Thursday, August 27
7:00-8:45 pm
Mythea Film Festival is a short film and short screenplay festival, culminating in a screening of the short films before a live audience.
Produced by: Miles Hanna, Joey Rothstein, Mia Fritz, & Alicia Steinmann
WINNERS
At the Mythea Film Festival on August 27, 2026, hosted at Frayed Knot Collective’s annual Eleusis Festival in Long Island City, New York, Stephen Szmed’s Picture Man Bob was awarded Best Short Film. It is a documentary-style short film, celebrating a heartfelt portrait of a New York photographer whose dedication to instant film creates unexpected moments ofconnection in an increasingly disconnected world.
The film follows Bob, a photographer navigating life’s ups and downs while continuing to take to the streets to capture memories and connect with strangers through the magic of instant photography. Through his unwavering commitment to his craft, Picture Man Bob explores the power of human connection, perseverance, and the beauty of finding meaning in everyday encounters.
Directed by Stephen Szmed, the film grew out of a fascination with Bob’s conviction and his determination to continue photographing people throughout New York City, even during difficult periods. Over approximately two years, Szmed followed Bob, developed a friendship with him, and worked to capture the lessons embedded in his story. What began as an admiration for Bob’s unique passion evolved into an intimate exploration of the relationships and fleeting moments that make life meaningful.
Originally from the plains of Kansas, Szmed began making films with friends at age 13 and has continued working across documentaries, commercials, narrative films, and music videos throughout the United States. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, he approaches filmmaking as both an art and a science, focusing on visual storytelling and uncovering deeper truths through human experience.
Best Short Film - Picture Man Bob
At the Mythea Film Festival on August 27, 2026, hosted at Frayed Knot Collective’s annual Eleusis Festival in Long Island City, New York, Michael Weinberger’s Happy Birthday Ethan was awarded Best Short Screenplay, recognizing a poignant story of grief, survivor’s guilt, and the enduring bonds of brotherhood.
Happy Birthday Ethan follows Chris, a young man whose life has remained suspended in the aftermath of his younger brother Ethan’s death. On the eve of Ethan’s birthday, Chris returns home and is given an impossible chance: one more ordinary afternoon with his brother. Their reunion forces Chris to confront the guilt that has shaped his life and the dreams he has gradually abandoned.
Rather than presenting grief as something to overcome, Weinberger explores how loss can become so deeply embedded in a person’s identity that they forget how to live beyond it. Through the brothers’ familiar conversations about fishing, airplanes, Christmas presents, and girls, the screenplay captures the small, everyday details that make a person unforgettable. At its heart, the story offers a moving reflection on memory, forgiveness, and the realization that moving forward does not mean leaving someone behind.
Weinberger is a budding multi-hyphenate from Katy, Texas, studying drama at NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in film. His work spans comedy, spirituality, and introspection, often exploring American identity and finding deeper meaning in ordinary experiences. Drawn to subtle, character-driven storytelling, he brings that sensibility to Happy Birthday Ethan, a deeply personal project centered on the lasting impact of love and loss.
With its intimate premise and emotionally resonant exploration of survivor’s guilt, Happy Birthday Ethan invites audiences to consider an enduring question: If you could spend one more afternoon with someone you lost, what would you say? Its recognition as Best Short Screenplay at the Mythea Film Festival celebrates a story that reminds us that honoring those we have lost can mean allowing ourselves to keep living.
Best Short Screenplay - Happy Birthday Ethan
Best Cinematography - Daniel Byrne (Bushwick Sunrise)
The Eleusis Mythea Film Festival was delighted to recognise cinematographer Daniel Byrnewith the award for Best Cinematography for his work on Bushwick Sunrise at this year’s festival.
Set against the early-morning atmosphere of Bushwick, Brooklyn, Bushwick Sunrise follows two young people who find themselves together at the end of an afterparty. As the night gives way to morning, their conversation turns toward their lives, relationships and the uncertainty of what comes next. The film is an intimate portrait of a fleeting connection between two people at a moment when the rest of the city appears to be waking around them.
The award adds to a growing body of acclaimed cinematography work from Byrne across narrative film, fashion and commercial production. His previous projects include Father Brennan Is Having a Breakdown, alongside an expanding career as a fashion Director of Photography, including work connected with Cosmopolitan.
Working across these different forms has allowed Byrne to develop a visual practice that moves comfortably between narrative storytelling and the more controlled, image-led language of fashion. His work maintains a consistent attention to lighting, composition, texture and the emotional purpose of an image.
Photographed on the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF with ARRI UltraPrime lenses, Byrne approached the film with a large-format digital system capable of retaining considerable detail and tonal information across changing environments. The camera and lens package supports the film’s intimate approach, allowing the photography to remain close to its two central characters while still giving the surrounding streets and interiors of Bushwick a strong sense of place. Particularly important to the film is the transition from the atmosphere of the afterparty into the emerging morning: the cinematography becomes part of that progression, using the changing environment around the characters to accompany a story that gradually becomes quieter and more reflective.
With Bushwick Sunrise, those qualities come together in an outstanding piece of cinematography and one that the festival was pleased to recognise this August.
We congratulate Daniel Byrne and the entire Bushwick Sunrise team on the award and look forward to following his future work.
