2026 Festival Results & Awards

Canada Shorts: Canadian and International Short Film Festival
Strive

Strive

Best Short / Grand Prize Winner Best International Short Best Director (tie) Best Writer Best Cinematography Best Action / Adventure Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy

A world where addiction to technology is a standard and people live their lives through machines. Toni yearns for something real. Toni challenges Max, a daredevil known for her driving skills, to a dangerous car race.

  • Director: Jussi Rautaniemi
  • Writer: Jussi Rautaniemi
  • Producers: Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff
  • Cinematographer: Peter Flinckenberg
  • Runtime: 14 mins
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 15th
Festival Tickets
I Still Love Her

I Still Love Her

Best Canadian Short Best Documentary (tie)

'Steady' a lifelong mechanic specializing in vintage Harley-Davidsons, reflects on his craft, his troubled upbringing, and his path to redemption, exploring how an intimate bond with machines has shaped both the man and his work.

  • Director: Joseph Zentil
  • Producers: Joseph Zentil, Francis Pienaar
  • Runtime: 10 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets
Darling

Darling

Best Director (tie) Best Drama Best Thriller / Horror (tie)

Mei-Hui, who had left her dark past and has finally gained peace of mind through religion. But tonight, evil bypassed all the gods and goddesses and played with her fear in a sinister way.

  • Director: Alan Chung-An Ou
  • Writers: Summer Chun-Ling Wan, Alan Chung-An Ou
  • Producer: Summer Chun-Ling Wan
  • Runtime: 30 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets
Gilded Gutter

Gilded Gutter

Best Music Score Best Experimental Film

In memory of Epstein trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, this project honors her legacy and is dedicated to her brother Sky and sister-in-law Amanda as they continue her fierce fight for justice.

  • Director: Hellen Rose
  • Writer: Hellen Rose
  • Producer: Hellen Rose
  • Composer: Hellen Rose
  • Runtime: 5 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets
Flagfall

Flagfall

Best Thriller / Horror (tie) Best Crime / Suspense

When the words HELP ME appear on the fogged rear window of his taxi, Dean blames the drink. Fresh off a relapse after two years of sobriety, the last thing he trusts is his own mind. As he is drawn deeper into the mystery, the story leads him closer to home — and toward the terrifying possibility that the one person he trusts most may be the one he should really be afraid of.

  • Director: Joe Lonie
  • Writer: Joe Lonie
  • Producers: Orlando Stewart, Angela Cudd
  • Runtime: 13 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets
They Call Me The Tattoo Witch

They Call Me The Tattoo Witch

Best Documentary (tie)

In Hanoi, Vietnam, tattoo artist Tran Ngoc specializes in the rare and challenging art of tattooing over scars.

  • Director: Lindsay Nyman
  • Producer: Lindsay Nyman
  • Runtime: 14 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets
Lasagna Run

Lasagna Run

Best Comedy

A woman rushing to deliver a homemade lasagna spirals into a surreal, anxiety-fuelled journey through bizarre obstacles that reveal the humour and chaos of trying to hold life together.

  • Director: James Livitski
  • Writer: James Livitski
  • Producer: James Livitski
  • Runtime: 3 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets
Journey To Something Somewhere

Journey To Something Somewhere...

Best Animation

On her first journey away from home, a tentative adventurer grapples with fear and uncertainty, torn between the safety of family and pursuing an unknown world filled with magic, creatures, and the question of what “happily ever after” truly means for her.

  • Director: Isabelle Yu
  • Writer: Isabelle Yu
  • Runtime: 3 minutes
  • Screening: Saturday, Dec. 5th
Festival Tickets


Premier Awards / Best Of Awards

Grand Prize: Strive by Jussi Rautaniemi

Best Canadian Short: I Still Love Her by Joseph Zentil
Best International Short: Strive by Jussi Rautaniemi

Best Director (tie): Jussi Rautaniemi for Strive
Best Director (tie): Alan Chung-An Ou for Darling
Best Writer: Jussi Rautaniemi for Strive
Best Cinematography: Peter Flinckenberg for Strive
Best Music Score: Hellen Rose for Gilded Gutter

