Due Is The Winner! The 2026 Kinolime Feature Film Competition

Congratulations to Kathryn Zizek, Winner of the 2026 Kinolime Feature Film Competition

Kinolimers, you voted. You read. You watched the table reads. You followed every round, championed your favorites, and helped decide which story should take the next step toward the big screen.

And now, we finally have our winner.

A huge congratulations to Kathryn Zizek, whose script Due has officially won the 2026 Kinolime Feature Film Competition.

From the moment Due entered the competition, it stood out as a story with a chilling premise, emotional weight, and the kind of mystery that immediately pulls you in. The script follows a new mother who, years after making a mysterious deal during a near-fatal overdose, must face the return of a shapeshifting entity that has come back to claim what it is owed.

It is haunting. It is intimate. It is deeply unsettling in the best possible way.

At the heart of Due is a terrifying question: what happens when the past refuses to stay buried? Kathryn takes that idea and builds a story that blends supernatural horror with deeply human fear. The fear of motherhood. The fear of secrets. The fear of consequences. The fear that something you once escaped may still be waiting for you.

That is what makes Due such an exciting winner. It is not just a genre piece built around scares and suspense. It is a story rooted in character, guilt, survival, and emotional tension. Its shapeshifting entity is terrifying, but the real power of the script comes from the personal stakes underneath the horror. Kathryn has created a world where every deception matters, every choice carries weight, and every page brings the audience closer to something inevitable.

This year’s competition brought together incredible voices, bold concepts, and unforgettable scripts. Making it to the final round was already a huge achievement, and the Top 3 gave Kinolimers three completely different stories to consider. But in the end, it was Due that captured the community’s imagination and earned the winning vote.

To every Kinolimer who read the scripts, watched the table reads, followed the competition live, and cast a vote: thank you.

This competition exists because of you. Your engagement, your curiosity, and your passion for discovering new writers are what make this process so special. You did not just watch from the sidelines. You helped choose the story that will move forward. You helped give a writer’s work the recognition it deserves. You helped decide what happens next.

And to Kathryn: congratulations. Due is a gripping, atmospheric, and emotionally charged script, and we could not be more excited to celebrate you as this year’s winner.

The Kinolime community has spoken.

The 2026 Feature Film Competition winner is Due by Kathryn Zizek.