2026 WINNERS / FILMS / BEST FIRST TIME FILMMAKER
★ WINNER
Push The Machine
Max Ward
Australia, France, United Kingdom · 14 min · English, French
SYNOPSIS
A young stuntman embarks on the most perilous, and illegal, project of his life. With the police hot on his trail, and an arduous mission to reach the takeoff, the jump itself is only half the challenge.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Max Ward
Max Ward is a London-based Australian filmmaker, most known for his documentary work examining the process and personalities behind the world’s most impressive extreme sports athletes. He has produced and self-distributed two feature-length documentaries, the most recent of which, Project Nextgen (2023), grossed over $35,000 in pay-per-view sales online. As he has typically chosen to release his films directly to their niche audiences online, Pousser La Machine is his film-festival debut.
CREDITS
DIRECTED BY
Max Ward
KEY CAST
Brice Poule
MORE IN BEST FIRST TIME FILMMAKER