Click each year for a description of that year’s winners.

2010-2019 FESTIVALS

  • 9th Route 66 Film Festival 2010

    2010 Festival Schedule (PDF file)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Best Animation: The Offering (Michael Zachary Huber)

    Best Thriller: Dead Cat Bounce (Daric Gates)

    Best Debut Short: Topeka (Eric Steele)

    Best Drama Short: Spring Grove (Matt Mulcahey)

    Best Foreign Film: La Toma (The Take) (Alfonso Lourido)

    Best Illinois Short: As Ever, Stan (Alexander Schwarm)
    Best Comedy: Telemafia (Diane Namm)

    Best of Fest: Two Hours in the Dark (Chip Hackler)

    Abe Lincoln Award Winner: Lost River (Jason Urban)

    Audience Favorites were:

    Best Debut Film: Checkmate (Joe Bohn)

    Best Drama: Miracle Fish (Luke Doolan)

    Best History Short: The Desperate (Ben Hur Sepehr)

    Best Drama Feature: Wid Winner & the Slipstream (Alex Gaynor)

    Thriller/Horror Contest Winner: Delaney (Carles Torrens)

    Best Documentary Feature: Against All the Odds (Sandra Pfeiffer)

    Best Documentary Short: Beyond the Passion Pit (April Wright)

    Best Debut Feature: Earthwork (Chris Ordal)

  • 10th Route 66 Film Festival 2011

    2011 Festival Schedule

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Best of Festival: The Italian Key (Rosa Karo, Seppo Toivonen, & Tuomas Kantelinen)

    Best Animation: Worlds Apart (Michael Zachary Huber)

    Best Comedy: Der Sadmann (Peter Luisi)

    Best Comedy Short: Time Freak (Andrew Bowler)

    Best Debut Short: In the Middle (Thomas Ward)

    Best Documentary: Flight to the Wall (Bill Matson)

    Best Drama Feature: God's Ears (Michael Worth)

    Best Drama Short: Rita (Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza)

    Best Experimental Film: Pillow Girl (Ronnie Cramer)

    Best Foreign Film: Quirk of Fate (Marco J. Riel)

    Best Illinois Feature: Revolting (Michael Boedicker)

    Best Illinois Short Film: In Vino Veritas (Joseph Taylor)

    Best Thriller: Strings (Mark Dennis & Ben Foster)

    Audience Favorites were:

    Comedy: 4 Pictures (Mike Madigan)

    Debut Film: Rainbow Rabbit Reliant ( Kitt Lavoie; Josh & Stephanie Casaubon)

    Drama: Poke (Joshua Mullins)

    Illinois Film: Left Alone (Seth Boggess & Natasha Warloe)

  • 11th Route 66 Film Festival 2012

    2012 Festival Program Book and Schedule (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Best of Festival (Apocalyptic Film): The Charon Incident (Alan Wylie)

    Best History Film: 778 Bullets (Angela Aguayo)

    Best Student Film: Alone Together (Ben Kadie)

    Audience Favorites were:

    Best Animation: Being Bradford Dillman (Emma Burch)

    Best Comedy: D.I.N.K.S (Double Income, No Kids) (Robert Alaniz)

    Best Drama: Half Good Killer (Brent Ryan Green)

    Best Debut Film Coin Toss (Satya Kharkar)

    Best Experimental Film: Welcome

    Back (Jesus Plaza)

    Best Foreign Film: Hourglass (Pedro Collantes)

  • 12th Route 66 Film Festival 2013

    2013 Festival Schedule (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Best of Festival: The Interviewer (Genevieve Clay)

    Best Animation: Sleight of Hand (Michael Cusack)

    Best Comedy: You Don't Say (Robert Alaniz)

    Best Drama: Rose, Mary and Time (Hardeep Giani)

    Best Experimental Film: Virtuos Virtuell (Thomas Stellmach)

    Best Illinois Film: Wooing Wes Wilson (Thad Vassmer)

    Best Military Film: Not Anymore (Matthew VanDyke)

    Best Student Film: Quest for Peace (Matthew Evans)

    Judges also issued awards for the film They Will Outlive Us All (Patrick Shearer) to:
    Best Actress: Jessi Gotta (as Margot)
    Best Actor: Nat Cassidy (as Daniel)

    Audience Favorites were:
    The Interviewer (Genevieve Clay)
    You Don't Say (Robert Alaniz)

  • 13th Route 66 Film Festival 2014

    2014 Festival Schedule (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Best of Festival: Into the Silent Sea (Andrej Landin)

    Best Documentary: M66: The Road to Freedom (Roger Otis)

    Best Feature Length Drama: Sombras De Azul (Kelly Daniela Norris)

    Best Experimental Film: Rez Cars (Clancy Dennehy)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Con Quien Sueña Berta? (Francisco Javier Gomez Pinteño)

