2025 Award Winners

Salem Film Fest 2025 screened a total of 37 documentary films, including 22 features and 15 shorts. Among those films, this year the festival honors six filmmakers with awards which represent the appreciation of our audience and jury, and recognition of achievement in different disciplines in filmmaking. 

In a unique tradition of the fest, winners in each category will be awarded original handmade trophies created by artists based in Salem. These awards not only honor the filmmakers' achievements but also celebrate the collaboration between the film festival and the local art community. As we explore the nominated films and the visionaries behind them, we aim to spotlight the talent and creativity that mark the highlights of this year's Salem Film Fest.

SPECIAL JURY AWARD:

LIFE AFTER — WINNER
Directed by Reid Davenport

Jurors include: Chris Metzler, Clemence Taillandler, Eric Ford, Sarah Vincent, Sierra Urich

Award by Scott Lanes

Award by Arlene Brown

CULTRERA CUTS EDITING AWARD:

SABBATH QUEEN — WINNER
Directed by Sandi DuBowski

Jurors include: Allyson Sherlock, Casey Carter, Eric Gulliver, Flavia de Souza, Sally Wu

Award by Melynn Nuite

AUDIENCE AWARD:

CHECKPOINT ZOO — WINNER
Directed by Joshua Zeman

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY — RUNNER UP

Directed by Sam Feder

The Audience Award is determined by audience votes.

Award by Deb Linehan

MICHAEL SULLIVAN AWARD FOR JOURNALISM:

BLACK SNOW — WINNER
Directed by Alina Simone

Jurors include: Anna Feder, James Bennett II, James Sullivan, Peter Keough

Award by Elise Mankes

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER MAGAZINE AWARD:

THE RETURN OF THE PROJECTIONIST — WINNER
Directed by Orkhan Aghazadeh

"Visually, there are highlights throughout: gorgeously photographed landscapes; artfully lit, carefully calibrated interiors and exteriors; excellent use of framing and composition to provide thematic subtext; and a glorious use of a widescreen aspect ratio, which lends THE RETURN OF THE PROJECTIONIST a truly cinematic quality that underscores its very message about the joys and glories of movies and the sense of community they can create. As one local puts it, “Being in a cinema watching films together with other people is just different.” - Stephen Pizzello

Presented by Stephen Pizzello, Editor-in-Chief, American Cinematographer Magazine

Award by Sue Grillo

BEST SHORT AWARD

THE FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING — WINNER
Directed by Theo Panagopoulos

Jurors include: Anna Barsun, Cam Howard, John Gianvito, Katherine Irving, Nathan Fitch

Award by Peter Grimshaw

Mass Reality Check Winners:


1st - PÓPO
2nd - THE CLIMB
3rd - YOUR HARVEST MAY BE DELAYED

Prizes will be awarded by our industry sponsors, Boris FX, Women in Film and Video New England (WIFVNE) and Mass Production Coalition (MPC). The first place winner will also meet individually after the festival with programming staff from Salem Film Fest to get advice about filmmaking as a career and receive insights into funding and distribution, as well as other professional considerations.

Award by Richard Flynn

Keeping It Reel Winners:


1st - A CELEBRATION OF LIFE
2nd - OUR KINK HAIR
3rd - MAKING MAGIC IN MARBLEHEAD

Our doc shorts showcase for Massachusetts high school students, sponsored by Boris FX. A jury will award software packages provided by our sponsor to the top three films.

Programmer's Picks

With Salem Film Fest just around the corner, our programmers have handpicked a selection of must-see films to help you plan your schedule. These Programmers' Picks highlight some of the most thought-provoking and captivating documentaries in this year’s lineup—films that have stuck with us long after the credits rolled. Dive in and discover what’s not to be missed!
 

HOMEGROWN
Saturday, Mar. 29 @ 3:30pm, Cinema Salem


We've extended our time for Q&A for this screening to encourage civil discourse. SFF Alum Margo Guernsey (NO TIME TO FAIL, SFF 2023) will moderate the post-screening discussion with Director Michael Premo & Producer Rachel Falcone.