Best Action / Adventure: Strive by Jussi Rautaniemi
Best Comedy: Lasagna Run by James Livitski
Best Suspense / Crime: Flagfall by Joe Lonie
Best Documentary (tie): They Call Me The Tattoo Witch by Lindsay Nyman
Best Documentary (tie): I Still Love Her by Joseph Zentil
Best Drama: Darling by Alan Chung-An Ou
Best Experimental Film: Gilded Gutter by Hellen Rose
Best Animation: Journey To Something Somewhere by Isabelle Yu
Best Thriller / Horror (tie): Darling by Alan Chung-An Ou
Best Thriller / Horror (tie): Flagfall by Joe Lonie
Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy: Strive by Jussi Rautaniemi

Finalists

A Beautiful Lie by Pablo de la Chica
A Deal in Liberty by Palmer Wells
A Friend of Ours by Francois Rabes, Felicie Dutertre
All We Have by Mahmoud Ghalwa, Amer Hlehel
Apparition by Cuauhtemoc Velazquez Lopez
Between Scylla and Charybdis by Jixuan Gong
Beware the Hunger by Monique Motut-Firth
Blue Matter by Ralf Muller
Bridge - My Little Friends by Kazuyuki Ishihara
Carnival Stars by Leo Kaczorowski
Dad by Mark Adam Miller
Don't Forget Me by Sohaib Ghani
Escape in My Heart by Ayşegül Cırdı, İlhami Cırdı
Freeborn by Alex Jordan
Gold Away by Yu-Fan Yu-Fan
Hollow Ones by Eric Kingsbury, Adrian Altobelli
Honey by Roman De Francesca
Hot New Thing by Lauren Messervey
In My Room by Kaitlyn Seibold
Just Kidding by Lena Rudnick
Le Mani Della Moda - Episode 3 by Luca Mariani
My Fat Came Alive by Jaymee Mak, Kevin Ang
Nekiya by Tobin Sanson
Nikkei Heist by Michael Hitoshi Maddeaux
No Strings Attached by Nicole Stamp
Paradiso by Enrico Mastracchi Manes
Pink Cuffs by Denzel Watson
Scorpion hunter by Franco Acosta
Scraps by Andrew Dymond
Shadows by Christopher Lambert
Splendid Resort by Marion Verselle
Super Normal Crew by Rae Harder, Skye Deluz
Supernature by Jonathan Brisebois
Supreme Gentlemen by Ryan Matthew Chan
Thank You by Alexander Sharp
The Baggage Of Time by Rodrigo De Oliveira Germano
The Harpies by Rogan Lovse
The Note by Viko Nikci
The Oligarch's Vet by Kate Brooks
Three Bears by Amanda Hinter, Gary Hinter
Time is Price by Peiyi Yao
Trust No One by Matthew Joseph Hermosillo
Upemba by Carter Kirilenko
What Lies Within by Diljot Garcha
Yours Truly by Delia Jansen, Emma Yee

