Our Best Short Film winner will receive our custom Global Shorts statuette which we ship anywhere in the world, free of charge. The award is manufactured by Society Awards, the same awards company that manufactures the Golden Globe and the Emmy. All winners will receive our Global Shorts Winner laurels in black, white, and gold.
Title: The River
Runtime: 18 min
Country: Japan; UK
Director: Shigeto Sayama
Placement: Award of Merit
Competition: March, 2026
Synopsis: On a spiritual journey down a mountain, a monk carries a maiden across a river without a second thought. By nightfall, it becomes clear she wasn’t the only thing he carried.
The sequel to “The Mosquito Man” and second chapter of the trilogy “A Cycle of Awakening”—written, produced, and directed by Shigeto Sayama.