SATO48-2026 Retrospective
A year-in-review document for SATO48-2026 — what happened, what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d do differently.
At a Glance
| Year | 2026 |
| Registered Teams | 78 |
| Films Submitted | 55 (48 on-time, 7 late) |
| Kickoff | April 24, 2026 — Graceway Baptist Church |
| Submission Deadline | April 26, 2026 |
| Screening Venues | The Moxie Cinema, College Station |
| Awards Ceremony | The Gillioz Theatre — June 6, 2026 |
| Inspiration Package | Invent a Conflict Worth the Fight |
What Went Well
(TBD)
What Didn’t Go Well
The Selection Committee Bug (“The Blind Cut”)
The most significant incident of SATO48-2026. A latent software bug in the Festival Manager silently disqualified 24 of the 48 eligible films from receiving Selection Committee scores. The awards ceremony proceeded without anyone realizing. A second round of judging was conducted post-ceremony to remediate the affected films.
Full details: 2026 Selection Committee Bug (“The Blind Cut”)
Timeline of Key Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 24, 2026 | Kickoff — Inspiration Package revealed |
| April 26, 2026 | 48-hour submission deadline |
| June 6, 2026 | Awards & Recognition Ceremony — The Gillioz Theatre |
| June 13, 2026 | Selection Committee Bug discovered and fixed |
Awards & Results
🏆 Awards (Judge-determined)
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film / Best Use of IP | Bryce Rodgers | In Their Own Way |
| Cinematography | James Hearron | Safe Haven |
| Direction | Joseph A Heintz | The Sacred Sip |
| Editing | Brian Mongoven | Il Mercenario |
| Lead Performance | Caroline Elizabeth Farouki | In Their Own Way |
| Supporting Performance | Jennifer Buttell | Il Mercenario |
| Screenplay | Jordan Corbett | Puppet Show |
| Sound Design | Aaron Michael Stockton & Scott A Ragsdale | Contamination Protocol |
| Original Score | Jim Bultas | Bobby & Clyde |
| Production Design / Art Direction | Scott A Ragsdale & Aaron Michael Stockton | Contamination Protocol |
🎟️ Prizes (Community / Sponsor-determined)
| Category | Winner | Film / Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Favorite | — | Say Cheese, Bingles! (Appledogs) |
| Best Opening / Closing Credits | — | Queens (TROWSKI DESIGN) |
| Family Film Project | — | Parking Etiquette (Callahan Films) |
| Golden Weaver | — | Deep Kick (Napalm In The Morning) |
| Nerd Out | — | Il Mercenario (Cinetasmagoria) |
| Outstanding Movie Set Design | — | Contamination Protocol (Katastasia Studios) |
| Poster Design | Caroline Elizabeth Farouki | In Their Own Way |
| Product Placement | — | The Noise Killer (ABX Cinema) |
| Timeless Style | — | Louder Then Fear (Ozarks Film Foundry) |
| You Gotta See It | — | Say Cheese, Bingles! (Appledogs) |
See SATO48-2026 Prizes for full Top 10 listings per category.
Note: These results reflect the ceremony as held on June 6. The SC bug affected the award pipeline; see The Blind Cut for context on remediation.
Lessons Learned
(TBD)