Awards of Excellence

A Hero's Death by Brendan Flynn
A Little Blood Adds Colour by Jonathan Brito
Al 13 by Mariana Barberena
All Roads Lead To Rome by Sagiv Finger
Apostasy by Kobe Salamandyk
As It Was by Haonan Shu
Baby Daddy by Joel Mackenzie
Balderdash by Zachary T Crawford
Bamboo Princess by Eugene Foo
Beautiful by Léa Damian
Before You Go by Connor Wilton Mccartney
Big Friendly Killbots by Nathan Thomas
Blind Date by Arjun Khattra
Carmilla - Gothic Opera by Andersen Viana, Coletivo Pitágoras/Carmilla (CPC)
Christmas Legend by Quentin Fachon, François Hogue
Chunja’s Heyday 2 by Kordi, Sooyoung Kim
Clean Exit by Brittany Clough
Cycle by Justin Xu
Dead Air by Trevor L. Poole
Destined by Sheldon Armstrong
Fade To White by Liam Fowler
Fatal Day Code by Patrizia De Santis, Nico Toffoli
Good Intentions by Kristen Pauline Cussen
Grains by Cristina Cracchiolo
Hollow Wren by Robin Skye Farr
If - The Turbulence Within by Thiago Delfino Barbosa
If You Were Light by Maurilio Rodríguez
Impressions Of Resistence by Reinaldo Gil Zambrano
Insomnicat by Braydon Fox
Just Kaz by Shimon Machida
Let Me Begin Again by Wang Bo Ruei
Lighten Up by Brielle Robillard
Like A Mountain: Mindfulness For Young Caregivers by Dr. Mike Lang
Loneliness Can Be Murder by Vincent Xiaofei Zeng
Lotusland by Avery Stedman
Muscle Car Blues by David Campion
Nahid by Olcayto Uslu
New Caledonia by Kenrick Block
Nosey B*Tch by Anna Swan
Our Monsters by Mia Mango (Petrovic)
Paint What You Feel by Aaron James Peterson
Pitstop by Pranav Cheruvalath
Popping The Question by Juniper Fox
Realm Of The Gods by Tom Napper
Scattered Dreams by Haruka Namba
Silly People by Nicholas Facchini
Spare Room by Marco Paravani
Stairway by Jerry Trieus
Starcrifice by NC Hsieh
The Dinner Gatherers Club by Emily Copp, Liam Macleod
The End Of The World by Felipe Betrano
The Knitting Diaries by Janalee Budge
The Lady Architect by Moira Simpson
The Last Memory Coin by AOO Chen, Danyue Long, Xiong Chen, Jialing Pei
The Machine Shop by Jon Flahr
The Red Book by Kyprianos Dimosthenous
The Russian Waltz by Garry Bardin
The Thanksgiving Spill by Mandana Mehrghorbani
The Third Dream by Mohammadhossein Nikzad
The Warm Memories by Samar Zhang
There's A Rapist In The White House + Mary by Declan Rolph
This Is How It Happened by Christopher Goutman
Thoracica by Lou Rose
Unconditional by Saif Ameen
Wake Up by Gabriel Lima
We All by Po Yan Karena Yu
Wear Share Repeat by Matty Milligan, Jobin Jayin

Awards of Distinction

A Change Within by Alongkot Chukaew
A Cup Of Tea by Charleen Louise Phelps
A Magic Summer by Emily-Kate Murphy
A Slice Of Life by Raj Patel
Anchor Points by Victor Quijada, Samuel Greffe
At The Mercy Of Faith by Andrew Arguello
Buddie by CJ Mezin, Journey To
Case Of The Missing Mushroom by Paul Furminger 
code:\Blackout by Matthew Luppino
Die High by Christian Ramirez-Coll
Don't Wave Bye by Katharine Ground, Lexi Durno
DUNIAART by Alina Sokhna M'Baye
Lost Wallet by Peter New
Everything I Know by Brendan Shaw
Existential Reset by Joseph Braden
Fairy Tale by Ann Heatherington
Five Minutes by KIN LUN ALAN LAU
For Angels by CCM Film - University of Cincinnati
Future Bonds by Jonathan Lapalme
Gambit by Isabella Fernández López
Gone by Violet Dolejsi
Hockey Mom by Mikaela Lily Davies
I Want To Be Okay by Scott Sikma
It Will All Start Again by Giovanni Prete
Kaishora by Ishan Patnaik, Ankita Verma, S Abhishek Reddy
Lineage by Neil Schell
M.I.C.E Interrogation by Vanessa Gelacio
Marguerite by Cheryl Hickman
My Last Breakfast by Yana Kols
No Idea - The Musical by Kel Kitagawa
Outwit The Devil by Anthony Nicholas Moore
Paint. by Scott Ekins
Peggy Shaughnessy: Healing Outside The System by Kait Howell
Red Tape by Daniel Reid
Refund Policy by Monica Hosseini
Searching For Y by Jennifer Marks Golden, Amanda Murphy
Silver Lining by Harriett Maire
Ski Dad by Jayden Alp
Small Flowers by Milla Martha Kime
Something Pointless by Asa Bailey
Spirit Of The Serpentine River by Maurice Andre Aubin
Spruce: A Glimpse At Greatness by Samia Staehle
Still I Am Happy by Arsh Wander
Strange Orbits by Clayton Flagg
Strings by Amir Aghelnejad
Suicidal Tendencies by Timothy Jacob Lopers
Sur Le Guéridon by Léa Legrand
The Adventures Of Buff Chunky by Gaetano Frangella, Jamie Sutton
The Cold Mountains by Karthik Kesiraju
The Cue by Cici Scovell
The Gorilla Man by Logan Stefanson
The Light Sisters by Cassandra Sirois, Téa Helena Carini
The ManiPad by Victoria Urquhart
The New Mother by Zih Yun Ye
The Outlier by Aviva Armour-Ostroff
The Piano Tuner by Nicole Claudine Giroux
The Rattening by Alex Lee
The Tunnel by Pariwash Sundrani
The Waters Of The World by Vanessa Bruno, Caue Angeli
Thick As Mince by Brennen Little
Where Incense Never Fades by zesong Chen
Yarn by Callum Gow, Thomas Gasior

