DENVER - s4story -- The American West Film Fest announced its first slate of Official Gold Winners for August 2026, all of whom are now in the running for the Annual Award Winners Showcase taking place on January 16, 2027, at the Isabel Castillo Performing Arts Center in Raton, New Mexico.

August 2026 Gold Winners

• Best Documentary Feature: Successful Outlaw (David Luis Leal Cortez)
• Best Drama/Thriller Feature: Redemption (Asif Akbar)
• Best Western Feature: The Birth & History of Western Swing (Michael Allen Markwardt)
• Best Horror Feature: The Monster of the Valley (Gaultier Barra)
• Best Music or Dance Feature: DANCE: Generations (Dawn Gifford Engle)
• Best Low Budget Feature (under $20k): A Boy Named Dot (Brad Cook)
• Best Documentary Short: The Virgin's Wake (Isaac Kerlow)
• Best Drama/Thriller Short: Burning Virtue (Catriona Rubenis-Stevens)
• Best Western Short: The Tracks (Matthew Meunier)
• Best Comedy Short (Tie): Furpeezenough (Preston Leiner) & The Jerk Off (Zack Cooper)
• Best Horror Short: The Legend of Spearfinger (Christopher E. Knox)
• Best Sci-Fi Short: Eye For An Eye - The Short (Ashley Bowers)
• Best Animation Short: Module (Matt Rasch)
• Best AI Generated Short: A New Day (Dariush Rezaei)
• Best Music or Dance Short: Hope (John Dawson)
• Best Low Budget Short (under $5k): Files (Adrian Ciechacki)

Honorable Mentions

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1000 O (Barbara Peikert), Affluence (Greg S. Reid), A More Colorful World: The Artistry Behind Rita Winkler (Mark Winkler), AnimalZone: Punchlines & Paw Prints: Bella Speaks! (Arthur Von Wiesenberger & William G. Conlin), Becoming Billy (Raen L. LeVell), Charro 250 (Diego Huerta), Church of Lost Souls (Trix StarT), Christmas at Moriah Hallow (Emile B.B. LaCerte Jr.), Club V (Leslie Streit), Darling, Forgive Me (Dave McGrath), Do and Obey (Guy Shilo), Elumetra (Mitch Greer), Estrella (Daniel Alvarado-Nava), Family Meeting (Holly Bentea), Inside Hurricane Melissa | Jamaica Strong (Aleca King), Invisible Life (Natalia Arjona), Khaki Dreams: An Achy Breaky Heart Parody (KS Brooks & Kathryn D. Patton), Kör Ses (Oğuzhan Denizol), Lotus (Bryce Mackie & Brennan Collins), Not A Good Man (Carsten Clemens), Nothing (Amir Niyakam), Save Her (Law Jones), She Came From Outer Space! (Simon King), The Castle of Baron Finch (Don Cunningham), Undone (Brett Ryder), and Vintage Journey (Philip C. Sedgwick).

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Upcoming Festival Changes

Following its inaugural live event in Raton, the festival plans to travel, bringing its annual showcase to a different town in the American West each subsequent year.

Currently in its inaugural short-run season, the festival announces new winners every month. Starting in September, category structures will be updated: only two feature films will receive Gold each month (Fiction and Non-Fiction), while the short film categories will be expanded.

To submit a film, view the complete list of rules, or subscribe to the festival's Substack for updates and discount codes, visit www.awfilmfest.com.