

CGS Member and Geosynthetics Division Chair, Sam Bhat, won several awards in 2026 for his short films. Sam is an award-winning filmmaker who enjoys writing, producing, directing and acting in short films, with a particular interest in themes of women’s empowerment, environmental preservation, and meaningful social issues.
His most recent film, Back to Normal, has continued his successful journey on the international festival circuit. In 2026, the film received a Jury Award at the Next Step Film Festival in Cannes, France (May 13-22, 2026), won Best Short Film at the Los Angeles Short Film Awards, and was named a Finalist at the Cannes World Film Festival, in addition to receiving recognition at several other international film festivals.
Through his parallel journeys in geosynthetics engineering and filmmaking, Sam continues to demonstrate how technical innovation and artistic creativity can complement one another—using engineering to help shape a more sustainable world and storytelling to explore the human experiences within it.