Film Festival Awards
Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival
Since 2005, the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival (CCI-IFF) has been a juried event. The 4-day festival screens some of the very best in genre-related short and long films as part of Comic-Con International: San Diego. Its categories include action/adventure, animation, comics-related, documentary (pop culture related), horror/suspense, humor, and science fiction/fantasy. The winners of each category are decided by a panel of judges made up of film and popular arts industry luminaries. Trophies and prizes are given to the films deemed by the judges to be the best in each category, and an overall “Judges’ Choice Award” is presented to the one film considered the best film in the festival.
CCI-IFF 2023 Winners
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Kid Ugly
- Best Animated Film: Horologist
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Fixer
- Best Documentary: The Secret Cities of Mark Kistler
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Hidden In The Wind
- Best Humor Film: All Choked Up
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: The Obedience Project
- Judges’ Choice Award: The Obedience Project
2022 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Her Name Was No One
- Best Animated Film: Streets of Fury
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Captain Kinesis
- Best Documentary: Animation Outlaws
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Pure Gold
- Best Humor Film: Tree #3
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Re-Live
- Judges’ Choice Award: Tree #3
2019 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: The Guardian
- Best Animated Film:Wishing Box
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Invincible Boy
- Best Documentary: Closer Than We Think
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Mask of Sanity
- Best Humor Film: Your Last Day on Earth
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Moon Drops
- Judges’ Choice Award: Moon Drops
- Judges: Sean Rourke, Nick Murphy,Valerie Perez
2018 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Day of Reckoning
- Best Animated Film: First Bloom
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: The Old-Men
- Best Documentary: Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Dollmaker
- Best Humor Film: Agent 555: Operation S.A.D.O.
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Bullies
- Judges’ Choice Award: Bullies
- Judges: Jessica Tseang, Chase Masterson, Robin Richesson
2017 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Karmen
- Best Animated Film: The Wishing Jar
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Meanwhile, at the Citadel of Superheroes …
- Best Documentary: The Wrestler: A Q.T. Marshall Story
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Witching Hour
- Best Humor Film: Wildfire
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: The Rat’s Dilemma
- Judges’ Choice Award: The Rat’s Dilemma
- Judges: Tamiko Brownlee, Steve Desmond, Ted Raimi
2016 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Underground
- Best Animated Film: Accidents, Blunders and Calamities
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Arty
- Best Documentary: Floyd Norman: An Animated Life
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Monsters
- Best Humor Film: The Hold Up
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Helio
- Judges’ Choice Award: Monsters
- Judges: Nick Murphy, Matt Atchity, Eric Jacobus
2015 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Rope A Dope 2
- Best Animated Film: The Looking Planet
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: The Night Guardian
- Best Documentary: She Makes Comics
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Bridge Partner
- Best Humor Film Down in Flames: The True Story of Tony “Volcano” Valenci
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: So You’ve Grown Attached
- Judges’ Choice Award: Rope A Dope 2
- Judges: Letia Clouson, Orlando Jones, Dan Sachar
2014 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: The Professor
- Best Animated Film: MITE
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Badbug
- Best Documentary: Stripped
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Dog Food
- Best Humor Film: Stockholm
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Last of You
- Judges’ Choice Award: Last of You
- Judges: Dave Gallegos, Doug Jones, Valerie Perez
2013 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Aurora
- Best Animated Film: Summer Bummer
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Childhood Sale
- Best Documentary: Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin’
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Pro Kopf
- Best Humor Film: Titans of Newark
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Incident on Highway 73
- Judges’ Choice Award: Incident on Highway 73
- Judges: Geoff Boucher, Alex DeMille, Kathy Najimy
2012 Award Recipients
- Best Action Adventure Film: Bridges – A Living Graphic Novel
- Best Animated Film: Wolf Dog Tales
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Lost Rites
- Best Documentary: GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Absence
- Best Humor Film: Natural 20
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Wait for Rain
- Judges’ Choice Award: The Absence
- Judges: Borys Kit, Kyle Newman, Steven-Charles Jaffee
2011 Award Recipients
- Best Action Adventure Film: The Debt Collector
- Best Animated Film: Paths of Hate
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Secret Identity
- Best Documentary: Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Recollection
- Best Humor Film: Repeat After Me
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Heal
- Judges’ Choice Award: Paths of Hate
- Judges: Michael Gross, Eric Vespe, Kevin Walsh
2010 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: The Action Hero’s Guide to Saving Lives
- Best Animated Film: The Mouse That Soared
- Best Documentary Film: Marwencol
- Best Comics-Related Film: The Legacy
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Window
- Best Humor Film: Herpes Boy
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Stingray Sam
- Judges’ Choice Award: Marwencol
- Judges: Lloyd Kaufman, Kerry O’Quinn, Mike Roush
2009 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Al’s Beef
- Best Animated Film: The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl
- Best Comics-Related Film: The Book of Tomorrow
- Best Documentary Film: Dig Comics
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Alice Jacobs is Dead
- Best Humor Film: Anna Made an American
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Hirsute!
- Judges’ Choice Award: The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl
- Judges: Beth Accomando, Mark Altman, Marc Bernardin
2008 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Citizen
- Best Animated Film: La Lune
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: The Crusaders #357: Experiment in Evil!
- Best Documentary Film: Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Insane
- Best Humor Film: The Auburn Hills Breakdown
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Operation: Fish
- Judges’ Choice Award: Operation: Fish
- Judges: Beth Accomando, Borys Kit, Tom DeSanto
2007 Award Recipients
- Best Action/Adventure Film: Razor Sharp
- Best Animated Film: Fission
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Rocketboy
- Best Documentary Film: Moebius Redux
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Eli
- Best Humor Film: Zombie Love
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Man vs. Woman
- Judges’ Choice Award: Moebius Redux
- Judges: Max Allan Collins, Tom Jane, Sean Rourke
2006 Award Recipients
- Best Action Adventure Film: Der Ostwind
- Best Animated Film: Gorgonas
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Zombie Prom
- Best Documentary Film: Drakmar
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: Post-Mortem
- Best Humor Film: The Vinyl Battle
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: Outside
- Judges’ Choice Award: Zombie Prom
- Judges: Amber Benson, Chris Gore, Thomas J. McLean
2005 Award Recipients
- Best Animated Film: “9”
- Best Comics-Oriented Film: Tomorrow’s Memoir
- Best Documentary: Seven Days in Japan
- Best Horror/Suspense Film: The Box
- Best Humor Film: (tie) Gay by Dawn and I Am Stamos
- Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Film: La Belle Dame Sans Merci
- Judges’ Choice Award: “9”
- Judges: Mark Altman, Scott Zakarin, Gary Sassaman