WFF Alumni Films Recognized for Upcoming Awards Season
Written by Casey O’Connell for the Woodstock Film Festival
There’s a reason audiences keep coming back to the Woodstock Film Festival year after year—and it’s more than our incredible community vibes, intimate panels, and engaging industry Q&As. It’s terrific programming.
Several films that premiered at our annual festival and screened during our year-round programming have landed on this year’s Oscars® shortlist, while many others have been nominated for the 2026 Golden Globe Awards and the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards. WFF alumni films were also recognized in The Guardian’s Top 50 Best Movies of 2025 (special shoutout to THE LIBRARIANS, also a New York Times Critics’ Pick).
This year’s shortlist includes a large number of films by longtime WFF friends and collaborators, such as Ondi Timoner (ALL THE WALLS CAME DOWN), Eden Wurmfeld (CLASSROOM 4), and this year's Freedom of Speech Award recipient Laura Poitras (COVER-UP), as well as WFF 2025 award winners (CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS; SEEDS; CO-EXISTENCE, MY ASS!; LAST DAYS ON TRINITY LAKE).
We’re also celebrating standout titles from our long time filmmakers friends Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (FOLKTALES), our friends at NEON (SENTIMENTAL VALUE, ARCO, SIRAT, THE SECRET AGENT); Netflix (THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR, TRAIN DREAMS, JAY KELLY, WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY); Apple TV+ (COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT), along with many others.
Read on to see the full list of recognized films and categories—and congratulations to all our WFF alumni filmmakers!
Animated Short Film: CARDBOARD, ÉIRU, FOREVERGREEN, SNOW BEAR, THE THREE SISTERS
Casting: HAMNET, THE SECRET AGENT, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, SIRÂT
Cinematography: BUGONIA, HAMNET, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, SIRÂT, TRAIN DREAMS
Documentary Feature Film: THE ALABAMA SOLUTION, COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, COVER-UP, CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS, HOLDING LIAT, THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR, SEEDS
Documentary Short Film: ALL THE WALLS CAME DOWN, BAD HOSTAGE, CLASSROOM 4, LAST DAYS ON LAKE TRINITY, WE WERE THE SCENERY
International Feature Film: THE SECRET AGENT (Brazil), SENTIMENTAL VALUE (Norway), THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia)
Music (Original Score): BUGONIA, HAMNET, HEDDA, JAY KELLY, NUREMBERG, SIRÂT, TRAIN DREAMS, WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
Music (Original Song): “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” from COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, "Train Dreams” from TRAIN DREAMS, “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from VIVA VERDI!
Sound: SIRÂT
Best Motion Picture - Drama: HAMNET, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, THE SECRET AGENT
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: BLUE MOON, BUGONIA
Best Motion Picture - Animated: ARCO
Best Motion Picture - Non-English: SENTIMENTAL VALUE, SIRÂT, THE SECRET AGENT, THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB
Best Performance - Actress (Drama): Jessie Buckley - HAMNET, Julia Roberts - AFTER THE HUNT, Renate Reinsve - SENTIMENTAL VALUE, Tessa Thompson - HEDDA
Best Performance - Actor (Drama): Joel Edgerton - TRAIN DREAMS, Wagner Moura - THE SECRET AGENT
Best Performance - Actress (Musical/Comedy): Amanda Seyfried - THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE, Emma Stone - BUGONIA
Best Performance - Actor (Musical/Comedy): Ethan Hawke - BLUE MOON, George Clooney - JAY KELLY, Jesse Plemons - BUGONIA
Best Performance - Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning & Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Best Performance - Supporting Actor: Adam Sandler - JAY KELLY, Paul Mescal - HAMNET, Stellan Skarsgard - SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Best Director: Chloe Zhao - HAMNET, Joachim Trier - SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Best Screenplay: Chloe Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell - HAMNET, Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt - SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Best Score: Kangding Ray - SIRÂT, Max Richter - HAMNET
Best Original Song: Train Dreams - TRAIN DREAMS
Congratulations to our festival friends Amanda Seyfried, Parker Posey, and Walton Goggins on their additional Golden Globes nominations!
FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
Best Feature: PETER HUJAR'S DAY, THE PLAGUE, TRAIN DREAMS
Best First Feature: DUST BUNNY
Best Director: Clint Bentley - TRAIN DREAMS, Ira Sachs - PETER HUJAR'S DAY
Best Lead Performance: Everett Blunck - THE PLAGUE, Joel Edgerton - TRAIN DREAMS, Tessa Thompson - HEDDA, Ben Whishaw - PETER HUJAR'S DAY
Best Supporting Performance: Rebecca Hall - PETER HUJAR'S DAY, Nina Hoss - HEDDA
Best Breakthrough Performance: Kayo Martin - THE PLAGUE
Best Documentary: COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
Best International Film: THE SECRET AGENT, SIRÂT
Best Editing: Sofia Subercaseaux - THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
Best Cinematography: Alex Ashe - PETER HUJAR'S DAY, Adolpho Veloso - TRAIN DREAMS, Nicole Hirsch Whitaker - DUST BUNNY
Don’t miss our upcoming FREE encore screenings of three WFF 2025 festival favorites, and save the date for our Oscars Party to see which WFF alumni films take home the industry’s top honors.