Wow, what a ride in 2020.

We had more films on screen and more people in town than in any other BSFF. What a great time. It all culminated in the wonderful awards ceremony at La Casa del Zorro on Monday night.

This years fest was also the most well attended by filmmakers which made the award presentation incredible. Shout out to committee chairman Fred Jee and his chroma-keyed-motion-captured balls.

Unique to the 2020 BSFF was the introduction of our Committee Laurel awards. The BSFF committee created these certificates to celebrate the films, we feel, best resonate with the culture and attitudes of Borrego Springs, and present a level of film-making craft that demands to be celebrated. Many thanks to the filmmakers that shared their exceptional creativity with us and made the committee take special notice of your excellent work!

Our Juried Awards, as always, represented the pinnacle of accomplishment as appreciated by the industry professionals that make up the BSFF judge panels.

Finally, the highlight of the award session came into focus as we presented, in a way, the most prestigious laurels of all, the People’s Choice awards! The BSFF is well regarded as having simply the best audience on the film festival circuit. Our audience offers their sincere feedback to motion picture storytelling. The BSFF patrons are not afraid to express their opinion!

It’s very telling that when we tallied People’s Choice votes Monday night, most categories were only separated by 5 votes or less. It was neck and neck for almost all the films, and we really only had one categorical runaway winner.

The short film category was particularly amazing. 5 films were within 3 votes of each other!

So special thanks to our filmmakers. Even if you didn’t receive a laurel, know that your efforts were well appreciated by everyone here in Borrego Springs.

So, without further ado, here are the 2020 BSFF Award Winners: