The following is a list of awards that will be presented at the International Beverly Hills Film Festival Gala and Award Ceremony, which takes place on the fifth and final evening of the festival:

Special Awards

The BHFF Golden Palm Award (given to the best film competing in ALL categories):
The film that wins the Golden Palm is a film that not only reflects mastery of the filmmaking arts, but of storytelling and humanity, whether it is fiction or nonfiction in nature. The winner, in short, is the film that grabs us by body and mind, and never let’s go.

The BHFF Living Legend Award
Introduced by past award winner and former member of the BHFF Board, Hector Cruz Sandavol, The Living Legend Award recognizes and honors legendary figures that have distinguished themselves by their contributions as leaders; trailblazers, trendsetters, teachers and/or mentors. The BHFF Living Legend award is dedicated to recognizing those members of the entertainment industry whose efforts and contributions have paved the way for many in the entertainment industry. The BHFF honors those unsung heroes whose efforts might otherwise go unnoticed. The BHFF Living Legend award exists because of a need to recognize and promote the achievements of those individuals and to help secure their place in history.

The BHFF ACE Award
The media landscape is in the midst of dramatic change as new technologies, formats and distribution models rewrite the rules of content creation and consumption. The captive channels and high costs of the existing media industry are buckling under the rapid proliferation of inexpensive digital tools and global broadband networks that democratize the landscape and open vast new possibilities for creative expression. The Digital Evolution ACE Award recognizes those pioneers on the front-lines of this sea of change whose work has made a significant impact toward empowering and inspiring future generations of storytellers, writers, artists, and musicians.

Nominees were selected based on the following criteria:
Candidate’s product, tool, or content has had a profound impact, either on the way artists approach and realize their craft, or to inspire the next generation of creative art forms. Twenty five companies or individuals were nominated, and five finalists were chosen. The winner will be presented with the ACE Award at the Beverly Hills Film Festival on Sunday evening.

BHFF Jury’s Choice Awards
The Beverly Hills Film Festival Jury chooses their favorite films and presents three awards at the Gala Awards Ceremony.

Best Feature
When deciding on the Best Feature Film for this category, The BHFF Jury looks for strong plot and character development, absorbing dialogue, engaging talent, strong visual appeal, and overall outstanding achievement.

Best Documentary
The BHFF Jury makes its selection for this award based on the criteria that a good documentary not only gives the viewer an in-depth view of the subject matter, but presents the material in a compelling and interesting way.

Best Short Film
A short film needs a captivating story, well-rounded characters, and aesthetic values unique to the medium. The BHFF Jury makes its selection for this award by selecting a short film that fits these factors.

BHFF Audience Choice Awards
Throughout the festival, the audience is asked to fill out a ballot and vote for their favorite films. The ballots are tabulated and the winners are announced at the Gala Awards Ceremony.

Best Feature
Having a film screened for competition is a great barometer for a filmmaker about potential success of their film. The Audience Choice Award for Best Feature adds another level to this gauge and gives the filmmaker direct access to the evaluation of their viewers.  

Best Documentary
The BHFF audience is an educated and worldly group that has a wide span of interests in the documentary field. We present this award for best documentary film on their behalf.

Best Short
The BHFF audience is particularly fond of the short film category. Our short screenings are well attended and often help launch the careers of independent filmmakers, based on audience assessment alone.

The BHFF Awards
Best Director Award
It’s been said that being a good director is akin to learning how to herd cats. This role takes foresight, imagination, endurance, persistence, and acute attention to detail. The BHFF honors an individual with exceptional talent in this area.

Best Male Performance Award
Mae West once said, “An ounce of performance is worth a pound of promises.” The best male performance award at the BHFF is presented to an actor who draws us in with honest reactions and shows us the essence of what acting is all about; we want to see the character’s personality and motives as a living, breathing entity. An actor accomplishes this through body language, facial expressions, interactions, and dialogue delivery.  We select the recipient of this award based on these standards. 

Best Female Performance Award
“An actor is something less than a man, while an actress is something more than a woman,” actor Richard Burton is quoted as saying. The best female performance award at the BHFF is presented to an actress who is capable of summoning a wide range of emotions, has taken risks and stretched the dimensions of her character, and is in command of the necessary skills to invoke a captivating performance. We select the winner of this award based on these principles.

Best Producer Award
A good independent film producer knows the ins and outs of movie production, details of financing and marketing, and understands that those are just the basics. For a film to succeed, the producer must be organized, capable of making snap decisions, diplomatic, patient, energetic and last but not least an expert negotiator. The BHFF honors a producer in this category who has mastered these qualities with flair.

Best Film Screenplay Award
Expert storytelling can include a number of aspects, such as: well-developed characters, inspiration, conflict, romance, a mission, obstacles, drama, comedy, and risking losing something or someone. When selecting the recipient of this award, the BHFF looks for the heart of the story, the driving force; we want to see what’s at stake and feel so compelled with the story that it’s hard to put the screenplay down.

Best Cinematography Award
The BHFF presents this award to a skilled cinematographer who has drawn from a range of styles and equipment to tell a story. He or she may have also created a new style to develop individual scenes. The artistic use of angles, shots, and lighting, is in itself a form of storytelling. These aspects capture moods, create ambiance, and highlight themes and emotions.

Best Editor Award
Film editing technology has developed immensely over the past two centuries, but no matter how sophisticated the equipment the true genius is in the eyes and ears of the editor. Often referred to as the "invisible art," editing can be a laboratory for independent and experimental cinema. The BHFF recognizes achievement in this area based on a the talent of an editor who knows how to balance all the elements of story, its dialogue, performances, music, sound effects, visual effects, rhythm, and pacing.

Best Foreign Film Award                                                        
Foreign or World cinema has the unfortunate quest of overcoming limited releases and distribution. The BHFF highly values these films that cross cultural boundaries, we recognize them for their humanity, artistic merit and innovation. Foreign films challenge our perspectives and beliefs and give us inside views into life. This award is given to a foreign film that encompasses these aspects.

Best Animation Film Award
Technology has certainly changed the world of animation, but creativity, skill, and vision are integral parts to this genre. Animation can distort reality, challenge the laws of physics, dazzle with images, make us laugh so hard that we cry, or cry so hard that we laugh. The BHFF awards an animated film that reaches across many dimensions and captivates through technique and story.

Screenplays
Golden Palm Screenplay Competition Award
The BHFF awards the Golden Palm to a screenwriter that possesses extraordinary writing ability and a deep understanding of structure, premise, characters, and dialogue. We want to feel the heart of the story beating, be swept up by its driving force; we want to see what’s at stake and feel so compelled with the story that it’s virtually impossible to stop reading it.

First Runner-Up Screenplay Competition Award
Each year the BHFF receives thousands of phenomenal screenplay submissions. Making a final decision about the First Runner-Up is a lengthy process. With great care, we determine the winner of this award, based on the criteria of the Golden Palm Screenplay Award.

Second Runner-Up Screenplay Competition Award
Each year the BHFF receives thousands of phenomenal screenplay submissions. Making a final decision about the Second Runner-Up is a lengthy process. With great care, we determine the winner of this award, based on the criteria of the Golden Palm Screenplay Award.