Tony Arriola, Steven Kiefer, Mikkel Aranas (US), Jennifer Tomlin (US), Joe Daru, Alessandro "AxiA" Serradimigni (US), Ivan Chaykin & Vasily Gronskiy (Germany) are awarded top prizes for their films in AGBO’s virtual short film festival.

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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 12, 2025: AGBO is proud to announce the winners of their fifth annual 48-hour filmmaking competition, “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest.” Presented this year by Meta, the festival continues AGBO’s mission to champion emerging filmmakers through creativity, collaboration, and mentorship. The two-day competition challenges participants from around the world to make short films of three minutes or less, with winning entries selected by AGBO’s Creative Leadership team and honorary judges Simu Liu and Letitia Wright. This year’s prompt, PERSPECTIVE, invited filmmakers to reframe the way stories are seen, heard, and felt by telling a story through an unexpected point of view.

This year’s winners are Tony Arriola, Steven Kiefer, and Mikkel Aranas, an international directing trio based in Burbank, California, taking first place for their short “Scratcher,” a beautifully shot and thought-provoking story told in Korean and English. The film follows a man who obsessively buys lottery tickets from an elderly cashier, seemingly feeding a gambling habit—until we learn he’s really buying time. Second place goes to Jennifer Tomlin for her mockumentary comedy “Polter-Guest,” a sharp, funny, and heartfelt short about a man living with a ghostly roommate, complete with clever practical effects and a playful twist on perspective. Third place is awarded to the directing duo Joe Daru and Alessandro “AxiA” Serradimigni for their powerful one-shot drama “A Change of Heart,” an emotional film that captures one family’s grief and another’s salvation when loss becomes the gift of life. All three winning teams have participated in No Sleep ‘til Film Fest in past years, underscoring AGBO’s commitment to supporting emerging filmmakers and fostering their growth year after year.

The top three winners receive a filmmaking prize package equipped with essential resources and best-in-class equipment to use for future filmmaking opportunities. They will also join the AGBO Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of winners from other AGBO-sponsored festivals and fellowship programs such as the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum and the Slamdance Film Festival Fellowship, the same festival the Russos received their start at in 1997 as emerging filmmakers.

The festival’s panel of judges include actor and producer Simu Liu, and actress and filmmaker Letitia Wright, alongside AGBO’s Creative Leadership team, including Co-Founders Anthony and Joe Russo, Partner Donald Mustard, Chief Creative Officer Angela Russo-Otstot, Chief Innovation Officer Jake Aust, Chief Marketing Officer Marian Koltai-Levine, President of Film Michael Disco and President of Television Scott Nemes.

The current members of the Storytellers Collective voted on a winning film to receive the “AGBO Storytellers Collective Award,” which welcomes another filmmaker duo into the mentorship and alumni program alongside their peers. The Storytellers Collective is designed not only to keep filmmakers and grant recipients connected with AGBO, but also with one another, cultivating a dynamic community of globally diverse artists who inspire and uplift one another. The recipients of this year’s award are Berlin-based filmmakers Ivan Chaykin and Vasily Gronskiy for their short “Confession,” a poignant exploration of faith, technology, and human connection.

All winners and honorable mentions from the Fifth Annual “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest” include:

First Place

Scratcher, directed by Tony Arriola, Steven Kiefer & Mikkel Aranas (Burbank, CA, US)

Second Place

Polter-Guest, directed by Jennifer Tomlin (Victorville, CA, US)

Third Place

A Change of Heart, directed by Joe Daru & Alessandro "AxiA" Serradimigni (Los Angeles, CA, US)

AGBO Storytellers Collective Award

Confession, directed by Ivan Chaykin & Vasily Gronskiy (Berlin, Germany)

Honorable Mentions

Blind Date, directed by Catalina Dominick & Jesse Pacheco (Colorado Springs, CO US)

Can I Hit That?, directed by Constantine Tripodes (Burbank, CA US)

Clementine’s Meditation Time, directed by Sean Nguyen (Seattle, WA, US)

Crime Junior, directed by Bruce Brockett (Provo, UT, US)

Floater, directed by Tyler Adams (Los Angeles, CA, US)

The Room We Share, directed by Michael D. Elliott (Fort Myers, FL, US)

Lifetime Warranty, directed by Emmitt Rodgers (Festus, MI, US)

Oh Lucille, directed by Harry Guest (Los Angeles, CA, US)

The Last Job on Earth, directed by Javier Bermudez (Los Angeles, CA, US)

Together, directed by Christopher Maldonado & Jonathan Shroyer (Long Beach, CA, US)

Unexpected, directed by Vanessa Silva (Temecula, CA, US)

At the heart of “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest” is AGBO’s mission to champion emerging filmmakers and create spaces for them to connect, collaborate and grow. Over the past four years, “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest” has received more than 2,500 submissions from over 60 countries, showcasing the power of storytelling to bridge cultures and spark innovation. AGBO’s support for new filmmaking voices also extends well beyond the festival itself. The filmmaking prize package is equipped with essential resources and best-in-class equipment from Meta, RED Digital Camera, GoPro, Blackmagic Design, Avid, happy® coffee and AGBO – to fuel their future filmmaking endeavors.

All the winning shorts are available to watch on AGBOVERSE.com and AGBO’s YouTube Channel.

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an independent studio dedicated to shaping the future of storytelling across film, TV, and interactive media. Known for record-breaking success, AGBO has delivered 15 global #1 openings and helmed by the Russo Brothers, has generated over $7 billion in box office, including Marvel’s highest-grossing film, Avengers: Endgame. Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while The Gray Man and Extraction rank among Netflix’s biggest hits. AGBO’s Citadel universe has expanded globally, with Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny becoming top Prime Video originals. The studio recently released The Electric State for Netflix which premiered as #1 film on the platform and wrapped The Bluff for Amazon MGM, The Whisper Man for Netflix, and Citadel Season 2 is currently in post-production. AGBO is also producing Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) with Marvel, with the Russo Brothers set to direct.

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