5th ANNUAL DADDYING FILM FESTIVAL & FORUM (D3F) ANNOUNCES
2026 ATTICUS AWARD FINALISTS
FREE Passes to Screen 70+ Short & Feature Films, January 9-15, NOW Available on Eventive
CHEVY CHASE, MD – January 7, 2026 – The Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F), the first and only film festival focused exclusively on promoting the importance of positive dad involvement for kids and families, announced today its 2026 Atticus Award Finalists. The 5th annual, virtual D3F kicks off this Friday, January 9, and runs through Thursday, January 15, on Eventive. The Festival features 70+ short and feature films, created by students, Dads, and indie filmmakers from around the world, celebrating the importance of positively involved fathers and father figures, in their presence and absence. Festival passes for unlimited, on-demand screenings are available for FREE on the D3F Eventive homepage.
The D3F 2026 Finalists are:
Best High School Student Film
Not All Heroes by Connor Strange, USA
​Skinned Knees by Olive Van Eimeren, USA
Not Aliens by Mridul Govind, USA
Intrusive by Alexander Welty, USA
Small Steps by Marcus Salazar, USA
A Bigger World by Devani Gayadin, USA
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Best College Undergraduate Student Film
To My Father by Matúš Gálik, Slovakia
Dad Said by Livia May, Netherlands
​Peony by Christine Walid Tannous, Lebanon
Like Father, Like Gum by Aidan Harris, United Kingdom
Roy R. Neuberger Prize for Best Dad-created Film
The Small Hours by Andrew Coughlin, USA
​Reconciliation by Ian Phillips, USA
Deep Sea by Cole Whitaker, USA
My Own Worst Enemy by Leon Tarris Thompson, United Kingdom
A Letter From The Trail by Greg Walkup, USA
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Best Feature Film
Paper Bag Plan by Anthony Lucero, USA
​Paw Paw & Dayja by Gregory Alan Williams, USA
Making MegaForce by Bob Lindenmayer, USA
Lessons From 100: Reflections in My Centennial Year by Matthew Floyd, USA
Fatherless No More by Kayla Johnson, USA
Redemption Road by Yusef Bunchy Shakur & Scott McCartney, USA
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Best Short Film
A Conversation Between Two Fathers of Remarkable Daughters by Nisha Pahuja & Neha Shastry, USA/Canada
​Kiki by Naomi Sheridan, Ireland
Going Home For the New Year by Alan Lai Yong Foo, Malaysia
Ceddo by Maxence Muller, Senegal
The Dog by Omri Levy, Israel
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Best Music Video
Long Walk Home by Justin Roberts, USA
Older by Ralph Hutchens & Nick Rotter, USA
Make A Stand by Jon Torrence, Detroit, USA
Playing on the Playground by Jeff "Mr. Jeff" Klemm, USA
Best Animated Film
Dad Said by Livia May, Netherlands
Becoming a Dad by Emma Lazenby, United Kingdom
The Family Photo by John Norris Ray & Maria Victoria Sanchez, USA
A Weight by Hugh Cowling, United Kingdom
Christmas Lights by Cameryn Koike, USA ​
The Atticus Awards
Atticus Award winners will be chosen in each finalist category with the help of public, online voting during the Festival. Voting opens at midnight EST, Friday, January 9, and closes at 11:59 pm EST on Thursday, January 15. Student winners each earn $250, and the Roy R. Neuberger Prize-winner for Best Dad-created film earns $500. Winners also receive an Atticus Award statuette, which symbolizes Atticus Finch from the 1962 film based on Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird. Finch, an iconic single Dad, represents several ideal daddying qualities.
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This year, D3F has created an Audience Choice Award to honor the film/video that earns the most overall audience votes during the Festival. This year's event will also feature six special Atticus Awards selected by the D3F judging panel and staff. They are:
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D3F Men Caring Award sponsored by Equimundo, for best film celebrating the many faces of daddying, including men who play nurturing, fatherly roles and make a positive impact in the lives of children and youth
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D3F Judges' Prize Best Documentary Feature
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D3F Judges' Prize Best Documentary Short
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D3F "Returning Dads" Award – Best film by/about Dads remaining connected or re-integrating with kids and family, including deployed, incarcerated, and estranged Dads
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D3F Filmmaker Impact Award – Recognizing a D3F Circle of Friends member who has provided exceptional support and guidance to youth and/or indie filmmakers/filmmaking; and
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Best Film In-Progress – Best Dad/dad figure-related film still in developmental stages of production.
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Award winners will be announced on Monday, January 19. A complete listing and descriptions of D3F 2026 Official Selections can be found on the D3F Eventive homepage.
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LIVE Daddying Film Forum
Select Atticus Award-winning and finalist films, past and present, will screen at the 4th Annual Daddying Film Forum, January 30-31, at American University in Washington, DC. The live Forum brings children/youth together with their Dads/dad figures, families, and mental health experts to examine and discuss thoughts, feelings, and insights in response to the D3F films they've watched. FREE passes to the live Forum are also available by visiting the D3F Eventive homepage.
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ABOUT D3F
The Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) is not your ordinary film fest. It is the first and only film festival worldwide focused exclusively on promoting the importance of positive Dad/dad figure involvement for kids and families. D3F was created by the DADvocacy Consulting Group’s Daddy Appleseed Fund (DAF) to offer children and youth a stage to express, through film/video, how they feel about the relationship they have or wish they had with their fathers. D3F also encourages Dad filmmakers to submit their own films for consideration and includes a stand-alone, live Daddying Film Forum to more directly improve the daddying experience for children and Dads alike. Since 2022, D3F has received submissions from filmmakers in 58 countries.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION or to request an interview with D3F Founder Allan Shedlin, please contact:
Scott Beller, D3F Director of Communications, scott [at] daddyingfilmfest [dot] com