Thank you to all who submitted their screenplays to the 2026 Phoenix Film Festival Short Screenplay Competition.
We are very excited to announce this year's winners!
FIRST PLACE
MELANCHOLY
BY SJ ALEXANDER
Melancholy is a nostalgic coming-of-age short film set in 1995 Los Angeles. The story follows 10-year-old Michaela "MIKEY" Williams as she spends one last summer day with her friends on "Home Street" before her father moves her away to a new neighborhood. Guided by her Nana's warmth, her father's hopes for a better life, and the spirit of Hip-Hop Culture that pulses through the community, Mikey rides through a day packed with laughter, cyphers, games, and fleeting memories. At its heart, Melancholy is about the bittersweet beauty of childhood and how moments of joy, friendship, and innocence become eternal even as time pushes us forward.
SECOND PLACE
PURGATORIO
BY HAKAN ÜNAL
An SS Nazi Officer with an injured head has been found by a Jewish woman in the middle of nowhere. He revives but with no memory of his past or his identity. He sets out to build himself a new life, but the past inevitably catches up with him.
THIRD PLACE
DETENTION: ROOM 107
BY JOSEPH MICHAEL LEONE
Five middle school students from rival social circles expect a miserable Saturday detention - until their unconventional teacher turns it into a day of wild games, creativity, and reckless fun. But when a life-threatening emergency strikes, they must put their differences aside, proving that real connection and adventure exist far beyond their phone screens and tablets.
FINALISTS
(In alphabetical order by last name)
MANCLAVE
BY FREDERIK EHRHARDT
A lonely teenager, seeking the validation of a charismatic hyper-masculinity influencer, radically transforms his body and mind until a final test leaves him exposed and broken.
HALLOWEEN IN JAVELINA CROSSING
BY PHILIP C. SEDGWICK
When a group of cosplayers perform a seance on Halloween, they conjure the spirit of a 1880s prostitute who reveals the unknown critical impact of one of technology's current gizmos.
