"For its beautifully crafted and imaginatively rendered exploration of memory and family dynamics, seen through the mirrored eyes of identical twins, the jury honors My Brother, My Brother as the Best Animated Short. Its hybrid style and deeply nuanced storytelling set it apart in a remarkably rich field of animated works."

"The jury awards the Bay Area Shorts Award to Birdy Wei-Ting Hung for her film A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers. With a fiercely exquisite hand, Hung interlaces the rich tapestry of Taiwanese history with haunting meditations on gender and state violence. Created during Hung's time at San Francisco State University, this poignant work of art pulses with the spirit of resistance and dreams that define the Bay Area ethos."

"With a potently insightful touch, writer-director Ana Endara reveals the pain of loss, tied to the complexities of motherhood and life transitions. Two distinct perspectives converge for a nuanced and affecting portrait of an unexpected friendship. Endara's delicate direction of her two lead actresses creates moments of tenderness and mutual appreciation that always feel organically brought to life. Furthermore, the artist's portrayal on the Panamanian social strata by focusing on two immigrants with unique experiences broadens our understanding of a country with a particular history and place in Latin America."

"For its poetic pace and patient, ever-present lens, Seeds is our unanimous selection for the inaugural Kirby Walker Documentary Award. Brittany Shyne's stunning directorial debut immerses audiences in the stories of Black farmers in the South, rendered with reverence and deep intention in every frame. An essential film by an exciting new talent, Seeds is an unforgettable portrait of the power of generational love and healing in the face of systemic inequities."

"The Girl with the Occupied Eyes captivates with its appealing character designs, stunning visuals, and a beautifully matched musical score that enhances the film's universal message. Its use of expressive colors and engaging animation resonates warmly with audiences of all ages."

"Two People Exchanging Saliva is a wonderfully creative and sneakily clever film about power, jealousy, and forbidden love told amidst an imaginatively dystopic economy of pain. Beautifully acted, artfully shot, deftly produced, and sure-handed in its writing, directors Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh have made a film I will be telling cinephiles to find and watch for some time."

"Director Cherien Dabis has accomplished quite a feat with her generation-spanning story of Palestinian life that explores the emotional ramifications of the occupation and its horrors upon a single family. Framed by the story of a Palestinian teenager at a West Bank protest who experiences violence that rocks his family and leads to his mother recounting the familial threads, all the way back to the 1948 Nakba and onward toward the present day, that brought her son to that fateful event. Dabis has not only written and directed the film she is amongst its wonderful cast playing the mother whose evocative emotion provides the film its structure. Epic in length, historical dimensions, and emotion, All That's Left of You is a triumph demonstrating the connective powers of the medium itself. It is brimming with historical detail and minute lived-in moments that imbue the film with emotional complexity. This is embodied by a tremendous cast anchored by a raw-nerved, soulful performance from Saleh Bakri. The film doesn't argue for Palestinian humanity, it already believes in it, which engenders audiences to think deeply and act more precisely when it comes to the watershed political and humanitarian crisis of our time."

"The Narrative Short category was quite competitive this year with nineteen films, but we all felt drawn to the same standout work of Stomach Bug. Matty Crawford's film so viscerally depicts the 'too real' horror of aging as an immigrant single parent contending with an escalating and overwhelming level of loneliness and discomfort. Crawford accomplishes the near-impossible balancing act of depicting repulsive body horror side by side with emotionally vulnerable exchanges in such a succinct film. The intentionality of how and when to employ language is exemplary."

The jury also acknowledged "the extraordinary work of actress Paulina García in both Beloved Tropic and Horizon, whose emotional precision and dramatic range become crucial in both complex narratives."

"We honorably recognize How to Build a Library for its powerful and instructive exploration of the unfinished work of decolonization in Kenya. Directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King document the courage and resilience of Shiro and Angela as they reclaim a colonial institution for their community. With evocative storytelling, deft archival use, and remarkable access, How to Build a Library reminds us that meaningful change is possible through collective action."

"Cactus Pears is a profoundly tender film about a thirty-year old living in Mumbai returning to his rural hometown in Western India for the funeral rituals occuring in the wake of his father's death. Director-writer Rohan Kanawade utilizes this premise as a portal into deep love, queer longing, and connection as the lead character navigates his extended family's questioning about his unmarried stature, the genuine care of his mother, and the gentle beginnings of a relationship with a local farmer. It is a film that lovingly portrays complex connections and cultural ideas - about death, sexuality, familial loyalty - in a minor key. The film charmed each jury member with its carefully embodied performances and meditative pacing that we wanted to highlight it for the festival with a special mention."