The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the Grand Jury Prize winners and Special Mentions for AFI Fest 2025 (fest.afi.com) presented by Canva. The Grand Jury Prize winners for Live Action Short, Documentary Short and Animated Short will be eligible for consideration in the 2026 Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short.
This year’s jury comprised filmmakers Sue-Ellen Chitunya, Katherine Propper and film programmer, producer and publicist Rachel Walker.
Taking the Oscar-qualifying Grand Jury Prize – Animated Short, Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears’ Forevergreen (U.S.) adds to its accolades, which include the Canal+ Award special prize from Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Best Animation from the San Diego International Film Festival.
Jury Statement: “Forevergreen captivates with its beautifully realized visual world and profound emotional resonance. Through the touching relationship between an orphaned bear cub and a father-figure tree, the film intertwines themes of friendship and sacrifice with incisive commentary on greed and climate change. It is a work that both enchants and challenges us, reminding us of the fragile interdependence between nature, compassion, and survival.”
The Special Jury Mention for Vision – Animated Short was awarded to 9 Million Colors (Czechia) by Bára Anna; a story of camaraderie set in a lush underwater world which also screened in competition at Annecy.
Jurist Sue-Ellen Chitunya described the film as: “A vibrant and melodious stop-motion animation with no dialog, that deftly portrays an unlikely friendship between a mantis shrimp and a blind fish. 9 Million Colors is joyous to watch, it gives us a new way to see the magical world that lives under the sea.”
