Benack Full-Length Stage Play
  • Enemy Heroes — Mark Diamond Animated Film
  • Fell the Bruxton Beast — Dir. Deagan Stoner Student Film
  • She Never Came Home — Natalie Jean Best Music Video
Next: August 7, 2027

The story continues.

Moonless returns with a one-day special edition in Franklin, Tennessee. Submissions open October 16, 2026.

Moonless 2027 Submit on FilmFreeway