The Gotham Film & Media Institute Reveals 2026 Gotham Week Honors Winners

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AMERICAN GIRLHOOD, WHEN THE GOATS CAME, MUCHO POWER, and DEBATERS earned top honors at the third annual ceremony in Brooklyn.

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The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced the winners of the third annual Gotham Week Honors, the centerpiece of Gotham Week's forty-seventh edition. The honors recognize outstanding projects and filmmakers participating in the 2026 Gotham Week Project Market across its Documentaries, Global Producers Hub, U.S. Features in Development, and U.S. Shorts to Features sections.

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Winning the Documentaries honor was American Girlhood, directed by Jamie Boyle and produced by Jamie Boyle and Nico Opper, with Kellen Quinn serving as executive producer. Green Gold, directed by Ivonne Serna and Sélim Benzeghia and produced by Sélim Benzeghia, Carlos Pérez Osorio, and Will N. Miller, with Alex Pritz as executive producer, received a special mention.

Winning the Global Producers Hub honor was When the Goats Came, presented by IFFR/Rotterdam, directed and written by Arthur Gay and produced by Alex Polunin, Ilai Amar, Alix Whittaker, and Laura Ganotis, with Tim White and Victoria Dabbs serving as executive producers. Johnny Tiger, presented by Telefilm Canada, received a special mention. The film is written and directed by Ian Kenji Barbour and produced by Hannah Donegan and Marc Serpa Francoeur.

Winning the U.S. Features in Development honor was Mucho Power, written, directed, and produced by Fernando Frías de la Parra, with Gerry Kim serving as writer and producer. Hard Break, written and directed by Jasmine J. Johnson and produced by Whitney Fuller and Katy Wicker, received a special mention.

Winning the U.S. Shorts to Features honor was Debaters, written and directed by Alex Heller and produced by Eugene Sun Park and Alex Heller. Otherwise Innocent, written and directed by Julian Joslin and produced by Mark Berger and Sam Rockwell , with Laith Nakli serving as executive producer, received a special mention.

Bassam Tariq, Liz Garbus, and Elizabeth Wolff each received Alumni of Distinction Awards (presented by director Omar Mullick and The Gotham's Executive Director Jeffrey Sharp), recognizing their longstanding relationships with The Gotham and continued contributions to the independent filmmaking community.

Joybubbles, directed by Rachael J. Morrison , received the Best Film Coming to a Cinema Near You honor. A 2022 Gotham Week Project Market alum, Joybubbles is a documentary about a boy who discovers he can control the global telephone system by whistling a magic tone. The honor was presented by The Gotham's Managing Director Kia Brooks and Arthouse Convergence Executive Director Lela Meadow-Conner.

The 2026 Gotham Week Honors took place on Wednesday, September 30 at 26 Bridge in DUMBO, Brooklyn, following the in-person close of the Project Market. The honors are part of Gotham Week, which runs Sunday, September 27 through Saturday, October 3 in Brooklyn, New York, with programming centered in DUMBO.

Each of the Gotham Week Honors Project Market winners will receive prize packages of cash and in-kind services, made possible by the program's supporters.

For the Documentaries honor, presented by Director Nicole Craine. Other Jury members for this section are directors Elegance Bratton and Luchina Fisher.

American Girlhood Director: Jamie Boyle Producers: Jamie Boyle, Nico Opper Executive Producer: Kellen Quinn

Special Mention: Green Gold Directors: Ivonne Serna, Sélim Benzeghia Producers: Sélim Benzeghia, Carlos Pérez Osorio, Will N. Miller Executive Producer: Alex Pritz

For the Global Producers Hub honor, presented by Producers Nikkia Moulterie and Daniel Tantalean. The other jury member is producer Ménaïc Raoul.

When the Goats Came (presented by IFFR/Rotterdam) Director/Writer: Arthur Gay Producers: Alex Polunin, Ilai Amar, Alix Whittaker, Laura Ganotis Executive Producers: Tim White , Victoria Dabbs

Special Mention: Johnny Tiger (presented by Telefilm Canada) Writer/Director: Ian Kenji Barbour Producers: Hannah Donegan, Marc Serpa Francoeur

For the U.S. Features in Development honor, presented by producer Joe Pirro and writer/directors Xia Magnus and Olivia Jampol .

Mucho Power Writer/Director/Producer: Fernando Frías de la Parra Writer/Producer: Gerry Kim

Special Mention: Hard Break Writer/Director: Jasmine J. Johnson Producers: Whitney Fuller, Katy Wicker

For the U.S. Shorts to Features honor, presented by producers Christian Lopez Lamelas and Ani Schroeter. The other member of this jury is producer Bobbi Sue Luther.

Debaters Writer/Director: Alex Heller Producers: Eugene Sun Park, Alex Heller

Special Mention: Otherwise Innocent Writer/Director: Julian Joslin Producers: Mark Berger , Sam Rockwell Executive Producer: Laith Nakli

This year's winners will receive prizes courtesy of Fujifilm, Universal Production, and Think Tank Photo.

The Gotham Week Premier Sponsors are Amazon MGM Studios and Netflix, Gold Sponsors SAGindie and The Walt Disney Studios, Official Automotive Sponsor Genesis, and Official Hotel Sponsor Tempo by Hilton.

The Gotham celebrates and nurtures independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. The organization, under the leadership of Executive Director and award-winning producer Jeffrey Sharp, fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Gotham Week, Filmmaker Magazine, The Gothams, Gotham EDU, Owning It, and Expanding Communities.

Photo Credit: Julie Thompson for The Gotham Film & Media Institute

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Photos-The-Gotham-Announces-2026-Gotham-Week-Honors-Winners-20261001)._