Awards of Commendation

Airborne by Myrna Petersen
Amazônia Xamã by Rodrigo Rodrigo Pedroza Pedroza
Amy And Red by Wence Maillat
Bird Girl by Andrea Ramolo
Break Of Dawn by Rene Saguin
By Any Means. by Jamal Omar
Chasing The Game by Eva Labrecque
Confession by Dikshith Reddy
Cut by Aaron Sinclair
Darling Angel by Blay Armah
Dissociater by Colin Turcotte
Dream Walk by Chris Di Staulo
Evil Cellar by Zhi-Yu Chou
Expression by Owen Lloyd-Ellis
Fools Rush In by Xander R Serpa
For What It's Worth by Luane Costa
Friendship, Relationship, Situationship by Yilin Chen
Future Chicken: Power Outage by Paul Furminger
Garafraxa by Tara Federko
Grandlake by Arthur Muhamad
Hand Basket by Snow Li
Honey Shades by Rodrigo Alosilla-Velazco
I Wish If I Were by Cesar Velasco-Gil
If Dogs Run Free by Christopher Andrew Mcgruer
In Sages Honour by Nicolas Elensky
Is It? by Jnyl Siazon
It’S Snowing by Noah Kara, Oskar Fäldt
Just A Dollhouse by Natalia Hennelly
King Of The Eyesores by Ofir Tal
Love Conquered Madness by Hua Zeng
Moving Day by David Ehret
Perennial by Eric Kingsbury
Jack's Room by Leishe Meyboom
Piper'S Ghost by Ethan R. Hill
Plant Parenthood by Luise Docherty
Quay Queens: Cultivating A Community by Anna Andrews
Separate Roads by Shalina Saleira
Signal by Shannon Denise Evans
Silver Linings by Ti Hallas, Brian Richardson, Ryan Adrian, Joe Wiatrowski, Kevin Longfield
Slay Bells by Sanket Joshi
Slow Road by Eponine Young
Stevie's Song by Barri Cohen, Graeme Bachiu
Take Me Home by Fabian Martin
The Dagger by Süeda Nuris Güzelordu
The Dandelion Girl by Rogan Lovse
The Day The Light Came In by Jun-Xiang Hung
The Descendants Of The Orange by Ahmad Abu Monshar, Mohamed Sleit, Amjad Jabaly
The Last Breath Of Bartor Sorrow by Peter Hajdu
The Last Flight by Dokyun Kim
The Lea Malek Story by Jeremy Hugh Sarachan
The Sauce by Kevin Cheetham
The Sponsor by Kent Randell
The Things You Like by Jim Davies
The Tunnel by Christopher Tobin
The Water Glass by Eric Luthi
Unheard by Prawaal Raman
Waikiki by Alicia Lu
Waiting For Care by Franco Sacchi, Sandra Sequeira
What The River Remembers by Yan Zhu
Wilder by James Hawksley
With You by Neelin Chakraborty
Won't Be Displaced by Piera Van De Wiel, Katharina Benjamim

