CCCL Film Festival 2026 Announces Winners of 9 Prestigious Awards

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June 29, 2026, Bangkok – Changing Climate Changing Lives (CCCL) Film Festival 2026, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Department of Cultural Promotion, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Peter Eric Dennis, Siam Canadian, Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), Jim Thompson Art Center, and Lido Connect, successfully concluded with the announcement of the winners of six Jury Prizes and three Special Awards.

The festival showcased over 63 films and featured a wide range of activities, including workshops, short film grant pitching sessions, filmmaker talks, and various programs organized by CCCL in collaboration with its partners to explore different perspectives on the climate crisis. The festival took place from June 12–21, 2026, at Jim Thompson Art Center and Lido Connect.

The annual short film competition recognized outstanding works in both documentary and non-documentary categories, celebrating filmmakers who presented compelling stories and perspectives on the climate crisis.

The nine winning films were among more than 800 submissions. The jury members for this year’s festival include Thai director, screenwriter and producer Patiparn Boontarig, American filmmaker, cultural strategist and producer Lydia Dean Pilcher, and Thai Executive Director of the Green World Foundation Poramin Watnakornbancha

The winners in the document category are:

1. Grand Jury Prize (Documentary) – PAYUNN |THAILAND’S LAST DUGONGS by Mailee Osten-Tan (Thailand)

   
   

   

   
   

2. Jury Prize (Documentary) – HIDDEN PARADISE by Kawin Sirichantakul (Thailand)

   
   

   Jury commendation:

   "Hidden Paradise is an intergenerational journey into Thailand’s fragile ecosystems, as modern water management and large-scale engineering projects devastate riverside forests and wetlands. A nature photographer and biology professor are united by their shared love of the natural world. They set out to document loss—and discover hope. Amid disappearing biodiversity, they find an unexpected renewal: a local rice field that awakens with the rainy season. Beneath the water’s surface, a hidden world of luminous species emerges. This living wetland reveals a quiet truth—that biodiversity endures where human traditions create shared space, allowing life, large and small, to thrive together."

   
   

   

3. Honorable Mention (Documentary) – UP AND GONE by Muendaw Kamontum (Thailand)

   
   

   Jury commendation:

   "For elevating documentary storytelling through powerful visual language, revealing the beauty and significance of nature, culture, and everyday life."

   
   

   

The winners of the non-documentary category are: 

1. Grand Jury Prize (Non-documentary) – THE ICE AGE SAUNA (氷河期サウナ) by Yusuke Yoshida (Japan)

   
   

   Jury commendation:

   "For transforming an inevitable environmental future into a story of warmth and hope, offering a deeply human perspective amid harsh realities."

   
   

   

   
   

2. Jury Prize (Non-documentary) – GREEN GREY BLACK BROWN by Yuyan Wang (South Korea, China, France)

   
   

   Jury commendation:

   "Yuyan Wang’s immersive film collages the past into the sensory beating heart of our contemporary world where petroleum is now the hidden DNA of everyday life— from transport, to shopping malls and plastic flowers, to the geopolitics of world wars and nation states.  

   
   

   Fossil fuels come from the earth, yet their extraction has fractured the earth itself. If we can understand this rupture of earth time and human time, perhaps we can see this as a relationship issue. One where we can arrange elements of energy differently. Will we  overcome the existential feeling of our “lonely hearts” to rediscover our kinship with the beauty and spirit of the natural world, from where we emerge-- and to where we ultimately return?"

   
   

   

   
   

3. Honorable Mention (Non-documentary) – DAY OF THE EVERLASTING SUN by Hans Rivera (Philippines)

   
   

   

   
   

This year’s special awards were selected by Founder and Producer of Living Films Chris Lowenstein for the Living Films’ Earth Vision Award, the CCCL team for Young Filmmaker Award, and the audience for Audience Award.

The winners of special awards are:

1. Living Films’ Earth Vision Award – THE LAST CLIMBER by Thida Swe (Myanmar)

   
   

   

   
   

2. Young Filmmaker Award recognizing outstanding filmmakers under the age of 25 – FADING FREQUENCIES by Wayne Lim (Iceland, Singapore)

   
   

   

   
   

3. Audience Award for the film that is the most popular among the audience each year – HIDDEN PARADISE by Kawin Sirichantakul (Thailand)

   
   

   

On this occasion, CCCL was honored to have Yuthika Isarangkul na Ayutthaya, Director-General of the Department of Cultural Promotion,

Ministry of Culture; Franciskus Tarmedi Program Coordinator for Regional Dialogue Heinrich Boell Stiftung Southeast Asia; Siriporn Rathie, Country Director of HERA in Thailand; Pranisa Teopipithporn, Director of Creative Cultural Promotion Division, Department of Cultural Promotion; Dr. Kittisak Phrukkanon, Director of Division of Strategy and International Cooperation, Department of Climate Change and Environment; Duangrit Bunnag, CCCL Advisory Board Member; Peter Eric Dennis, long-time supporter of CCCL; Chris Lowenstein, Founder and CEO of Living Films and CCCL Advisory Board Member and Thawatchai Chaiphet, Meeting & Event Specialist at the Jim Thompson Art Center to present the awards. 

The awards were presented in recognition of the winners' exceptional creativity, vision, and impactful contributions to climate storytelling. Furthermore, following the flagship festival in Bangkok from June 13–30, 2026, over 40 partner organizations in 25 provinces will host satellite screenings nationwide at various local venues, including schools, universities, and public spaces.

CCCL Film Festival is the first film festival in Southeast Asia that focuses on climate change. It serves as a platform for young filmmakers and communities in Southeast Asia and beyond to share their stories of climate impact, resilience, inspiration, and innovation. Founded in 2019, CCCL aims to raise awareness about climate change through the power of short films and inspire action locally and internationally. Since 2020, CCCL has organized five annual film festivals, and provided production grants to more than 68 short film projects. CCCL provides support in climate storytelling and mentorship to young Southeast Asian filmmakers, and organizes film tours to schools and universities in Thailand. CCCL believes in the creative talent of youth and the inspirational power of storytelling. CCCL actively collaborates with partners at community, national and international levels.