The Lee Strasberg Film Festival Announces 2025 Award Winners, Celebrating the Craft of Acting and Storytelling on Screen

The Lee Strasberg Film Festival has officially concluded its 2025 edition in West Hollywood, marking the 9th inspiring year of films, panels, and conversations dedicated to the craft of acting and the art of cinematic storytelling.

Hosted at the historic Marilyn Monroe Theatre, this year’s festival brought together filmmakers, actors, and Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute alumni from around the world for three days of screenings, Q&As, and industry discussions that celebrated the power of performance—a tradition deeply rooted in Lee Strasberg’s legacy.  The Lee Strasberg Institute has continued to be a vital force at the heart of the entertainment industry shaping the world of Film & Television around the globe with legendary stars of Hollywood and Broadway that have been practitioners of Lee Strasberg’s Method.

“The festival is a reminder of how central the actor’s process is to filmmaking,” said David Strasberg, Lee Strasberg Festival Director. “Each film we screened, whether a feature or a short, reflected a deep respect for the human experience and the craft of transformation that my dad championed.”

The 2025 lineup featured an extraordinary mix of international voices, such as the documentary feature, Duse, The Greatest (Italy) that kicked-off the festival on Friday followed by a deep discussion about Eleonora Duse, the actress whose groundbreaking style of subtlety inspired Lee Strasberg’s Method, to Scenario (Japan) the short-film that presented audiences with an off-center perspective on AI’s influence on the future of humanity—the winning films were recognized for their authenticity, artistry, and performance-driven storytelling.

2025 Lee Strasberg Film Festival Award Winners:

Best Actress

Ayaka Onishi, Scenario

Best Actor 

Vincent Van Sande, Stay

Best Screenplay 

Kazunori Miura, Scenario

Best Cinematography

Farzad Shahab, The Steak

Best Supporting Actress  

Sabine Timoteo, Violet

Best Supporting Actor 

Dainius Svobonas, Arrested

Best Director

Pablo Delgado, The Cascade

Best Alumni Director 

Isabella Uzcátegui, Flashlight

Best Alumni Actress 

Lisette Lastra, NMBR 1 FN

Best Alumni Actor

Braden Misiaszek, Disco

Best Editing 

Kenichi Hirai, Scenario

Best Short Film 

The Steak by Kiarash Dadgar

Best Alumni Short Film 

NMBR 1 FN by Rudy Weimer

Best Narrative Feature Film

A Hunt For Hedgehogs by Mihály Schwechtje

Best Documentary Feature Film

Duse, The Greatest by Sonia Bergamasco

Best of Fest 

Scenario by Kazunori Miura

In celebrating these winners, the festival also honors Lee Strasberg’s enduring influence on generations of artists—the belief that truth in performance is the foundation of powerful storytelling.

“The Lee Strasberg Film Festival continues to be a space where filmmakers and actors meet in shared purpose to explore, to take risks, and to tell stories that move people,” said Festival Director, Sasha Krane “That spirit was alive in the films we watched this weekend.”

About The Lee Strasberg Film Festival

The Lee Strasberg Film Festival, founded by The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in 2016, is dedicated to showcasing independent filmmakers and actors who bring honesty and imagination to the screen. The festival provides a platform for both alumni and new voices, fostering a creative community rooted in meaningful storytelling and memorable performances from around the world. Alumni of The Lee Strasberg Institute include Al Pacino, Marilyn Monroe, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, John Leguizamo, Angelina Jolie, Rosario Dawson, Lady Gaga, Chris Evans, Laura Dern, and Rachel Brosnahan. The Institute offers a variety of scholarship programs to new and current students, including the James Baldwin, Cicely Tyson, Chandra Wilson, and Vincent D’Onofrio Awards, among others.

For more information about the festival (events artwork and  Juror Press Release) and its ongoing programs, visit www.leestrasbergfilmfestival.com and you can follow the festival on instagram (LSFF IG) for updates.