"In a time when the strength of our democracy is being tested, HOMEGROWN digs at the roots of those pushing its limits. As U.S. politics continue to shift, this film lingers, evolving with the moment and growing more urgent with time." 
- Emily Abi-Kheirs, Program Director

BLACK SNOW
Sunday, March 30 @ 3:00pm

Director Alina Simone in attendance! 

"BLACK SNOW is an eco-political thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I found this film to be a compelling and foreboding tale chronicling the true threat of unchecked government power." - Jeff Schmidt, Programmer Emeritus

LIFE AFTER
Saturday, March 29 @ 6:30pm, Cinema Salem

Director Reid Davenport will be in attendance for this North East Premiere! The film is open-captioned and ASL interpretation will be provided for the introduction and post-screening Q&A. A/D is available and there is a limited number of devices available at the cinema.

"LIFE AFTER is a nuanced and deeply caring film that tackles an incredibly difficult issue that the general public knows almost nothing about. The film pushes the audience to think about the value of a human being and what it means to care for one another in our society." - Heather Cassano, Programmer

THE SHEPHERD AND THE BEAR
Saturday, March 29 @ 2:45pm, Peabody Essex Museum

Director Max Keegan will be in attendance for live Q&A! 

Join us after the screening for our Wine Tasting with Filmmakers from 4-6pm at Salem Wine Imports.

"Set in the breathtaking landscape of the French Pyrenees, first-time filmmaker Max Keegan explores the conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears within a traditional shepherding community. Prepare for stunning visuals paired with an equally beautiful musical score; this intimate look into a vanishing world captures the tension between humans and a changing environment."
- Monica Cohen, Programmer

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY
Thursday, March 27 @ 7:30pm, Cinema Salem

Director Sam Feder will be in attendance for live Q&A following the screening! 

Join us before the screening at our Kick Off Party from 5-7pm at Old Town Hall!

"After watching this film I knew I wanted to watch it again in Salem. HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY is a classic film in style, made in and of the moment, it opens the dialogue about civil liberties and what we do to defend them."
- Saul Argenbright, Programmer

CONCERTO FOR OTHER HANDS
Saturday, Mar. 29 @ 12:45pm

Director Ernesto González Díaz will be in attendance for live Q&A! This film is spoken in Spanish with English subtitles on screen. CC and A/D devices are not available for this screening. ASL interpretation will be provided for the introduction and post-screening Q&A!

"Knitting together themes of family, interpersonal connection, the power of art, and the intensely personal ways that each of our bodies is capable of making unique, expressive music, the film is equal parts engrossing and inspiring."
- Joel Roston, Programmer

Filmmaker Spotlight — Josh Zeman, CHECKPOINT ZOO

In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Feldman Ecopark, a beloved animal refuge on the outskirts of Kharkiv, found itself caught in the crossfire. Home to over 5,000 animals, the zoo had long served as a sanctuary, offering animal therapy programs for children with special needs and adults in recovery. But as relentless shelling devastated the region, the animals were left trapped in their enclosures with dwindling food and water, while a handful of zookeepers struggled to care for them.

Five weeks into the war, the park’s founder, Oleksandr Feldman, issued a desperate plea on social media, capturing global attention. Volunteers and zoos across Ukraine and Europe rushed to help, sparking a daring rescue mission. Risking their lives, a team of zookeepers and volunteers infiltrated the Ecopark to evacuate the surviving animals—some tragically losing their own lives in the process. Through firsthand footage and on-the-ground reporting, filmmaker Joshua Zeman reconstructs this extraordinary rescue, offering a powerful testament to the resilience of both human and animal lives in the face of war.

Bridie O’Connell, Assistant Director of Salem Film Fest, had the opportunity to chat with Zeman ahead of CHECKPOINT ZOO’s New England premiere to learn more about the film.

BO: What initially drew you to this story, and at what point in the crisis did you decide this needed to be documented as a film?

