Camden 2026: Dependence Takes Harrell Award as Festival Names Winners
Dependence, directed by Grace Harper Brighouse, has won the Harrell Award at the 22nd Camden International Film Festival.
The awards were reported on 21 September by Deadline, after the festival closed out its run in mid-coast Maine. The 2026 edition was held from 17 to 20 September, according to the Points North Institute, the nonprofit that organises the event.
Dependence held its world premiere at Camden. The film examines the film-maker's strained relationship with her father, shaped by his Oxycontin addiction. It was developed through the Points North Fellowship, the artist support programme run by the same nonprofit behind the festival.
The Harrell jury brought together film-makers Nesa Azimi and Keith Wilson with curator Carlos A. Gutiérrez. They also gave a Special Mention to Alea Jacarandas, directed by Hassen Ferhani, which made its United States premiere at the festival.
A second jury prize went to Revolutionaries Never Die, directed by Mohanad Yaqubi. It won the Cinematic Vision Award after its own US premiere at Camden. That jury consisted of Ash Cook, Martine Granby and Academy Award winner Laura Poitras.
Their Special Mention went to Past Future Continuous, directed by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani. The film had its North American premiere at Camden, meaning its first screening on the continent.
The audience had its own say. Bucks Harbor, directed by Pete Muller, won the Fowlie Audience Award. The prize is decided by audience ballot and carries a $10,000 cash award.
The festival's Oscar-qualifying prize for Best Documentary Short Film went to Lovely Butterfly, directed by Fairouz Hasan and produced by Saed Andoni. The label means the win makes the short eligible for consideration for the Academy Awards. Lovely Butterfly also made its US premiere at Camden.
What makes this stand out is how many of the winners were new to American viewers. Three of the honoured films arrived as US premieres, with one more as a North American premiere. This year's wider slate also included work from Oscar winner Alex Gibney.