Merit Awards

360 Degrees by Henry Gonzalez Burgos
A Beekeeper's Life In The Kootenays by Kaia Bea Fitz-Earle
A Clean Past by Sheldon Woodson
A Fortnight Away by Chelsey Grewar
A Slow Afternoon by Narkcheon Kim
Abyss Within by Nicole Hueser
Another Language by Jane Guo, Yiran Li, Elaine Chen
Apps by Cristian Tane
Arrival by Jim Garrison
Ayeshah's Podcast: The Forgotten Voices Of The Gambia by Nicolas Braguinsky Cascini, Juan Pablo Aris Escarcena
Best Birthday Ever by Taetum Hay
Breathing by Nan Song, Rimei Mak
Buffalo by Matt Allan Harris
Change Your Settings by Sarah Vanarsdal
Dabbawala Canada by Robin Csodó, Pavel Penev
Darwyn's Palliative Care Journey by Mary Danesh
De-Restraint by Petros Sotirios Stefaneas
Dress Code by Chloé Hung
Em For Murder by Tariq Khan
Giants In The Valley by Kelly Marsh
Hangry by Daniel Xue
Hazard River by Samuel Borsellino
I Have A Story But I Am Not My Story by Theodora Madarou
Illusory by Cindy Lin
Intrapsychic by Noah Tomaszewski Christensen
It's Not You It's You(r Kidney) by Mallory Pogue
Jump The Gun by Andrew Lyndaker
Laney by Daniel Mcguire
Marionette by Milene Curiel
Martin Krpan - The Mountain Hero by Izak Kovačič
Of Breath And Touch by Shannon Litzenberger
Please Hold by Joseph Liu
Prizefighter by Jack Fabrizio
Rex Cooper: Mission Mamba by Srijayanth Saseendran
Saturday by Bridget A Ricketts
Scuttle by Liam Leblanc
Seasoning by John Bonner
Skipping A Beat by Jimmie Lee Ward Jr
Static Cling by Surya Deepak Yalla
Super Date by Jared Travers
The Farmers Daughter by Shaun Majumder
The Long Intermission: Toronto Cinemas During Covid-19 And The 2023 Hollywood Strikes by Leila Popatia
The Neighbour by Larry Neale
The New Normal by Shannyn Lee Kelly, Henkelina F Mick
The Rescue by Gunnar Lindholm, Laszlo Schüszler
The Return Solution by Nathan Dubé
The Shortest Route by Gil Kofman
The Symbiosis by Zhong Yi-Shan, Wu Ssu-Cui
Till Truth Do Us Part by Tina Nalova
Trees by Isaac Stacey
Trigger by Ajaykumar Shanmugaraj
Turbid by Cheng-Yao Hsiao
Unbroken by Zer-Song Chen
Unspoken by Imaan Zara Khan
Upload by Adam Maurice Tatum
Village Mart by Maria Zvezdina
Walla Walla Wiffle Redux by Robert C Sickels
What Are You Waiting For? by Simona Väär, Helis Hiibus
While We Are Here by Evan Defrance, Justin Fillion-Cook
Wild Alps by Daniele Gangemi
Yas King! by Tinamarie Ivey
You Have My Word by Brian Nolin

Honorable Mentions

Acute by Kiarash Salek
At The Turning by Graham Peebles
Built In The Breaking by Kyla Mcgrath
Built In The Breaking by Kyla Mcgrath
Can You Watch This For Me? by Avery Morton
Elixir by Sultan Saleh Alzahrani
Entrelacés En Bleu by Tayler Gladue
Forward by Michael Naphan
Friendly Fire by Stu Tomas
Happy Birthday by Alexandre Battaglia Dias, Andrew Mackenzie Hadfield Brix
How To Make Paper by Jeff Wielki
I Love You Mom by Mikail Tocol
I Want Everyone To Like Me by Zane Kordich
Kidnap, Stab, Kill! by Yohann Kamto
Kokum Dorothy's Story: We Can Still Sing And Dance by Andrew Rutter
Looks Like Rain by Kathleen Vyborny
Luna by Marty Agabob
Lunatic Laboratory by Chris Gorrister
Memory Unwritten by Bharad Reddy
Mother Language by Bruce Li
Motion Blur by Iman Kamil
Mr. Oak by Callum Mckean
No Scene Guy by Sean Bardgett
Psychic by Brian Michael Cucek
Seven Minutes In The Closet by Tate Bailey Thompson
Soft Serve by Shanthony Exum
Stuck Inside by Aaron Nadal
Surprise! by Gabe Golin
The Audition by Samara Von Rad
The Fitting Room by Akshay Verma
The Magic Book 2 by Meng Melody Shang
The Promise by Yumeng Cai
The Shed by Claudia Calabresi
They Are Killing Us... by Maurice Cormier
Tucked In by Lar Collicott
Undercurrents by Terry Laliberté Mitchell, Misty Laliberté Prescott
Who The Hell Are Ya? by Francis Ouellet