WINNERS – New Leaders in Independent Film 2026

 

WINNERS – New Leaders in Independent Film

2026 March 8

The Aesthetics of Failure

By Lena Mattsson

BEST POETRY FILM 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR.

The Rorschach Test

By Lena Mattsson

BEST INSPIRATIONAL SHORT FILM & BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE FILMMAKER.

Not Without Gloves

By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL INDIE FILM 2026 & BEST EDITING.

A huge thank you to The Editorial Team of New Leaders in Independent Film, in collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER – for awarding my film "The Aesthetics of Failure" the honors of BEST POETRY FILM 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR, and my film "The Rorschach Test" the honors of BEST INSPIRATIONAL SHORT FILM & BEST EUROPEAN ARTHOUSE FILMMAKER.

I’m deeply grateful to the jury for also recognizing "Not Without Gloves" with awards for BEST EXPERIMENTAL INDIE FILM 2026 & BEST EDITING.

It is a great honor!

I am profoundly proud and thankful.

My heartfelt thanks go to the jury and everyone involved.

Special thanks for the incredible work you do to support us as filmmakers:

Michele Diomà

Valentina Lumi

Wild Filmmaker

Conny Malmqvist for the outstanding music in Not Without Gloves and The Rorschach Test. Ebba Melber the talented actor who participated in The Rorschach Test.

Warmest regards,

Lena Mattsson.

"Congratulations!

You have won the New Leaders in Independent Film 2026 Awards!

The only event that will allow you to participate in the Los Angeles Indie Film Critics Awards 2026, which together with the Oscars is one of the most anticipated events of the year!

You will soon receive an exclusive invitation.

In the meantime, we are happy to share the results of the New Leaders in Independent Film awards:

https://wildfilmmaker.net/winners-new-leaders-in-independent-film/

Thank you.

Kind regards,

The Editorial Team of New Leaders in Independent Film

In collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER"

WINNER – Special Event in PALM SPRINGS – 8 & Halfilm Awards 2026

 

WINNER – Special Event in PALM SPRINGS – 8 & Halfilm Awards 2026
2026 March 6

The Aesthetics of Failure
By Lena Mattsson

BEST POETRY SHORT FILM & BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Spritual Film).

Not Without Gloves
By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR & INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: EXPERIMENTAL).

The Rorschach Test
By Lena Mattsson

BEST CINEMATIC VISION (Category: Experimental) & BEST INDIE MOVIEMAKER.

A huge thank you to the 8 & Halfilm Awards, in collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER – for awarding my film "The Aesthetics of Failure" the honors of BEST POETRY SHORT FILM & BEST DIRECTOR (Category: Spritual Film), and my film "Not Without Gloves" the honors of BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR & INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: EXPERIMENTAL).

I’m deeply grateful to the jury for also recognizing "The Rorschach Test" with awards for BEST CINEMATIC VISION (Category: Experimental) & BEST INDIE MOVIEMAKER.

It is a great honor!

I am profoundly proud and thankful.

My heartfelt thanks go to the jury and everyone involved.

Special thanks for the incredible work you do to support us as filmmakers:
Michele Diomà
Valentina Lumi
Wild Filmmaker
Conny Malmqvist for the outstanding music in Not Without Gloves and The Rorschach Test. Ebba Melber the talented actor who participated in The Rorschach Test.

Warmest regards,
Lena Mattsson.

"Congratulations!

You have won the Special Event in Palm Springs organized by the team of the 8 & Halfilm Awards!

We are very happy about this achievement from one of the most respected teams promoting indie cinema in the world.

This victory allows you to qualify for the Fifth Edition of the 8 & Halfilm Awards in Cannes, an event that last year received extraordinary media attention.

You will receive the invitation shortly!

In the meantime, here are the results of the Special Event in Palm
Springs – 8 & Halfilm Awards 2026:
https://wildfilmmaker.net/winners-special-event-in-palm-springs-8-halfilm-awards-2026treet/

Thank you.
Kind regards,
8 & Halfilm Awards
In collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER.”

Please consider voting for the Audience Award for my new film The Beauty in a Restless Mind.

Awaiting Spring. Please consider voting for the Audience Award for my new film The Beauty in a Restless Mind.
The short film The Beauty in a Restless Mind (2025/2026), directed by Lena Mattsson, poses fundamental questions regarding the essence of beauty. Is beauty determined by external attributes or by internal qualities? Can beauty manifest in the lived experiences we accumulate along life's journey, where moments of light and darkness resonate in harmonious interplay? Is it possible to transmute the darkness within our lives into something beautiful? Ultimately, does inner substance hold greater significance than outward appearance?
Warm and heartfelt thanks to the Nikon Film Festival, to the lead actress Ebba Melber, and to Conny C-A Malmqvist, who composed the evocative score for this 2-minute short film.

The link to the film:

https://www.festivalnikon.fr/en/video/2025/645
(Voting for the Audience Award remains open – your support would mean a great deal!)

