‘Everhand’ Wins Best Film and Director at 2025 EasterSeals Disability Film Challenge Awards

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In 2025, winners for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge were declared at Sony Pictures Studios during their annual award ceremony held on a Thursday. Entrants had five days to write and produce 1-5 minute short films that emphasized disability inclusion, both in front of and behind the camera, within the specified timeframe.

Nic Novicki, founder of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, stated that its purpose is to speed up progress and shine light on gifted filmmakers and performers. This platform offers them a chance to display their skills and gain visibility. We take pride in the exceptional films produced over the last 12 years, and I am thankful that the challenge has opened doors for many participants, such as Nik Sanchez who secured a role in ‘The Accountant 2’ following his participation in last year’s event.

Commemorating a decade and a half of championing genuine casting and storytelling in the entertainment industry, this year’s Film Challenge focused on the genre “Thrillers & Suspense.” A total of 123 entries were submitted for the challenge from various countries such as Austria, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, England, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and The Netherlands.

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In honor of 12 years of advocating for authentic casting and storytelling in the movie industry, this year’s Film Challenge centered around the genre “Thrillers & Suspense.” A grand total of 123 submissions were received from diverse countries including Austria, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, England, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and The Netherlands.

Six categories were recognized for winners: Best Movie, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, and Best Awareness Campaign. EDFC additionally granted five $5,000 seed funds/film completion grants (sponsored by Adobe) to this year’s winners and five $25,000 Alumni Adobe Grants for former winners, which can be used to expand their short film into a full-length movie or TV series.

See the full list of 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge winners below. 

Best Film presented by Sony Pictures:

“Everhand” (Lee Cleveland)

Best Director presented by NBCUniversal:

Shane Hillier, “Everhand” 

Best Actor presented by IMDbPro:

Dashiell Meier for “Day 21”

Best Awareness presented by Amazon MGM Studios:

“Emergency Plan” by Anna Pakman

Best Writer presented by Netflix:

Steve Way & Danny Kurtzman for “We’ll Meet Again”

Best Editor presented by Adobe Foundation: 

Lily Drummond for “Hypothetically, the End”

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2025-05-10 00:25