Award This! 2025 Event Celebrates the Best in Independent Cinema
Film Threat is celebrating forty years of spotlighting truly independent cinema this year. Film Threat was first published as a photocopied fanzine in 1985. In 1997, the magazine went online only. As part of Film Threat’s continued efforts to lift up indie cinema the online magazine hosts an awards ceremony called Award This! You won’t see blockbusters at this event sweeping the awards. Award This? Is all about real independent films and filmmakers. The minute you scroll through the list of categories, it’s extremely apparent that this isn’t your grandpa’s awards show. There are six documentary categories with one being Best Film About Filmmaking. There’s a category that pokes fun at the Academy Awards called Best Movie Made for Less than the Contents of an Oscars Gift Bag.
Winning films of note this year include Hundreds of Beavers, and The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms. As indie as you may be, there will still be plenty of films celebrated that you haven’t heard of. Hundreds of Beavers is a mixed-media sensation that tells the story of a 19th-century drunken applejack salesman who must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers. Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms is a family sci-fi/fantasy epic that follows the adventures of a man and his granddaughter that have been transported to a magical land and now must find their way home.
Here is a complete list of this year’s nominees and winners:
Award This! Film About Movies or Filmmaking
Boutique: To Preserve And Collect – WINNER!
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story
Award This! Music Documentary
Art Dealers – WINNER!
Freestyle 101: Hip Hop History – WINNER!
Karen Carpenter: Starving For Perfection
Squaring The Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis
What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat And Tears
Award This! Socially Relevant Documentary
American Homeboy – WINNER!
Award This! Pop Culture Documentary
Boutique: To Preserve And Collect
Driven: The Tony Pearson Story
Holy Frit – WINNER!
Scooter LaForge: A Life Of Art
Award This! Unreal Outsiders Documentary
Masters of the Grind – WINNER!
Scooter LaForge: A Life Of Art
BEST DOCUMENTARY
A Disturbance in the Force – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Sci-Fi
Space Command Redemption – WINNER!
The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Horror
Hell’s Coming For You – WINNER!
The Quantum Devil – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Comedy
Yaniv – WINNER!
Award This! Indie LGBTQ+ Themed Film
Unfix – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Animation
Ah My Goddess: Let’s Save Vic Morrow
My Love Affair for Marriage – WINNER!
When Adam Changes (Adam Change Lentement)
Award This! Indie Action/Thriller
Bang Bang Betty: Valerie’s Revenge
Pizza Boy Rick – WINNER!
Award This! WTF Indie like “What the F**k is This Movie Even?”
Abruptio – WINNER!
Serial Rabbit 7: Critical Rabbit Theory
Spirit Riser – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Romance
Good Bad Things – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Drama
What Did Deborah Do – WINNER!
Award This! Indie Made for Less Than the Contents of an Oscar Gift Bag (Under $100K)
Death Bitch – WINNER!
Serial Rabbit 7: Critical Rabbit Theory – WINNER!
Best Short
Jane Austen’s Period Drama – WINNER!
Best Director
Director of Abruptio
Evan Marlowe
Best Directress
Directress of Wineville
Brande Roderick
Indie Movie of the Year
