Gallup Film Festival recognizes and awards all competitive categories. Throughout the festival, the audiences are asked to cast their vote for their favorite films. All votes are anonymous, and only the attending audiences are eligible to vote once in every set category. The voting results are announced during the Awards Ceremony.

GALLUP FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS

Animation

Best Animated Short

Documentary

Best Documentary
Best Documentary Feature
Best Director (Documentary)
Best Cinematography (Documentary)
Best Editing (Documentary)

Short

Best Short Film
Best Comedy Short
Best Editing (Short)
Best Director (Short)
Best Screenplay (Short)
Best Original Music (Short)
Best Male Performance (Short)
Best Female Performance (Short)

Music Video

Best Music Video
Best Cinematography (Music Video)

Youth

Best Youth Short (NEW)
Best Youth Feature (NEW)
Best Youth Directing (NEW)
Best Youth Screenplay (NEW)

Drama Feature

Best Drama Feature
Best Director (Feature)
Best Cinematography (Feature)
Best Editing (Feature)
Best Screenplay (Feature)
Best Original Music (Feature)
Best Male Performance (Feature)
Best Female Performance (Feature)

Language Preservation

Best Language Preservation Film
(Endangered Languages)

Foreign Film

Best Foreign Feature (NEW)
Best Foreign Short (NEW)

GFF AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Throughout the festival, the audiences are asked to cast their vote for their favorite films. All votes are anonymous, and only the attending audiences are eligible to vote once in every set category. The voting results are announced during the Awards Ceremony.

Best Short
Best Animation
Best Music Video
Best Documentary
Best Drama Feature
Best Director

Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Male Performance
Best Female Performance
Best Original Music
Best Foreign Film

GFF JUDGING

The Gallup Film Festival Judges choose their favorite films and present awards at the GFF Awards Ceremony on the last day of the festival. Absent and International winners will have their awards shipped to their locations.

Best Feature

When deciding on the Best Feature Film for this category, The GFF Jury looks for strong plot and character development, absorbing dialogue, engaging talent, strong visual appeal, and overall outstanding achievement.

Best Director

This role takes foresight, imagination, endurance, persistence, and acute attention to detail. The GFF honors an individual with exceptional talent in this area.

Best Documentary

The GFF Jury makes its selection for this award based on the criteria that a good documentary not only gives the viewer an in-depth view of the subject matter, but presents the material in a compelling and interesting way.

Best Male Performance

The best male performance award at the GFF is presented to an actor who draws us in with honest reactions and shows us the essence of what acting is all about; we want to see the character’s personality and motives as a living, breathing entity. An actor accomplishes this through body language, facial expressions, interactions, and dialogue delivery. We select the recipient of this award based on these standards.

Best Short Film

A short film needs a captivating story, well-rounded characters, and aesthetic values unique to the medium. The GFF Jury makes its selection for this award by selecting a short film that fits these factors.

Best Female Performance

The best female performance award at the GFF is presented to an actress who is capable of summoning a wide range of emotions, has taken risks and stretched the dimensions of her character, and is in command of the necessary skills to invoke a captivating performance. We select the winner of this award based on these principles.

Best Screenplay

Expert storytelling can include a number of aspects, such as: well-developed characters, inspiration, conflict, romance, a mission, obstacles, drama, comedy, and risking losing something or someone. When selecting the recipient of this award, the GFF looks for the heart of the story, the driving force; we want to see what’s at stake and feel so compelled with the story that it’s hard to stop imagining.

Best Cinematography

The GFF presents this award to a skilled cinematographer who has drawn from a range of styles and equipment to tell a story. He or she may have also created a new style to develop individual scenes. The artistic use of angles, shots, and lighting is, in itself, a form of storytelling. These aspects capture mood, create ambiance, and highlight themes and emotions.

Best Editor

Film editing technology has developed immensely over the past two centuries. But no matter how sophisticated the equipment, the true genius is in the eyes and ears of the editor. Often referred to as the "invisible art," editing can be a laboratory for independent and experimental cinema. The GFF recognizes achievement in this area based on the talent of an editor who knows how to balance all the elements of the story, its dialogue, performances, music, sound effects, visual effects, rhythm, and pace.

Best Foreign Film

Foreign cinema has the unfortunate quest of overcoming limited releases and distribution. The GFF highly values these films that cross cultural boundaries. We recognize them for their humanity, artistic merit, cultural identity, and innovation. Foreign films challenge our perspectives and beliefs and give us inside views into life. This award is given to a foreign film that encompasses these aspects. op imagining.

Best Animation

Technology has certainly changed the world of animation, but creativity, skill, and vision are integral parts to this flavorful genre. Animation can distort reality, challenge the laws of physics, dazzle with images, make us laugh so hard that we cry, or cry so hard that we laugh. The GFF awards an animated film that reaches across many dimensions and captivates through technique and story.