FFTG Awards Film Fest FAQ

Every participant receives an Official FFTG Laurel and a certificate. Winners and nominees can proudly add their achievements to their IMDb pages, enhancing their professional profiles. Discover the range of awards granted each year, thanks to our partners like Final Draft and Filmstro.

We recognize Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Cinematography, Music, Editing, Sound, and many genre categories. Top winners—including Film of the Fest, Filmmaker’s Choice, and People’s Choice—receive custom Society Awards® statuettes, designed by the same makers of the Golden Globes, Emmys, and MTV Awards.

It’s our highest honor—awarded to one film that embodies the soul of storytelling. Alongside it, Filmmaker’s Choice and People’s Choice are voted honors that reflect industry and audience respect.

At FFTG, we don’t follow fixed numbers or industry-standard nominee counts. Some categories may have 2–4 nominees, while others may have none. If the quality or volume of submissions doesn’t support meaningful recognition, we don’t force it.

And when one story clearly rises above the rest, we go straight to announcing the winner. Every recognition here is intentional — not just procedural.

• Honorable Mention: A recognition of an entire film or project that made a strong impression on the jury, even if it wasn’t selected as a category winner.

• Special Mention: A recognition of a particular element of excellence within a project — such as a performance, cinematography, direction, or another aspect that stood out.

Both distinctions exist to make sure unique voices and achievements don’t go unnoticed.

We don’t promise fame. But we create the conditions where it can begin.
No cash. No fairy tale. No guarantees. But maybe—a spark that sets things in motion.

We don’t give out cash prizes—because even a few thousand dollars won’t get you through a full production cycle, let alone marketing, distribution, or platform visibility. And it won’t teach you what really builds a career: consistency, clarity, and showing up where it counts.

What we give instead is harder to find and more valuable:
🧭 A platform. A signal. A digital shelf life.

FFTG is where your work lives on. On your terms. In your name. And guess what? Sometimes that’s all it takes.

Don’t believe it? Here’s proof:

🔹 Stephanie Hsu → Once a YouTube sketch comic → now Oscar-nominated (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

🔹 Emma Seligman → Her short Shiva Baby went viral → turned it into a Sundance feature → built a new cult-gen voice.

🔹 Cooper Raiff → Made Shithouse in college → won SXSW → got a deal with Dakota Johnson → now runs his own production company.

🔹 Zach King → TikTok creator → now runs a studio, directing commercials for major brands.

🔹 Prarthana Mohan → First indie film selected at multiple digital fests → now directs Indian Sweets, an Amazon Original.

🎬 The thread? Someone saw something.
🎬 The thread? Someone saw something.
Not in a boardroom. Not at a film market. But online. Because it was out there, discoverable, and undeniable.

🎯 If you’re chasing cash, go apply for grants.
🌍 If you’re building legacy, this is your lane.

FFTG is the indie satellite—quiet, global, always transmitting. One signal might change everything.
Think of FFTG as the beacon, not the destination.