George R.R. Martin’s Mary Margaret Road Grader wins 4 awards at Miami sci-fi festival

The Miami Science Fiction Film Festival was a dazzling showcase of creativity, and among the standout winners was Mary Margaret Road Grader, a film adaptation of Howard Waldrop’s classic short story. The film, co-produced by George R.R. Martin and Mike Cassutt, captivated audiences and critics alike, earning four prestigious awards.

Quick read:

• Mary Margaret Road Grader won four awards at the Miami Science Fiction Film Festival.
• Director Steven Paul Judd was honored, and George R.R. Martin received a lifetime achievement award.
• The awards have now arrived in Santa Fe for distribution.

A Night of Recognition

Director Steven Paul Judd took home Best Director, a testament to his vision and storytelling prowess. He also won the Russell Bates Award, a prestigious honor recognizing excellence in indigenous filmmaking. The film’s costuming and wardrobe were also celebrated, highlighting the meticulous effort put into bringing the world of Mary Margaret Road Grader to life.

A Lifetime of Achievement

In a heartwarming moment, George R.R. Martin was presented with a lifetime achievement award, acknowledging his immense contributions to the world of science fiction and fantasy. Though the team couldn’t attend the awards ceremony, the trophies have now arrived in Santa Fe, ready to be distributed to the winners. Martin wrote on his blog, Not A Blog:

Credits: Not A Blog

“The Miami Science Fiction Film Festival was held January 18-19, down in Florida (natch). Mike Cassutt and I were there… we had a series of meetings that week, and we’d enetered MARY-MARGARET ROAD-GRADER in the festival.

The film was well received, as I reported downstream in my post about the festival. We came away with four awards. Steven Paul Judd took two of them; he took Best Director, and also won the prestigious Russell Bates Award. MARY-MARGARET also won honors for its costuming and wardrobe… and Miami was kind enough to present me with a lifetime achievement award.

We were not able to attend the awards presentation at the festival, and I believe there were some delays with the trophies. They were finally completed, however, and the rockets arrived here in Santa Fe a couple of days ago.”

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04/19/2025 09:12 am GMT