WINNER – Australian Oscar in Melbourne

 

WINNER – Australian Oscar in Melbourne
2026 March 3

Not Without Gloves
By Lena Mattsson

BEST POETRY SHORT FILM 2026 & BEST ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR.

The Rorschach Test
By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER.

The Aesthetics of Failure
By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL EDITING & BEST INDIE DIRECTOR (Category: Experimental).

A huge thank you to The Australian Oscar Jury,
a project created with the support of WILD FILMMAKER – for awarding my film "Not Without Gloves" the honors of BEST POETRY SHORT FILM 2026 & BEST ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR, and my film "The Rorschach Test" the honors of BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM 2026 & BEST ORIGINAL FILMMAKER.

I’m deeply grateful to the jury for also recognizing "The Aesthetics of Failure" with awards for
BEST EXPERIMENTAL EDITING & BEST INDIE DIRECTOR (Category: Experimental).

It is a great honor!

I am profoundly proud and thankful.

My heartfelt thanks go to the jury and everyone involved.

Special thanks for the incredible work you do to support us as filmmakers:
Michele Diomà
Valentina Lumi
Wild Filmmaker
Conny Malmqvist for the outstanding music in Not Without Gloves and The Rorschach Test. Ebba Melber the talented actor who participated in The Rorschach Test.

Warmest regards,
Lena Mattsson.

"Congratulations from Melbourne!

You have won the Australian Oscar!

This is the final step before the Indie Oscars awards ceremony, which will take place in just a few days!

Thanks to your victory at the Australian Oscars in Melbourne, you can reserve the certification dedicated to your project.

We will forward it both to you and to the international jury of the
Indie Oscars, and it will serve as a preferential title for the award
selection.

We are delighted with this extraordinary achievement!

Discover here the awards that have been assigned to you:
https://wildfilmmaker.net/16698-2/

Thank you.
Kind regards,
The Australian Oscar Jury
A project created with the support of WILD FILMMAKER."

WINNER – Leonardo da Vinci Critics’ Film Awards 2026

 

WINNER – Leonardo da Vinci Critics’ Film Awards 2026
2026 February 25

Not Without Gloves
By Lena Mattsson

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: EXPERIMENTAL).

The Rorschach Test
By Lena Mattsson

BEST INSPIRATIONAL MOVIEMAKER, BEST EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST POETRY SHORT FILM 2026.

A huge thank you to the Leonardo Da Vinci Critics' Film Awards – a project created in collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER – for honoring my film "Not Without Gloves" with BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER 2026 & BEST INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY (Category: EXPERIMENTAL).

I’m deeply grateful to the jury for also recognizing "The Rorschach Test" with awards for BEST INSPIRATIONAL MOVIEMAKER, BEST EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER & BEST POETRY SHORT FILM 2026.

It is a great honor!

I am profoundly proud and thankful.

My heartfelt thanks go to the jury and everyone involved.

Special thanks for the incredible work you do to support us as filmmakers:
Michele Diomà
Valentina Lumi
Wild Filmmaker
Conny Malmqvist for the outstanding music in Not Without Gloves and The Rorschach Test. Ebba Melber the talented actor who participated in The Rorschach Test.

Warmest regards,
Lena Mattsson.

"Congratulations!

You have won the Leonardo Da Vinci Critics’ Film Awards!

An event of unique cultural value, as it is the only film initiative in
the world dedicated to the figure of Leonardo, and inspired by the great Renaissance artist and scientist, it celebrates ingenuity and originality in Contemporary Cinema.

Here are the winners of the Leonardo Da Vinci Critics' Film Awards:https://wildfilmmaker.net/winners-leonardo-da-vinci-critics-film-awards-2026/

Thank you.
Kind regards,
The Editorial Team of the Leonardo Da Vinci Critics' Film Awards
A project created in collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER, where cinema is culture, free expression, and an act of peace among peoples"

REVIEWS

I am profoundly grateful for the three exceptionally well-formulated reviews of my films Not Without Gloves, The Aesthetics of Failure, and The Rorschach Test.

From the depths of my heart, I wish to express my sincere thanks to the ABAFTA jury and the editorial team. A particularly warm and heartfelt thank you goes to Michele Diomà, Editor-in-Chief of Wild Filmmaker, for his visionary engagement with the magical realm of cinema.

I would also like to extend my warmest gratitude to Conny Malmqvist, who composed the amazing music for both Not Without Gloves and The Rorschach Test. My thanks further go to Ebba Melber for her compelling acting performance in The Rorschach Test.

With warmest regards and every best wish,
Lena Mattsson.

"Dear Lena Mattsson,

Good morning from the ABAFTA editorial team.

Please find attached the REVIEWS prepared by the international jury.

Congratulations once again on the recognition you have received.

Thank you
Kind regards,
The ABAFTA Team, London, United Kingdom
In collaboration with WILD FILMMAKER."