Ma Prison wins top honors at Mindfield Film Festival

Kitty Harper’s British short drama Ma Prison picked up multiple awards at the 9th Annual Mindfield Film Festival in Albuquerque, including Best Narrative Short and acting honors. The wins add to the film’s festival momentum as it continues building an awards record in the U.S. and U.K.

Why it matters: - Ma Prison is gaining awards traction on the festival circuit, raising its profile with programmers, buyers and audiences. - The film’s recognition spans directing, acting and music, suggesting broad craft appeal beyond a single category. - The Albuquerque wins strengthen the short’s standing as it adds to earlier festival selections and nominations.

What happened: - Kitty Harper’s short drama Ma Prison won multiple honors at the 9th Annual Mindfield Film Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico, held Aug. 27-30 at Guild Cinema. - The film received Diamond Awards for Best Narrative Short and Best Supporting Actress for Susannah May. - Sophie Bullock won a Gold Award for Best Actress. - Kitty Harper won a Bronze Award for Best Original Score.

The details: - Harper wrote, directed, edited and composed the film. - Ma Prison stars Sophie Bullock as Millie, a young girl dealing with her mother’s recent death and harsh treatment from her French teacher, Ms. Benoit, played by Susannah May. - The story follows Millie and Ms. Benoit as they remain trapped together after school, where Millie uncovers a deeper truth behind her teacher’s behavior. - The film explores grief, empathy, anger and the hidden prisons people carry. - Kevin McDonagh and Natalie Bark produced the film through The Movie Cauldron and I Ain’t No Herb Jackson Studios. - Herb Jackson Jr. served as executive producer. - Paul Wren appears as Millie’s father. - The film was shot on location in Birmingham, England.

Between the lines: - Mindfield’s awards suggest the short connects on both performance and technical execution, not just concept. - The festival win may help Ma Prison stand out in future submissions because juries recognized multiple individual contributors. - Harper’s multi-hyphenate role gives the project a distinct auteur stamp.

What’s next: - Ma Prison’s festival run is continuing after official selection at the Birmingham Film Festival and nominations at the Midlands Movies Awards. - The complete list of live festival winners is available at Mindfield Film Festival live winners 2026. - Media requests for interviews, stills or additional information can go to I Ain’t No Herb Jackson Studios or Kitty Harper’s site.