Aesthetica Film Festival Announces Award Winners For 2026

The BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival has concluded its 16th anniversary edition, announcing this year’s award-winning filmmakers, game developers, podcast creators and musicians – a new generation of talent poised to shape the future of screen and media.

For 16 years, Aesthetica has been the home of new voices in film, where tomorrow’s BAFTA and Oscar nominees and winners are first discovered. Across five transformative days (4-8 November), York welcomed filmmakers, delegates, and industry professionals from over 60 countries worldwide, showcasing the festival’s significance as a truly international platform for storytelling and creative exchange. 

This year’s winners — selected from over 300 titles spanning 15 categories – represented the very best in innovation, creativity, and emotional storytelling. Audiences were reminded that the filmmakers, writers, and artists celebrated here are the stars of tomorrow, destined to become household names on the international stage.

2026 Award Winners are as follows…

Genre Awards

• Best Advertising: Light Hole – Toru Katori
• Best Animation: This is Not a Memoir  – Josh Earle
• Best Artists’ Film: Don’t Touch the Artwork – Shams Uz Zuha Mansur
• Best Comedy: Nobody Barks – Júlia Coldwell Serra
• Best Dance: A Sad Woman – Leïla Macaire, Romane Piffaut
• Best Documentary: Forgotten Spaceman – Elham Ehsas
• Best Drama: Slap!!  – Mikolaj Piszczan
• Best Experimental: Rusalki – Eva Blackwell-Rogelj
• Best Family Friendly: To Catch a Siren – Raphaela Wagner
• Best Fashion: Amberstiche – Victoria Juemei Gong
• Best Music Video: CHINGONA – Rupert Höller
• Best Thriller: Bruised Sky  – Gary James Kent
• Best VR & Immersive: Mirage – Naima Karim
• Best Game: Hillthorn – Fool Moon
• Best Podcast: The Metaphor Consultant – Falling Tree Productions
• New Music Stage Winner: WineMom

Craft & Special Awards

• Best Director: Anon – Dylan Brady
• Best Cinematography: Alone – Cinematographer. Jim Petersen, dir. Shian Denovan
• Best Editing: To Run is to Return – Editor. Andy Sowerby, dir. Precious Wura Alabi
• Best Screenplay: You Told Us To Talk About The Weather – Writer. Emma-Louise Howell, dir. Harry Tomlin
• Best of Fest: Don’t Touch the Artwork – Shams Uz Zuha Mansur

Festival Highlights: Celebrating Independent Screen & Media

Aesthetica 2026 screened more than 300 films across multiple venues, representing genres from drama and documentary to experimental work and immersive VR projects. Filmmakers from around the world attended in person, sparking conversations and collaborations that extended beyond the cinemas into York’s streets.

Masterclasses and Industry Insight

The festival’s extensive Masterclass Series brought some of the biggest names in film, television and media to the city, offering audiences unparalleled access to industry leaders, including:

• Mark Jenkin (Bait, Enys Men & Rose of Nevada)

• Brian J. Falconer (Derry Girls)

• Jess Iszatt (BBC Introducing on BBC Radio 1)

Industry organisations such as BBC, Film4, Framestore, ITV, Neal Street Productions, Ridley Scott Associates and Ubisoft shared insights into directing, screenwriting, post-production, and the creative use of emerging technologies. Plus Aardman celebrated 50 years with two guest screenings of their iconic stop-motion animation titles and a masterclass with Director and Creative at Aardman Will Becher.

New Music Stage Music: Championing Emerging Music Talent

This year, Aesthetica brought film and music together across a dedicated Music Programme, creating a space where emerging artists could perform, connect with industry and meet new audiences in York.

At its heart was the New Music Stage: an all-day celebration of live music at York Theatre Royal on Saturday 7 November. Ten breakthrough artists took to the stage across genres including indie, folk, jazz, hip-hop, alt-pop and pop, offering audiences the chance to discover the headliners of tomorrow. The winners, WineMom, are a four-piece based in Dublin who are stepping their way to the forefront of the Irish music scene. They impressed the jury and audience with their originality and electric stage presence.

The New Music Stage connected artists, record labels, A&R representatives, music professionals and audiences, with panels, masterclasses and networking with BBC Introducing on Radio 1, Beggars Group (Rough Trade & Matador Records), GQ, Dazed, Universal Music and more in attendance.

Immersive Media Arts Trail

The Radical Listening Immersive Media Arts Trail, created in partnership with Audible, brought three new works by Squidsoup, Steve Messam and Being Now Here into York’s public spaces. Using light, sound and interactive technology, the free trail captivated thousands of visitors across the festival’s five days, becoming a must-attend spectacle for the city.

Celebrating Media Arts: UNESCO EXPO, Podcast Lounge, VR & Games Lab

The VR & Games Lab pushed the boundaries of storytelling through interactive and immersive media. The Podcasting Lounge celebrated excellence in audio storytelling, while the York UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO highlighted cutting-edge innovation across digital media, visual effects, and design. Presented alongside the EXPO, a programme of workshops and talks from York Business School welcomed audiences to hear speakers from Argonon, Creative UK, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Innovate UK, and Screen Yorkshire. Workshops for children and teens in filmmaking, animation, and coding nurtured the next generation of creative talent.

UK Film Production Summit

The UK Film Production Summit, held at The Grand, York, brought together senior figures from film and television to York for panels, keynotes and networking, with commissioners and producers from organisations including Film4, Ridley Scott Associates, Sky and Warner Bros.

Chaired by Ridley Scott Associates, discussions explored Trends in Storytelling: From Commissioning to Global Franchises. Independent music supervisor Ed Bailie delivered a session on Telling Stories Through Sound, speaking about how he collaborates with filmmakers to bring their soundtrack visions to life and exploring his work across film and TV (Netflix’s Legends, the BAFTA-winning Mood, Terence Davies’ Benediction and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology).

Farhana Bhula, Director of Film4, delivered a keynote, offering exclusive insights into the ever-changing industry and what it really takes to get a film made.

Cherie Federico (Festival Director) said:

“Aesthetica is about discovery, ambition, and possibility. Over five days, York becomes a place where the next generation of talent is seen first, where ideas collide, and where creativity thrives across every discipline – from film and music to VR, games, and podcasts. This festival is the beating heartbeat of the UK’s creative sector, a space where innovation, culture, and storytelling converge, shaping the future of our industry.”

Next year’s festival will run Wednesday 3 November – Sunday 7 November and will be Aesthetica’s 17th edition. Tickets on sale soon.