Winners & Submissions

Cosmic Film Festival
2023 Winners

“Nothing Like The Sun” by Aia Pescalia
Best Film

View “Nothing Like the Sun” on YouTube.
“Nothing Like The Sun” is a horror short film created by MUSE Editorial, a UTD student led creative organization, depicting the horrors of traditional womanhood and beauty standards. The film shows the juxtaposition between traditional principles and modern culture encapsulated in a psychological horror.

“Birding” by Alexis Truman
Audience Choice

View “Birding” on YouTube.
A high school student joins an online club meeting out of obligation. The club president gradually reveals her true colors.

“Smother” by Alexis Truman
Best Director

View “Smother” on YouTube.
A teenage girl takes care of a creature she keeps in her underwear drawer. In time, she comes to find out it may have been better off without her.

“The Philippines” by Chris Cammarata
Best Cinematography

View “The Philippines” on YouTube.
A reflective piece surrounding the beauty of the Philippines and its people. Enjoy lush landscapes and warm, welcoming faces as you join me on my journey of self-discovery.

“LOCKED” by Ahmad Khoshniat
Best Editing

View “LOCKED” teaser on Vimeo.
A trapped human named “Man,” with the hope of Freedom keeps begging and worshiping a stony icon, which sucks his sap of life instead of allowing him to be free. But the Man is never freed until he proceeds variously.

“A Walk Home” by Abhinav Yerramreddy
Best Acting

View “A Walk Home” on YouTube.
A student walks home to his apartment, not without the disturbances of a couple who erratically show up throughout his journey along with other existential threats. As the encounters increase, the student grows increasingly more paranoid as the line between reality and imagination blurs, all leading to a surreal breakthrough.

“A Successful Path” by Martin Cho
Best Screenplay

View “A Successful Path” on Vimeo.
Animated short film based on a creator’s experience from 2015 through 2022, a college student desperately seeks to achieve more positive and successful life in the future. While chasing his goal through a hollow path, student eventually comes to accept his different personality and interests through small success.

“WHEN L.R WEPT” by Ahmad Khoshniat
Best Sound Design

View “WHEN L.R WEPT” via Google Drive.
WHEN L.R WEPT is an audiovisual invitation to a mental and personal world where its audiences get stimulated to ponder over the main agent of global wars and more importantly those consequences that fill the agent with extreme remorse!