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

2020-2022 FESTIVALS

  • 19th Route 66 Film Festival 2020

    View the 2020 Festival poster (JPG)

    View the 2020 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Love is not Love (Stephen Keep Mills)

    Best Action Film: Pedal to the Metal (Ben Acevedo, Andrew Benson & Sabrina Demers)

    Best Animated Film: Meanwhile at the Abandoned Factory (Michael Cusack)

    Best Comedy Film: Age of Bryce (David Feagan & Brian Elliott)

    Best Drama Film: Omar and Us (Marina Er Gorbach & Mehmet Bahadir Er)

    Best "Environment" Themed Film: The Rotation (Hazhir As'adi)

    Best Experimental Film: The Heavy Shadow of the Crow (Behnam Asadolahi)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Lake of Happiness (Aliaksei Paluyan)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: COVID Room (Patty Babin)

    Best Student Showcase Film: Make My Day (Kirstem Reppas)

    The film voted Audience Favorite was: Tuscaloosa (Philip Harder)

    Film Festival Flix

  • 20th Route 66 Film Festival 2021

    View the 2021 Festival poster (JPG)

    View the 2021 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Final Deathtination (Marika Tamura, Japan)

    Outstanding Acting: House of Fortune (Adel Mashoori, Iran)

    Best Animated Film: The BetteView the 2021 Festival poster (JPG)r Angels (Michael Cusack, Australia)

    Best Comedy Film: Helicopter Mom (Heewon Jeong, USA)

    Best Debut Film: The Doll's Game (Mehdi Mahaei, Iran)

    Best Drama Film: The Audition (Eric Liberacki, USA/Illinois)

    Best "Women in the World" Themed Film: Rimi (Nischhal Sharma, India)

    Best Experimental Film: Hush (Joseph McGovern, USA)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Identibye (Sajjad Shahhatami, Iran)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: Debut (Connor Hopkins, USA/Illinois)

    Best Student Showcase Film: The Hidden Side of the Pocket Watch (Julie Zida, France)

    The film voted Audience Favorite was: Holes in the Sky (Ash Hamilton, USA/Illinois)

  • 21st Route 66 Film Festival 2022

    View the 2022 Festival poster (JPG)

    View the 2022 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges were:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: Tipping Point (Jon Meyer, USA)

    Best Animated Film: Closing Time (San Jose State University Students, USA)

    Best Claymation Film: The Statue (Mohsen Salehi Fard, Iran)

    Best Comedy Film: The Marshmallow Mystery Tour (Matthew & Jeff Beals, USA)

    Best Debut Film: Cold Start (Richard Townsley, USA)
    Best Drama Film: Launch (Vince Williams, USA)

    Best "Social Justice" Themed Film: The Last Photo (Mehmet Akif Guler, Turkey)

    Best Experimental Film: Almost a Masterpiece (Robert Belinoff, USA)

    Best Foreign Language Film: Eureka (Miida Chu, USA)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: Family (David L. Bradburn, USA/Illinois)

    Best Student Film: Out of Order (Mason Gillard, USA)

    The film voted Audience Favorite was: Swole Ghost (Tim Troemner, USA/Illinois)

    Film Festival Flix

  • 22nd Route 66 Film Festival 2023

    View the 2023 Festival poster (JPG)

    View the 2023 Festival Program (PDF)

    View the 2023 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges are:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: ALI VS. ALI (Alireza Rofouguran, Iran)

    Best Animation: (Tie) GENE’S 6th SYMPHONY (Jordi Garcia, USA)

    and HELP (Mehdi Hosseinzade, Iran)

    Best Comedy Film: MARGARINALLY DETAINED (Jeff Griggs, USA)

    Best Debut Film: THE LIE (Alana Stark, USA)

    Best Drama Film: GOOD GUY WITH A GUN (John Mossman, USA)

    Best Experimental Film: THE LAST SNOW (Shayan Naghibi, Iran)

    Best Foreign Language Film: WHERE IT BEGINS (Mohsen Asdaghpour, Iran)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: SPITBALL (Jim Menza, USA)

    Best Silent Film: THE STEAK (Kiarash Dadgar, Iran)

    Best Student Film: ODD/EVEN (Ya-Ting Yang, USA)

    Best Jr. Filmmaker-Documentary: HANCOCK COUNTY COURTHOUSE (Colin Weber, USA)

    Best Jr. Filmmaker-Narrative: SUSY AND THE PEANUT PROBLEM (Charlotte Rose Kalm, USA)

  • 23rd Route 66 Film Festival 2024

    View the 2024 Festival poster (PDF)

    View the 2024 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges are:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: HAND JOB (Davis Cameron Chu & Meezahn Senbetta, USA)

    Best Animation: THE SPLINT (Mehdi Sedighi, Iran)

    Best Comedy Film: CAMPING IN PARADISE (Eirik Tveiten, Norway)

    Best Debut Film: DARCINE’S DAY (Aaron Goffman, USA)

    Best Silent Film: HITCHHIKING TO MARS (Paul L Carr, USA)

    Best Foreign Language Film: THE MASTERPIECE (Alex Lora, Spain)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: FITTING DESCRIPTIONS (Tiffany Bedwell & John Mossman, USA)

    Best Student Film: BROTHERS: A CIVIL WAR STORY (Casey Schaffer, USA)

    Best Jr. Filmmaker - Animation: MR. COOL AND THE ATM (Larson Huss, USA)

    Best Road Adventure Film:‍ ‍AFTER IKE: A JOURNEY THAT CHANGED AMERICA (Gregory F. Maassen & Michael S. Owen, USA)

  • 24th Route 66 Film Festival 2025

    View the 2025 Festival poster (JPEG)

    View the 2025 Festival Program (PDF)

    Award winners chosen by the judges are:

    Hugh Moore Best of Festival: THE VOICE THAT ROCKED AMERICA: THE DICK BIONDI STORY (Pamela Enzweiler-Pulice, USA)

    Best Animation (Tie): THE ROPE (Saba Javar, Iran) and DRAFT PAPER (Olivia Moon, USA)

    Best Comedy Film: DO US PART (Reed Arnold, USA)

    Best Debut Film: LARP (Kordian Kadziela, Poland)

    Best Drama Film: XPENDABLE (Walter Ernest Haussner, USA)

    Best Documentary Film: SOIL & SOUL: FARMING IN THE SANGAMON RIVER VALLEY (Rich Saal, USA)

    Best Foreign Language Film: IDOLMAKERS (Luis Diogo, Portugal)

    Best Made in Illinois Film: ROOTS AND BLUES: THE MUDDY WATERS MOJO MUSEUM (Chandra Cooper and Nate Wyse, USA)

    Best Student Film: WHAT A FLOP! (Joshua Pyun)

    Best Jr. Filmmaker - Animation: MARK WANTS A SWITCH 2 (Reiley Burns, USA)

    Best Road Adventure Film:‍ ‍DUST TO MALIBU (Stephen Ward, USA)