FESTIVAL CATEGORIES
Awards and Recognition
Win Best, Gold, Silver, or Bronze in four annual sessions and get a free certificate. Yearly gala winners compete for the elite Capra Gold Award in seven major film and score categories. This top honor is the festival's rarest distinction for cinematic excellence.
Festival Award Categories
The official competition selection for the La Quinta International Film Festival. Recognizing excellence across global independent cinema, creative vision, and technical mastery.
Cinema & Genre
- Best Short Film
- Best Romantic Feature Film
- Best Action Feature Film
- Best Drama Feature Film
- Best Thriller Feature Film
- Best Short Documentary
- Best Feature Documentary
- Best Indie Short Film
- Best Indie Feature Film
- Best Student Film
- Best Web/TV Series
- Best Comedy
- Best Horror
- Best Sci-Fi
- Best Fantasy
- Best LGBTQ
- Best Action
- Best Black and White Film
- Best Animation Film
- Best Movie Trailer
- Best Movie Poster
Performance & Directing
- Best Actor Short Film
- Best Actress Short Film
- Best Actor Feature Film
- Best Actress Feature Film
- Best Narrator Short Film
- Best Narrator Feature Film
- Best Director
- Best First-Time Director
Screenplay Awards
- Best Short Screenplay
- Best Feature Screenplay
- Best Drama Screenplay
- Best Comedy Screenplay
- Best Original Screenplay
Cinematography & Craft
- Best Sound Design
- Best Music Supervisor
- Best Cinematography
- Best Production Design
- Best Color Editing
- Best Makeup
- Best Costume Design
- Best Original Score
- Best Original Song
- Best Editing
- Best Producer Feature Film
- Best Producer Short Film
Innovation & Special Honors
- Best Experimental Film
- Best Music Video
- Best AI Short Film
- Best AI Feature Film
Your Path to the Capra Gold Award
Each of our four festival sessions is a full awards event of its own, serving as the official qualifying stage for the season's ultimate honor.
PHASE ONE
The Sessions
In every category, we honor standout work with four levels of recognition: Best, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, plus Honorable Mentions—and every winner receives an official festival certificate.
PHASE TWO
Annual Gala
At our annual gala, we bring together all session winners to compete for the ultimate prize of the year: the Capra Gold Award. This is the grand stage for independent cinema winners.
PHASE THREE
Capra Gold Award
One film in each of these seven categories can claim the Capra Gold Award: Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Feature Documentary, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.
Win your session category, and you’re one step closer to taking home the Capra Gold Award.
Ready to Join the Scene?
Discover how to enter our official categories and share your artistic vision with the global cinematic community.