Chattanooga Film Festival Announces Award Winners
The Best of CFF’s Best Crop of Films Ever
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (June 30, 2025)—It was an epic 10 days, and when the Chattanooga Film Festival, aka Summer Camp for Cinephiles, was done, the following films stood tall among the best and biggest group of features and shorts programmed in CFF’s 12-year history.
Thanks to all our patrons, sponsors, and staff, and congratulations to all the filmmakers, whether they won an award or not. See you around next year.
Audience Award (Feature)—The Misadventures of Vince & Hick. Director Trevor Stevens.
A recently released-from-prison car thief gets roped in with an overly ambitious con man and must help him deliver a prized car to a dangerous kingpin within 48 hours.
Audience Award (Short)—Check Please. Director Shane Chung.
There’s a description of this great little film below, because it has won two awards, making CFF history in the process. Never before has a student short film winner also won the audience award for best short.
Best Feature—Abigail Before Beatrice. Director Cassie Keet.
An isolated woman is confronted by her past when a fellow former cult member reaches out with news that their leader has been released from prison early. What happens when your search for love and acceptance leads you to a toxic relationship? How do you move on when you can’t let go?
Best Short—Damn Handy. Director Peter Filardi.
When plumber Roger Clark visits the remote farmhouse of two murderous sisters, he'll need a trick up his sleeve to survive.
Best Documentary—Bob Morgan’s Just Going to Tell Some Stories. Directors Tom Marksbury, Grayson Tyler Johnson.
Bob Morgan's Just Going to Tell Some Stories... about art and garbage, sex and drugs, aids grief, cultural subversion and being an outsider turned community icon. The story of an assemblage artist and queer Kentucky.
Best First Feature—I Really Love My Husband. Director G.G. Hawkins.
Just one year into her marriage, Teresa (she/her) hopes her honeymoon in the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Panamá will be the pinnacle of her relationship thus far. Yet, upon arrival, her perception of her husband Drew (he/him) as a people-pleasing golden boy begins to push her to the edge.
Bad Night Good Movie Award—Good Night. Director Matias Szulanski.
A young Brazilian girl travels to Argentina to visit her aunt, but after a misunderstanding and the loss of her belongings, she must kill time until the next morning.
Dangerous Visions Award—Portal to Hell. Director Woody Bess.
After a debt-collector finds a portal to hell in a washing machine at his local laundromat, he’s propositioned into feeding it sinners to save his neighbor’s soul, maybe even at the expense of his own.
Special Jury Prize Let’s Get Physical—VHX. Directors Scott Ampleford, Alisa Stern.
A collection of home movies languish on a shelf, longing to be watched again. Little do they know, there’s a fate far worse than being forgotten.
Cult Classic Award—Self-Help. Director Erik Bloomquist
A young woman infiltrates a dangerous self-actualization community after her mother becomes entangled with its enigmatic leader.
Jeff Burr Prize—OBEX. Director Albert Birney.
Conor Marsh lives a secluded life with his dog, Sandy, until one day he begins playing OBEX, a new, state-of-the-art computer game. When Sandy goes missing, the line between reality and game blurs and Conor must venture into the strange world of OBEX to bring her home.
Pride Award—Queens of the Dead. Director Tina Romero.
When a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, & frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.
Tennessee Filmmaker Award—What’s Left. Directors Ryan Gentle, Austin Quarles.
A grief-stricken father, blinded by extremist beliefs, and his son scour a dystopian wilderness for his missing daughter, while a small group of misfits fight off a militia. This is what’s left of the United States of America.
Student Filmmaker Award—Check Please. Director Shane Chung.
Dinner for two turns deadly when a Korean and a Korean-American escalate a fight over who gets to pay the bill—and who gets to walk out the restaurant alive.
The Chattanooga Film Festival is a 501c3 non-profit run entirely by a small but passionate crew of volunteers. All proceeds from the festival's ticket and badge sales and donations go directly to the staging of each year's festival. For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube or even join our monthly virtual secret screening series with the Double Secret Cinema Society on Patreon.
