CIDFF 2026 Award Winners

The Charlotte International Dance Film Festival (CIDFF) proudly celebrates the incredible artists, filmmakers, and choreographers featured in our inaugural festival. These award-winning films represent powerful storytelling, innovative movement, and diverse voices from around the world. We are honored to recognize the creativity, vision, and artistry that made this year’s festival an unforgettable experience for our community.

Top Awards

Overall Best Film
Ballad of a Home

Directors Choice Award
LoweLyfe: Episode 1: The Only Way Out is Through

Audience Choice Award
To Be Announced at Summer Screening

Film Awards

Best Short Film
Terms and Conditions

Best Cinematic
LoweLyfe: Episode 1: The Only Way Out is Through

Best Documentary
Dancing in the Gobi Desert

Best Storyline / Plot
Maybe Never

Craft & Technical Awards

Best Cinematography
Edge

Best Editing for Movement
Ancestral Shadows

Best Production Design
Maybe Never

Best Choreography for the Camera
FLOW

Specialty & Theme Awards

Best Cultural Celebration
Green Bay

Best Dance + Identity
Where Rooms Go

Best Environmental Dance Film
Landscape Painting

Best Animated Dance Film
Love Unfolding

Best Movement with Dance Focus
CALL IT FATE, CALL IT KARMA

Student Award