The DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF) concluded its eighth annual edition September 25–26 at The Grove in Los Angeles, marking a milestone weekend for the festival with sold-out screenings, standing-room-only audiences and a growing focus on independent filmmakers from around the world.
The weekend highlighted special honors for Oscar-nominated screenwriter Randall Wallace, best known for Braveheart, and Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, while the festival also introduced a new documentary platform and unveiled plans to expand its international presence in 2027.
Honoring Randall Wallace and Shohreh Aghdashloo
Opening night centered on Randall Wallace, whose work as a screenwriter, filmmaker and producer has included Braveheart, Pearl Harbor and We Were Soldiers. Wallace received DIFF’s Visionary Award®, presented by British Consulate General Paul Rennie.
The presentation was part of an opening-night celebration that included a special screening of Braveheart. Festival founders and special guests also wore traditional kilts for the occasion, with the evening continuing with a reception hosted by Belhaven Brewery.
For DIFF Founder and Executive Director Chadwick Pelletier, the honor carried particular significance.
“Honoring Randall Wallace wasn’t just a highlight of our festival; it was a deeply personal milestone,” said Pelletier. “As a filmmaker and screenwriter, Randall’s body of work has fundamentally shaped my own journey behind the lens.”
The festival’s recognition of internationally acclaimed talent continued with Shohreh Aghdashloo, who accepted the Leo Award for Best Short Film on behalf of the Iranian filmmakers behind Farewell Day.
Aghdashloo’s appearance added another notable moment to a weekend built around independent voices and international storytelling.
A Weekend of Independent Cinema
The festival’s competition program featured films spanning narrative features, documentaries, animation, shorts and screenwriting.
The feature documentary Growth drew a particularly strong response, selling out and resulting in a standing-room-only screening.
Screenwriting remained another central part of DIFF’s programming through its out of Storyline competition and Writers’ Corner event. Professional actors performed finalist scripts live on stage while the readings were projected onto the big screen.
The Leo Award for Best Screenplay went to 12:37 The King David Hotel.
The Writers’ Corner program was followed by a professional panel featuring screenwriters Creighton Rothenberger (Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, The Expendables 3), John Macinnes (Call of Duty) and Barbara Stepansky (Outlander).
RecFest Makes Its Debut
The 2026 edition also marked the launch of RecFest, a new platform dedicated to short adventure documentaries.
Zahir received the inaugural RecFest™ Black Diamond Award, establishing what DIFF describes as a new platform for adventure-focused documentary storytelling.
RecFest is already set for expansion, with the festival announcing plans to bring the program to British Columbia in 2027.
DaVinci International Film Festival Sets Global Expansion for 2027
Perhaps the biggest announcement of the weekend looked beyond Los Angeles.
For its ninth edition in 2027, DIFF plans to significantly broaden its international footprint, with new activities extending into Europe, Africa and Canada.
Among the announced initiatives is a DaVinci Masquerade event in Cannes, bringing the festival’s programming and filmmaker community to one of Europe’s most prominent cinema destinations.
DIFF also plans to establish residency programs in Nairobi, expanding its connection with African filmmakers and creative communities.
In Canada, RecFest is scheduled to expand to British Columbia, while the festival is also preparing the launch of DaVinciPlus, an exclusive streaming platform intended for DIFF alumni.
Together, the initiatives represent a significant expansion from DIFF’s Los Angeles base and reinforce the festival’s stated goal of connecting independent filmmakers with audiences and creative communities internationally.
2026 DaVinci International Film Festival Award Winners
The festival’s 2026 award recipients include:
- Visionary Award®: Randall Wallace
- Feature Film: On a String
- Short Film: Farewell Day
- Feature Documentary: Kikuyu Land
- Short Documentary: Cumbria II
- Screenplay: 12:37 The King David Hotel
- Animation: Snorri: Catch Me If You Candy!
- Junior Leo® Award: Wildcat
- RecFest™ Black Diamond Award: Zahir
With its eighth Los Angeles edition now complete, DIFF enters its ninth year with a broader international agenda—extending its reach from California to Europe, Africa and Canada while continuing to spotlight independent filmmakers and emerging voices.
For more information, visit the DaVinci International Film Festival website or follow the festival on Instagram at @davincifilmfestival.
Photos by Sheri Determan, Kevin Boot.