JZ: A few months after Russia invaded Ukraine, I read an article in the New York Times about a chimpanzee named Chichi who had escaped from the Kharkiv Zoo, which is in Ukraine's second-largest city and only 30m from the Russian border. The escaped chimp was walking through Freedom Square which is a park in the center of this war-torn city. It was that juxtaposition of this chimp searching for its freedom, walking through Freedom Square while the residents of Kharkiv were searching for their freedom, but more so watching this video, you can see the faces of all these onlookers, who were both stunned and delighted by what they were witnessing… and that's the power that animals have on us -- how animals can heal us, how they can break through the horrors of war and make us realize there is still innocence in this world 

The next day, I did some research and discovered that Chichi had been evacuated from another zoo just outside of Kharkiv -- an animal sanctuary called Feldman Ecopark, that had been completely destroyed. And led me to the story of all these zookeepers and volunteers who had filmed themselves evacuating all these animals. At that point it was a story that I knew needed to be told.

BO: What were some of the biggest obstacles you faced in making CHECKPOINT ZOO, regarding access, safety, or storytelling while working in an active war zone?

JZ: Even just getting to Kharkiv took several days. You couldn't just fly into Kharkiv, or anywhere in Ukraine, so first I had to travel to Warsaw, Poland and then someone had to drive across the border and pick us up -- interestingly only Ukrainian women were allowed to drive across the border because the men were being conscripted. And we were in an active War Zone which meant we had to have medical training, we had to wear army helmets and kevlar vests that could stop a sniper bullet. It was intense. Even when we were filming interviews there were missile strikes all around us.

BO: Over the years, we've found that our Salem Film Fest audience loves animals. Through your work on this film, what moments or insights changed how you think about the bond between animals and humans?

JZ: Something that stuck out to me was just how many of the people who had to evacuate were carrying pets with them. It reminded me of a similar situation during Hurricane Katrina where so many people refused to leave their flooding homes unless they could bring their pets. And as much as this is a story of people saving animals, it's also really a story about how much animals save us.

There's one zookeeper in the film in particular who spoke about having a very difficult life and struggled with everything from addiction to homelessness to depression, and how he finally found a purpose in caring for animals at Feldman Ecopark. Its founder, this incredibly wealthy businessman, didn't hesitate at all to sell off incredibly valuable collections to fund the evacuation and even offer up the use of his home to shelter the animals while they looked for permanent homes. And again it's this idea that animals have the ability to bring out the best in us, which is what I wanted to capture with this film.

BO: The events documented in your film unfolded in real time and were captured by those experiencing it firsthand. How did you approach sourcing and incorporating this footage, and what do you think it adds to the film?

JZ: What's interesting is how big of a role that footage actually played in the story itself. The staff found places to relocate the animals to because of footage they posted to their social media explaining their crisis. That footage attracted the four young volunteers who helped with the evacuation and those volunteers filmed even more footage that made the story go viral across the world.

So much of the story unfolded because of the footage being shared by the staff, that incorporating it into the film was very natural. In terms of what it adds to the film, so much. It really grounds the film in the perspective of the everyday people who undertake this impossible mission. It's one thing to be told about a kid driving a pack of kangaroos out of a warzone, but to see that kid, smiling, filming himself on his phone with all these animals in the back of his van, it reminds you that these are real people, that this is really happening.

BO: What do you hope audiences take away from CHECKPOINT ZOO — both in terms of the human story and the larger impact of war on animals and conservation efforts?

JZ: For how much we love animals, we don't often think about them in such situations. We look at tragedies like war and natural disasters and we think about politics, borders, economics, and I hope that seeing it through the eyes of animals, who don't understand or care about any of that, makes us examine our own species. Very frequently, stories about war are stories about the dark, horrible sides of humanity, because war brings out the worst in us. But as I mentioned, animals bring out the best in us, and I hope that by putting the two side-by-side, audiences will see how extraordinary we can be when we're at our best.

CHECKPOINT ZOO screens in-person during Salem Film Fest at Cinema Salem on Friday, March 28 at 4:10pm.

