GI Film Festival San Diego Wraps a Powerful 10th Anniversary Year
The country’s largest military film festival screened 16 films, set to return May 2026
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – May 14, 2025 – For the first time in its decade-long history, GI Film Festival San Diego moved its awards announcement to Opening Night, offering attendees a powerful launch to the three-day event and to celebrate the winning films with a larger audience. Just after the San Diego premiere of “SHEEPDOG” on the evening of May 7, festival organizers announced their 2025 award winners, giving out 11 awards to honor the most outstanding films among the 16 presented during this year’s festival.
The festival’s esteemed advisory committee reviews each film to determine which are selected for screening and to vote on those worthy of award nominations and wins. “It was a challenge to select award winners from the 16 films we screened this year, each was so outstanding in its own right,” says Founder and President of Film Consortium San Diego Jodi Cilley. “The films that won awards this year showcase the power of authentic military storytelling and wonderfully represent everything the GI Film Festival San Diego is about.” The Film Consortium San Diego has been a longtime partner of the GI Film Festival San Diego since its inception in 2015.
Announcing the awards on opening night gave festival attendees and the public the perfect preview of the types of films they could experience at this year’s three-day GI Film Festival San Diego, like Best Documentary Short winner “THE END OF THE LONGEST WAR” and Best Student Film winner “Silent Waves” directed by U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Marielene “Deuce” Jones. Eleven of the 16 films screened at the festival earned coveted honors, including individual accolades like the Best New Director and the Women’s Voice.
“As a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, it’s an honor to be selected for this year’s GI Film Festival San Diego—especially during its milestone 10th anniversary,” says Marielene. “This festival truly uplifts the voices and experiences of veterans and active-duty service members, giving us a platform to share our own stories—and those that might otherwise go untold. I’m deeply honored to have received Best Student Film, Best Acting, and the Women’s Voice Award. Each of these recognitions helps amplify not only my film, but the voices of all who have lived through similar experiences.”
The 10th annual GI Film Festival San Diego also boasts two new awards – the Best Acting and the Best Untold Story. The Best Acting award is a non-gendered accolade given to the actor or actress who gives the most powerful performance in a narrative feature or short. The other new award, Best Untold Story, is given to the film that best uncovers an often overlooked topic or individual.
The GI Film Festival San Diego is scheduled to return in May 2026. To stay up-to-date on next year’s festival dates, selected films, and award nominations, visit GIFilmFestivalSD.org and follow the festival on social media.
The 2025 Award Winners are:
Best Narrative Short:
“SHELLSHOCK,” Directed by Justin Garza
Best Student Film
“Silent Waves,” Directed by Marielene “Deuce” Jones
Best Acting
Joi Dwight in “Silent Waves”
Director’s Vision:
“DOLDRUMS,” Directed by Le Chau
Best Documentary Short:
“THE END OF THE LONGEST WAR,” Directed by Sydney Joanna Sheng
Women’s Voice:
“Silent Waves,” Directed by Marielene “Deuce” Jones
Local Choice:
“Bring Them Home,” a film by Excuse My Accent and Rob Young Productions
Best New Director
Steven Grayhm for “SHEEPDOG”
Best Untold Story
“Triumph Over Prejudice: The Montford Point Marines,” Directed by Daniel Bernardi and Produced by Trevor Getz
Veterans Voice Award
“IN THE MATCHBOX,” Directed by Mike Rae Anderson and Written and Produced by Jermi Little
Spirit of KPBS
“Max: One Last Favor,” a film by Patti Bonnet
About GI Film Festival San Diego
Established in 2015 and now celebrating 10 years, the GI Film Festival San Diego is a multi-day showcase of films for, by, and about the military community. Films featured in the festival reveal the experiences of service members, veterans and their families. The festival also provides veterans and service members with an opportunity to further their creative skills.
Documentaries, shorts, narratives, and feature-length films are presented. The festival includes local films, highlighting San Diego’s filmmakers, events, people or places.
Film screenings are followed by discussions with filmmakers, actors, documentary subjects, and/or subject-matter experts. The festival presents awards in multiple categories, honoring excellence in filmmaking. The festival is organized and produced by KPBS in partnership with the Film Consortium San Diego.
Major support for the 2025 festival is provided by premier sponsors Fredericka Manor and Wesley Palms. Additional sponsors are Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Navy SEAL Museum San Diego, Scatena Daniels Communications, AMC Networks, Compass Military Division, Resounding Joy, Singleton Schreiber, US Bank, United States Navy Reserve Talent Acquisition Group Southwest and Wounded Warrior Project. Additional support is provided by AARP, the California Film Commission, FMF Pandion, the Navy League of San Diego, SAG-AFTRA, Southwestern College and the USS Midway Foundation. KPBS is a member of the San Diego Veterans Coalition and the San Diego Military Family Collaborative.
About Film Consortium San Diego
The Film Consortium San Diego is a social venture that stimulates film and television production in the region and increases networking, employment, education, funding and distribution opportunities in film, television and new media. The Film Consortium hosts and organizes the San Diego Film Awards, San Diego Film Week, and various screening and networking events.
About KPBS
KPBS connects, reflects and serves all of our communities with trusted programming and dialogue. KPBS delivers this content to more than 1.3 million audience members weekly via multiple platforms, including television, radio, and digital media. As a public service of San Diego State University, education is a core value – from children’s programming to community discussions on important issues our region is facing, to local news coverage. KPBS provides stories that make us think, help us dream, and keep us connected. For more information, visit kpbs.org.
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