Spring 2026 Grant Program Award Recipients & Honorable Mentions

Thank you to every artist that submitted an application for the Flatiron Film Project's Spring 2026 Grants Program. We are delighted to announce our 2026 award recipients, as well as the Honorable Mentions!

2026 Spring Grants Program Award Recipients

The awarded projects receive our 2026 grants package, which includes a cash prize, discounts on post production services as Coupe Studios in Boulder as well as MassFX Media in Wheatridge, film festival submission waivers to AspenShortsfest, the Denver Film Festival, Denver Short Film Festival, and the Utah International Film Festival and Awards. Additionally, they will be invited to a small group session with Tammy Lynn of Spotlight PR to learn about publicizing their project on the festival circuit, and a small group session with Heidi Dean of Social Media for Actors, about how to promote their project via social media. Finally, they also receive a one-on-one film festival strategy session with Allison Volk.

Congrats to the awarded projects!

Evergreen

Natalie Jasmine Harris

Short Narrative.

A young woman travels to the Blue Ridge Mountains with her grandmother’s late-in-life love to scatter her ashes, uncovering buried stories, unexpected kinship, and a new understanding of love.

First Resort

Spencer Paez, Michael Rose, Claudia Restrepo

Narrative Feature.

Dario is a 30-something insecure actor moving backward in his life and career. When his bestie Jamie announces he might leave their starving artist lifestyle behind for a high-paying tech job in London, it upends Dario’s world. He’s thrust out of his comfort zone even more when Jamie’s birthday party is held at a Palm Springs men’s nude resort! Dario’s obsession with conventional beauty and transactional relationships fails him hilariously in the resort’s inclusive, diverse crowd. Rather than look inward, Dario directs his frustration into a rivalry with the gorgeous muscle gay he fears is tearing Jamie away from him.

God is a Pelican* Colorado Project

Carmela Murphy, AJ Dubler

Animated Short.

God is a Pelican is a stop-motion animated short that follows two misfit middle-school girls’ intense, queer, and turbulent friendship as they create their own religion. The religion is rooted in magic and play, while also a critique of institutional structures that have historically excluded queer people. Through this film, the girls reclaim certain aspects of religion like unconditional love and community, using it as a tool to bring queer and “othered” kids together, while also processing difficult feelings like gender dysphoria, loneliness, and growing pains. After playground sermons, midnight pond baptisms, and unruly followers, the religion sparks a school-wide panic, which ultimately leads to a Judas-like betrayal.

lakeside

Sid Gopinath, Alifya Ali

Narrative Short.

lakeside follows eleven year-old Krish as he wrestles with his understanding of fatherhood and friendship on a pivotal camping trip with his father and godfather. Krish watches the two men navigate an unspoken personal crisis, testing the limits of their friendship and trying to find ways to communicate. In the end, a quiet gesture of persistent friendship brings the two men together and shows Krish a way forward.

Strings of Influence* Colorado Project

Daniel Wright, Brendan Young, Lyman Smith

Short Documentary.

As his orchestra audition approaches, a young musician receives a donated World War II era violin, connecting him with its benefactor who is grappling with his family’s Nazi past. Bonded by the instrument, they discover that the old violin carries an urgent message.

2026 Spring Grants Program Honorable Mentions

Honorable mention projects will receive discounts on post-audio services from Coupe Studios in Boulder, as well as a one-on-one festival strategy session with Allison Volk.

Barnacles* Colorado Project

Alex Bugg, Annie Tadvick

Animated Short.

Elliot’s sleepy seaside life is thrown into chaos when she discovers a strange crustacean-like rash spreading across her body. As she fights to regain a sense of normalcy, the rash continues to grow and she must decide whether to shrink into herself further or take the plunge into a life of radical change. BARNACLES is a 2D animated body-horror short currently being crafted by filmmakers Alex Bugg and Annie Tadvick. To follow along on the project, check out our instagram: @barnaclesshortfilm.

Beyond the Barre* Colorado Project

Melody Hu

Short Documentary.

Beyond the Barre is a documentary that follows eight women aged 50 to 77 who challenge the narrow ideals of ballet by continuing to dance with aging bodies, offering a bold, graceful portrait of movement beyond expectation, and art that deepens with time.

Sound of Belonging

Gina Margillo, Ed Talavera

Feature Documentary.

In a disconnected, sprawling Miami, a scruffy urban choir unites voices of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. It toughs it out through obstacles like homelessness, mental health issues, and funding shortages to create radical belonging, in four-part harmony.