5th ANNUAL DADDYING FILM FESTIVAL & FORUM ANNOUNCES
2026 ATTICUS AWARD WINNERS
JANUARY 19, 2026 – Chevy Chase, MD – 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 its 2026 Atticus Award winners today across 14 student, Dad, and indie filmmaker categories. The D3F 2026 Atticus Awards went to:
Best High School Student Film:
Skinned Knees by Olive Van Eimeren, USA – Colorado Springs, CO
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Best College Student Film:
To My Father by Matúš Gálik, Slovakia
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Roy R. Neuberger Prize for Best Dad-created Film:
The Small Hours by Andrew Coughlin, USA – Los Angeles, CA
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Best Feature Film:
Paper Bag Plan by Anthony Lucero, USA – Oakland, CA
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Best Short Film:
Kiki by Naomi Sheridan, Ireland
Best Music Video:
Long Walk Home by Justin Roberts, USA – Chicago, IL
Best Animated Film:
Dad Said by Livia May, Netherlands
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D3F Audience Choice Award (most viewed/festival streams):
Fatherless No More by Kayla Johnson, USA – Orlando, FL
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Special Judges' Awards
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D3F Men Caring Award for Best Dad-figure Film:
Paper Bag Plan by Anthony Lucero, USA – Oakland, CA
D3F Judges’ Prize for Best Documentary Feature Film:
Fatherless No More by Kayla Johnson, USA – Orlando, FL
D3F Judges’ Prize for Best Documentary Short Film:
A Conversation Between Two Fathers of Remarkable Daughters by Nisha Pahuja & Neha Shastry, Canada – Toronto/USA – Brooklyn, New York
Best “Returning Dad” Film:
Reconciliation by Ian Phillips, USA – New York, New York
Recognizes the best film by/about Dads remaining connected or re-integrating with kids and family, including deployed, incarcerated, and estranged Dads.
Best Film In-Progress:
The Memory Loophole by Viviane Silvera – New York, New York
This award recognizes the Best Dad/dad figure-related film still in developmental stages of production. The Memory Loophole is a feature-length documentary combining live-action footage and hand-painted animation. The film follows Victoria, a woman in her 30s, as she searches for an understanding of the father she lost as a child — and the emotional blueprint his absence left behind.
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D3F Filmmaker Impact Award:
Youth Documentary Academy – Colorado Springs, CO
This award recognizes a D3F Circle of Friends member who has provided exceptional support and guidance to youth and/or indie filmmakers/filmmaking.
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Since 2022, D3F has received films from filmmakers in 58 countries. D3F 2026 presented 70+ short and feature films/videos created by students, Dads/dad figures, and indie filmmakers from around the world during its 5th annual virtual festival, which ended Thursday, January 15. The festival recorded 1,500+ film screenings.
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The Atticus Awards & Daddying Film Forum
D3F student finalists earned a $250 award for use toward an activity or project to enjoy with their Dad/dad figure, and student winners earned an additional $250. All D3F winners earn an “Atticus” statuette symbolizing 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. ​The Roy R. Neuberger Prize and Men Caring Award winners both earned $500.​
Select Atticus Award-winning and finalist films, past and present, will screen at the live Daddying Film Forum on January 30-31 at American University in Washington, DC. The Forum brings children and 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 available on Eventive.
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Our other D3F 2026 Atticus Award finalists were:
Best High School Student Film
Not All Heroes by Connor Strange, USA
​Intrusive by Alexander Welty, USA
A Bigger World by Devani Gayadin, USA
Not Aliens by Mridul Govind, USA
Small Steps by Marcus Salazar, USA
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Best College Undergraduate Student Film
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
​Deep Sea by Cole Whitaker, USA
Reconciliation by Ian Phillips, 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
Fatherless No More by Kayla Johnson, 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
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​
Going Home For the New Year by Alan Lai Yong Foo, Malaysia
Ceddo by Maxence Muller, Senegal
The Dog by Omri Levy, Israel
Daddy to Be by Joanna Kim, USA
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Best Music Video
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
A Weight by Hugh Cowling, United Kingdom
Becoming a Dad by Emma Lazenby, United Kingdom
The Family Photo by John Norris Ray & Maria Victoria Sanchez, USA
Christmas Lights by Cameryn Koike, USA
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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