We’re excited to share another big milestone for MENTAL — the film has won Best Mockumentary Short at the 2026 Indiewood Film Festival in Hollywood. The festival’s official 2026 awards list names MENTAL as the winner in the mockumentary short category.

The Indiewood Film Festival celebrates independent cinema and gives emerging filmmakers a place to share their work with audiences and connect with the larger independent film community. The festival was formerly known as the Silicon Beach Film Festival and, in 2026, brought its screenings to the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.

This year’s festival ran in September and featured independent films and filmmakers from around the world, with screenings taking place at one of Hollywood’s most recognizable movie destinations. Festival Director Jon Gursha created Indiewood as a platform for independent filmmakers, with Peter Greene serving as program director.

For the MENTAL cast and production team, winning Best Mockumentary Short is an exciting recognition of the work, creativity, and humor that went into bringing the film to life.

We’re incredibly proud of everyone involved in MENTAL and grateful to the Indiewood Film Festival for recognizing the film.

More festival news coming soon!