#EOFF2025 Award Announcement: Juried

The Eastern Oregon Film Festival is honored to present the Juried Awards for our sixteenth year, celebrating independent cinema in the Grande Ronde Valley. This year’s program brimmed with inspired storytelling and the incredible artists who bring them to life.

🏆 JURIED AWARD WINNERS

• Best Narrative Short — TANDEM

Directed by Katarzyna Lewek (Poland)

A visually rich, non-verbal piece that explores connection and movement in a quietly profound way — Lewek travelled from Poland to share it in person.

• Best Documentary Short — HITOLÁAYCA (Going Upriver)

Directed by Anna Lueck

This documentary follows a journey upstream—both literally and culturally—highlighting a return to ancestral rivers and heritage through the eyes of Indigenous community members.

• Best Documentary Feature — FIREBREAK

Directed by Kenzie Bruce

A compelling feature that chronicles the story of two men — Brandon and Royal — who, after fighting wildfires while incarcerated in California, now train other formerly-incarcerated firefighters and run their own fire service.  

• Best Narrative Feature — TRASH BABY

Directed by Jacy Mairs

Set in an Oregon trailer park in the early 2000s, Trash Baby follows 12-year-old Stevie as she befriends 20-year-old Edie and begins to navigate the fraught space between childhood and adulthood, uncovering what is lost when we “grow up.”  

EOFF was honored to host guests for three of the four winning films with in-person screenings — a testament to the vibrant exchange between artists and audience that defines our festival.

Honorable Mentions

Jury Honorable Mention for Short Film – The Knock Knock Game

Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature – Burrowing Owls: A Love Story

Jury Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature – End of Trip, Sahara

Stay tuned for the EOFF Special Awards and Audience Choice Awards, coming in the next few days!