By Valerie Milano
Hollywood, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/29/26 – Dances With Films: LA 2026 has once again reminded us why independent cinema matters.
As a proud media partner of Dances With Films, The Hollywood Times congratulates the festival, its founders, programming team, volunteers, filmmakers, artists, and every creative voice who helped make this year’s festival such a vibrant celebration of discovery.
The 29th annual Dances With Films: LA took place June 18–28, 2026, at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, bringing together an extraordinary lineup of independent features, documentaries, shorts, pilots, music videos, and emerging voices. With hundreds of films presented throughout the festival, DWF continued its long-standing mission of championing filmmakers based on talent, vision, originality, and heart.
This year’s winners represented the bold range of storytelling that has made Dances With Films such an important home for independent artists.
Among the honorees, Bandit, directed by Brian L. “BLT” Tan, received the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature. The Last Place on Earth, directed by David Booth Gardner, was recognized with the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature. Godpower, directed by Geoff Browne, earned the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Short, while Dual Wielder, directed by Julia Boyd, received the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Short.
The festival also honored audience favorites, including Face Love, written and directed by Gerald Fillmore, which received the Fusion Feature Audience Award.
To every filmmaker who screened at Dances With Films this year: congratulations. Whether you took home an award or simply shared your work with a live audience in Hollywood, your voice was part of something meaningful.
At The Hollywood Times, we believe film festivals like Dances With Films are essential because they do more than screen movies. They build community. They create opportunity. They give independent artists a place to be seen, heard, celebrated, and remembered.
We are especially grateful to continue our relationship with Dances With Films as media partners and to help spotlight the films and filmmakers who are shaping the next generation of cinema.
Congratulations again to all of the 2026 winners, nominees, official selections, and the entire Dances With Films team.
We look forward to the next festival and to continuing to celebrate the fearless, passionate, independent storytellers who make Dances With Films such a beloved and necessary part of the film festival landscape.
