Screamfest 2026 Winners: Kick On Takes Best Picture
The Screamfest 2026 winners have been announced, with Kick On taking home Best Picture and Best Make-Up and its director Nick Kozakis earning Best Director. The 26th annual horror festival ran October 6–15 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, recognizing feature films, shorts and the people behind them.
Kick On leads the Screamfest 2026 winners
Kick On emerged with three awards, including the festival’s top honor. Other major acting prizes went to Javier Botet for Gummy and Laura Im for Valley View Motel. Postmortem received the cinematography award for Santiago Otoya, while Rinrada the Influencer won for special effects.
Screamfest closed its 2026 edition with the premiere of Kevin Lewis’s Christmas at the Kringles, featuring Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Rob Riggle, Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin, Donald Faison, Beverly D’Angelo and David Wain. The festival’s final night capped a ten-day program of genre films and filmmaker events.
Full Screamfest 2026 awards list
- Best Picture: Kick On, Nick Kozakis
- Best Director: Nick Kozakis, Kick On
- Best Cinematography: Santiago Otoya, Postmortem
- Best Actor: Javier Botet, Gummy
- Best Actress: Laura Im, Valley View Motel
- Best Editing: Jeanne Signé and Edouard Alvado, Nine
- Best Special Effects: Artistaya Arriyawongsa, Rinrada the Influencer
- Best Make-Up: Kick On, Nick Kozakis
- Best Musical Score: Matthew Pusti, Nervous
- Best Short: J. Zachary Thurman, It Helps
- Best Student Short: Sam Shapson, Newcomer
- Best Animated Short: Arthur Bonneau, Avant de Rentrer
- Short Film Audience Choice Award: Sam Ripley, TV Dad
The winners offer a useful starting point for anyone keeping track of independent horror coming out of this year’s festival. You can also explore our Screamfest reviews and festival articles for more from the event.
Sources: Screamfest Horror Film Festival