2025 Jury Award Nominees

Salem Film Fest 2025 kicks off on Thursday, March 27, showcasing a compelling lineup of jury award nominees across five distinct categories. This year’s selection features up to five films per category, each recognized for its powerful storytelling and cinematic excellence. As the largest all-documentary film festival in Massachusetts, SFF continues to serve as a vital platform for filmmakers, offering them the opportunity to share their work and compete for top honors in both feature-length and short-form categories.

In keeping with a cherished festival tradition, winners in each category will receive original, handmade trophies crafted by Salem-based artists. These unique awards not only celebrate the achievements of the filmmakers but also highlight the deep connection between the festival and Salem’s vibrant arts community.

As we spotlight the nominated films and the visionaries behind them, we celebrate the talent, creativity, and diverse perspectives that define Salem Film Fest 2025.

ASSEMBLY

Special Jury Award Nominees:

  1. ASSEMBLY

  2. CHECKPOINT ZOO

  3. HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY

  4. LIFE AFTER

  5. SONGS OF SLOW BURNING EARTH

Jurors include: Chris Metzler, Clemence Taillandler, Eric Ford, Sarah Vincent, Sierra Urich

 

WRITING HAWA

Cultrera Cuts Editing Award Nominees:

  1. REMAINING NATIVE

  2. SABBATH QUEEN

  3. SONGS FROM THE HOLE

  4. THIRD ACT

  5. WRITING HAWA

Jurors include: Allyson Sherlock, Casey Carter, Eric Gulliver, Flavia de Souza, Sally Wu

 

ARTIFACT WAR

Michael Sullivan Award for Journalism:

  1. ARTIFACT WAR

  2. BALOMANIA

  3. BLACK SNOW

  4. HOMEGROWN

  5. LIFE AFTER

Jurors include: Anna Feder, James Bennett II, James Sullivan, Peter Keough

 

AS THE TIDE COMES IN

American Cinematographer Magazine Award:

  1. AS THE TIDE COMES IN

  2. SONGS OF SLOW BURNING EARTH

  3. THE FLAMINGO

  4. THE RETURN OF THE PROJECTIONIST

  5. THE SHEPHERD AND THE BEAR

Presented by Stephen Pizzello, Editor-in-Chief, American Cinematographer Magazine

 

PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS

Best Short Award:

  1. BLOODHOUND DOG

  2. HOUSE OF LIGHT

  3. MUTE UTOPIA

  4. PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS

  5. SHIP OF FOOLS

  6. THE FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING

Jurors: Anna Barsun, Cam Howard, John Gianvito, Katherine Irving, Nathan Fitch

Salem Film Fest 2025 begins on Thursday, March 27 and runs through Sunday, March 30.

2025 Program Reveal & Special Screening

SFF 2025 PROGRAM REVEAL & SPECIAL SCREENING — SOLD OUT!

Please Note: This program is SOLD OUT.
We have started a Wait List. Click the button below to sign up.

On Sunday, March 2, please join us for our 2025 Program Reveal & Special Screening, where we will offer an exclusive preview of the festival's 18th edition, featuring a showcase of film trailers and special video messages from the filmmakers behind our official selections. After a brief intermission, we will screen short film DUKAKIS: RECIPE FOR DEMOCRACY, directed by Jeff Schmidt (Programmer Emeritus), Erin Trahan (Former Jury Member), Joel Roston (Programmer), and special guests to be determined. Q&A will follow, so be sure to bring your questions!

Doors will open at 5:00pm and the program will begin at 5:30pm at Cinema Salem. Light refreshments will be generously provided by Lulu's Bakery and Pantry. Complimentary popcorn will also be provided. We will also be raffling off a 5-ticket pack to SFF 2025!

This event will sell out, so be sure to reserve your seats. Anyone who purchases a 5 or 10-ticket pack between now and March 2 will receive a promo code that can be redeemed for a complimentary ticket to the Program Reveal & Special Screening (while availability lasts and on a first-come, first-serve basis). Anyone who has already purchased a ticket pack has been sent an email with instructions on how to redeem their complimentary tickets. Thanks for supporting the fest!

SFF 2025 Presenting Sponsor