That’s a wrap on the 2026 Fargo Film Festival! On behalf of the entire team: THANK YOU!

Thank you to festival sponsors, audience members, visiting filmmakers, Fargo Theatre staff, festival volunteers, and everyone else who contributed to this year’s edition.

Over the course of five days, we screened over 100 films, and welcomed more than 40 visiting filmmakers. This year’s festival highlighted the importance of community, and the ever-important need to uplift independent creators in the world of film.

Submissions for the 2027 Fargo Film Festival will open later this spring. See you next year!

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of the Best in Show Awards for the 2026 Fargo Film Festival.

Best Picture: “The Librarians” (Documentary Feature)

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Best Director: James Pellerito for “I Wanted to Hear Your Voice” (Documentary Short)

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Best Cinematography: Joshua Carlon for “Bound for the Last Continent” (Northern Plains Voices)

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Pat Hansen Award for Best Screenplay: Serena Dykman for “Babka” (Narrative Short)

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Best Actress: Lila Gueneau as Emma in “Silent Rebellion” (Narrative Feature)

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Best Actor: Taylor Olson as Gideon in “What We Dreamed of Then” (Narrative Feature)

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Best Editing: Maryam Tafakory for “Razeh-del” (Invited)

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Congratulations to all of these talented artists from all of us at the Fargo Film Festival! Learn more about each of these titles in our 2026 Program.

The annual 2-Minute Movie Contest returns to the Fargo Film Festival on Friday, March 20 at 9:30 p.m.

A dynamic program of pint-sized shorts spanning multiple genres and styles is made up of entries from all over the world. From beginners recording on cell phones to professionals capturing on film, the 2-Minute Movie Contest always delights audiences with creative pieces that clock in at 120 seconds or less.

Tickets for the 2-Minute Movie Contest are $2 and will be available at the door of the Fargo Theatre the evening of March 20. Passholders and patrons attending the Friday Evening Showcase that begins at 7 p.m. do not need to purchase an additional ticket.

Attic Reverie (Mattie Wilson)
The Bad Napper (Julissa Adams)
Ballad for the Missouri Mincer (Jasper Marshall)
Bitter Brew (Kamila Lopez)
The Breakfast That Burned Down All of Paris (Aaron Crume) 
Breeding Is Engaging! (Marcel Barelli)
A Cannon Full of Clowns (Maxwell, Emmett and Michael Dorfman)
The Caterwoman (Signe Sojberg Hojlt)
Christina’s Night Out (Britney Ngaw)
Dead Grandma (Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti)
Det. Daydream (Jake Pletsch)
The Dinner After (Ethan Davis)
Elevator Pitch (Mark Kiefer)
Ghoulmates: Pole Dancing (Gemma Rigg)
Growth Initiative (Jason Kuntz)
Hare (Drew Vandenbrouck)
Heirloom (Sebastian Cade Jones and R Mac Jones)
Hello Again (Rasmus Lindkvist)
I’m Yours (Audrey Whiteford-Woods)
Loop (Richard Wareham)
Madeline (I Am Not) [Allison Beda]
Monkey Bar (Mya Van Dyk)
My Best Friend Mike (Violet Smith)
Nathan’s Hobby (Colin Sales)
Nonsense (Elli Zahradnikova and Jaakop Ivask)
Paul’s Portrait (Andrea Gonzalez Mereles)
Peace Flags (Melelani T.)
Please … Don’t Send Help (Grigory Lukin)
Portrait (Ignacio Rodo)
Number 00312828 (Neil Jane) 
Same Day Delivery (Hunter Wagner)
Simply the Music (Honora Griffiths)
The Sisyphean (Matthew Prigge)
Sonnet (Yann les Jours)
Spoooon (Sidney Thompson)
The Stars, and All the Planets and the Moon (Shayna Strype)
Synchronous (Cory Reeder)
Three Thousand Five Hundred (​​Jérémi Roy)
The Toddler Always Cries Twice (Austin Stephens)
Turning the Tassel (Shawn Ribeiro)
The Vinyls That Got Away (Joe Calabrese)
Wallim Te (Rasa Stanisic) 
What Was Not Said (欣昇 陈)