LAcon V Worldcon Film Festival Announces 2026 Award Winners

written by Samuel Reed · 2 minutes ago

I’m very proud of the films we’ve selected for the LAcon Film Festival. They prove that speculative fiction is alive and well in the international independent film world.”— Shawn Marie, Film Festival DirectorANAHEIM, CA, UNITED STATES, August 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The LAcon Worldcon Film Festival is pleased to unveil the award-winning films from its 2026 edition.

Taking place as part of LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention, the film festival runs from August 27–31, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center. This year’s event saw an impressive number of entries, with more than 100 submissions from filmmakers across over 25 countries. The winning selections showcase the finest in global science fiction, fantasy, horror, animation, and independent cinema.

“I’m very proud of the films we’ve selected for the LAcon Film Festival. They prove that speculative fiction is alive and well in the international independent film world.” film festival director Shawn Marier said. “One of the highlights for me is getting to show speculative fiction films from around the globe.”

This marks the second annual Worldcon Film Festival, following a highly successful pilot program at the 2025 World Science Fiction Convention in Seattle. A jury composed of filmmakers and fans chose the festival’s films, including Tina Anderson, Kathy Bond, Ching-In Chen, Abie Ekenezar, Kin Ferate, Chris Garcia, David Haas, Kevin Lawrence, Arendse Lund, Sarah Scrivano, Mark Sebring, and David Haas.

2026 Festival Winners

Best Feature (Over 45 minutes)
Film: Dead Media
Director: Joseph Scrimshaw | Country: United States
Screening: Friday, August 28 at 6:00 PM

Best Featurette (15–45 minutes)
Film: Pocket Change
Directors: Tanner Mobley & Heston Roewe | Country: United States
Screening: Saturday, August 29 at 11:00 AM

Best Short (Under 15 minutes)
Film: Battle of LA
Director: Patrick Pizzolorusso | Country: United States
Screening: Saturday, August 29 at 3:00 PM

Best Science Fiction
Film: One Minute Problem
Director: Nicolás Delgado de la Cámara | Country: United States
Screening: Sunday, August 30 at 5:00 PM

Best Fantasy
Film: The Screenwriter
Director: Mark Petrasso | Country: Italy
Screening: Thursday, August 27 at 1:00 PM

Best Horror
Film: Bug
Director: Filip Momirovski | Country: North Macedonia
Screening: Sunday, August 30 at 1:00 PM

Best Animated
Film: The Black Smoke of Prediction…
Director: Damir dado Šuša | Country: Croatia
Screening: Saturday, August 29 at 5:00 PM

Best Student Film
Film: My Name is Ringo
Director: Jon Peter Lewis | School: University of Southern California (USC) | Country: United States
Screening: Friday, August 28 at 1:00 PM

About LAcon V & Worldcon
LAcon V, the 2026 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), will be held August 27–31, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center, Hilton Anaheim, and Anaheim Marriott hotels. LAcon V is organized by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests (SCIFI), Inc., a California 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

"World Science Fiction Society", "WSFS", "World Science Fiction Convention", "Worldcon", and "Hugo Award" are service marks of Worldcon Intellectual Property, a California non-profit corporation managed by the Mark Protection Committee of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.

Olav N Rokne
LAcon V
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Samuel Reed

Samuel Reed is a senior journalist covering the intersection of business, technology, and society. With over a decade of experience, his work focuses on artificial intelligence, corporate governance, and emerging tech trends.

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