Boulder International Film Festival announces 2026 award winners

The Boulder International Film Festival has announced its 2026 award winners following the festival’s April 9–12 run.

John Carney’s Power Ballad took the Best Feature Film award, while Felipe Bustos Sierra’s Everybody to Kenmure Street was named Best Documentary. The Best Music Film award went to Los Lobos Native Sons, directed by Doug Blush and Piero F. Giunti.

Leo Woodall won Best Performance for his role in Tuner.

In the adventure categories — a longstanding emphasis for BIFF — The Dark Wizard, directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen, received the Jonny Copp Adventure Film Award. Allison Argo’s Frozen Frames: Murphy’s Yellowstone was named Best Adventure Short.

Mara Tasker’s The River received the Impact Award.

In the short film categories, Extremist, directed by Aleksandr Molochnikov, won Best Short Film, and The Baddest Speechwriter of All, directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry, won Best Short Documentary. The Proudfoot and Curry film also took the People’s Choice Award for Best Short.

The People’s Choice Award for Feature Length Film went to Jane Elliott Against the World, directed by Judd Ehrlich.

Rainbow Shultz, chef and owner of The Jamestown Mercantile Cafe, was named Best CineCHEF in the festival’s annual culinary competition.

The full list of winners is available on the BIFF website.