    Best Romantic Comedy: In the Dark (Bettina Bilger)

    Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy: On/Off (Thierry Lorenzi)

    Best Student Film: Same Time, Same Place (Matt Gengel)

    Judges also issued awards for actors, and one special award
    Best Actor, Male: Peter Arpesella, Into the Silent Sea
    Best Actor, Female: Rosie Keogh, Dark Origins
    For excellence in the promotion of Independent film:
    Mailuki Films (7 festival entries), Eduardo Moises Escribano Solera

    The Audience Favorite was: Nothing in Los Angeles (Alexander Tovar, Rob Herring)

  • 14th Route 66 Film Festival 2015

    2015 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Writer's Cramp (Darva Campbell)

    Best Animation: Tick Tock (Zeynep Kocak)

    Best Comedy: Snooze Tease (Tim Phillips)

    Best Drama: Wildlike (Frank Hall Green)

    Best Debut Film: Writer's Cramp (Darva Campbell)

    Best Experimental Film: StalkerZ (Damien Patrik)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Love At First Sight (Mark Playne)

    Best Horror Film: Pale Creatures of the Night (Tim Troemner)

    Best Illinois Film: Doug's Christmas (Calvin Steinken)

    Best Mockumentary: Directors on Directing (Damien Patrik)

    Best "Race in Society" Film: Tu & Eu (Edward Shieh)

    Best Student Showcase Film: Keep It Clean (Matthew Rivers & Evan Sennett)

    Notable Documentary: When Voices Meet (Nancy Sutton Smith)

    The Audience Favorite was:Pale Creatures of the Night (Tim Troemner)

  • 15th Route 66 Film Festival 2016

    2016 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Striking a Chord (Susan Rockefeller)

    Best Animation: Fred (leftchannel, Circa Music)

    Best Comedy: Your Money or Your Wife (Iain MacLeod)

    Best Drama: In The Blink (Damien Patrik)
    Best Debut Film: Not A Stranger (James Russo)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Stella Amore (Cristina Puccinelli)

    Best Illinois Film: Democracy in the Driver's Seat (Gail Gilbert)

    Best "Heroes & Heroines" Film: Wild Horses & Wild Men (Pat Shannahan)

    Best Student Showcase Film: Rocket (Brenna Malloy)

    The Audience Favorite was: Your Money or Your Wife (Iain MacLeod)

  • 16th Route 66 Film Festival 2017

    View the 2017 Festival poster

    View the 2017 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Alfred J. Hemlock (Edward Lyons)

    Best Animation: The Pirate Cruncher (Howard Cook)

    Best Comedy: Streaker (Peter Luisi)

    Best Drama: A Pact Among Angels (Richard Angers)

    Best Debut Film: Self-Made Man/Rainbow Sunshine Woman (Carol Caster)

    Best Foreign Language Film: 2 By 2 (Mark Playne)

    Best Illinois Film: The Sheriff's Children (Mike Boedicker)

    Best "Freedom" Themed Film: Crows of the Desert (Marta Houske)

    Best Student Showcase Film: Adventures of Lucy (Teddy Valentovich)

    The Audience Favorite was: My Country (Giancarlo Iannotta)

  • 17th Route 66 Film Festival 2018

    View the 2018 Festival poster

    View the 2018 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Power to Heal (Charles Barnett & David Loewenthal)

    Best Debut Film: The Little Dictator (Nurith Cohn)

    Best "Democracy" Themed Film: Father K (Judd Ehrlich)

    Best Drama: This Modern Man is

    Beat (Alex Merkin)

    Best Experimental Film: Georgia O'Keefe & Me (Robert Belinoff)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Forgive Me (Besim Ugzmajli)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: Spaceman (Christopher Oliva)

    Best Student Showcase Film: Lost in Aroncore (Ryan Wagner)

    The NPRIllinois Audience Favorite was: The Little Dictator (Nurith Cohn)

  • 18th Route 66 Film Festival 2019

    View the 2019 Festival poster (PDF)

    View the 2019 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: The Obituary of Jasper James (Ryan Fenson-Hood)

    Best Animated Film: A Big Mission (Longyin Zhou & Yujie Chen)

    Best Comedy Film: This Is Cindy (Terence Miller)

    Best Debut Film: Chemistry Read (Norm Lang)

    Best "Diversity" Themed Film: My Dream Goes All the Way to Iran (Negar Mojtahedi)

    Best Drama Film: The Land (Stephen Wallace Pruitt)

    Best Experimental Film: Transit(ion) (Robert Sickels)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Rruga (The Path) (Besim Ugzmajli)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: 25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln (Ellen Brodsky)

    Best Student Showcase Film: Fraser Syndrome & Me (Kyle Anne Grendys)

    The film voted Audience Favorite was: Inheritance (Elijah Alvarado)