Awards 2025

RBC
Best Canadian Feature

All Canadian feature films are eligible for this prize.

$3,000 cash prize

Montréal, Ma Belle, Xiaodan He

Jury Statement
Xiaodan He’s sophomore offering is a deeply-felt portrait of womanhood, family and identity. Joan Chen is nothing short of a revelation as Feng – a character imbued with delicate power. The film is a window into contemporary Montreal, capturing the romance of the city and the rich intersectionality of its citizens. Xiaodan He crafts a tender poem of a film, that aches with a beating passion – for love, for family, and for being true to oneself. The jury is compelled to award the RBC Best Canadian Feature Film Award to Montréal, ma belle.

Dipchand LLP
Best Feature

All feature films are eligible for this prize.

$2,000 cash prize

Fucktoys, Annapurna Sriram

Jury Statement

This glistening film uses confident and inventive film language to create a hilarious and luscious, alternate but familiar world that is tender and cruel, and irreverent yet deeply critical.It builds beautifully messy vignettes that shine a light on people who are usually made invisible. It pushes cinema forward, reminding the audience of how storytelling can transform and challenge perspectives. The film is a wild, rollicking ride from start to finish, with stellar performances, production design, costumes and cinematography. The multi-hyphenate director establishes themselves as a revolutionary voice, while paying homage to the trailblazing artists who came before them – part John Waters, part Gregg Araki – part something that feels intangibly fresh and exciting. The jury awards Best Feature to Annapurna Sriram’s Fucktoys.

SAMANSA
Short Film Award

All short films are eligible for this prize. The winner will also receive a distribution offer to be featured on the SAMANSA platform.

$1000 cash prize

There Will Come Soft Rains, Elham Ehsas

This year’s SAMANSA Short Film Award recognizes There Will Come Soft Rains as the winner for its tender yet unwavering depiction of the looming threat of climate change that haunts both the living and even the dead; the great lengths our protagonist takes to protect her beloved father from rising sea levels and ensure posterity is a powerful testament to love amidst a sinking world.

Osler
Best First Feature

All first feature films are eligible for this prize.

$1,000 cash prize

Akashi, Mayumi Yoshida

Jury Statement

In this beautifully crafted film, our protagonist Kana struggles with her sense of duty, place and worthiness of love after leaving those who cared for her to chase her own dreams. She can rest assured that because of her art she holds a fond place in the hearts of the jurors.
With its picturesque cinematography, graceful characterization and mature storytelling, the jury is happy to award the intimate yet ambitious Akashi with the Osler Award for Best First Feature.

Reel Asian – DOC Institute
Best Documentary

All documentary feature films are eligible for this $1,500 cash prize, donated by Diang Iu, Sonia Sakamoto-Jog and Victoria Shen.

$1,500 cash prize

There Are No Words, Min Sook Lee

Jury Statement

​​At once brave, beautiful, and heartbreaking, there are no answers in this investigation of transgenerational silences intertwined with personal and political histories of migration, violence, and family secrets. This haunting film is a moving ode to living on in the face of grief and difficult inheritances. The jury awards the Reel Asian – DOC Institute Best Documentary Award to There Are No Words.

Wattpad WEBTOON Studios
Best Short Film

I Am A Flower, Ariel Victor Arthanto

Jury Statement

This film presents a profound story of self-affirmation and the embracement of others, showing a compelling narrative of both conflict and reconciliation. Above all, this film serves as a crucial political message calling for respect for diversity in an era of rising far-right extremism. For recreating these essential virtues with such bold and lucid strokes, we proudly present the Wattpad WEBTOON Studios Best Short Film Award to director Ariel Victor Arthanto for I am a Flower.

Michael Fukushima
AnimAsian Award

All animated works are eligible for this award. With support from Sheridan College.

$1,000 cash prize

Thank You For Your Love, Jin Lim

Jury Statement

It is not easy to recreate personal stories through film. Yet, this short film fiercely reconstructs inner struggles and competing identities – all with a hand drawn touch. In doing so, the director freely expresses the vitality of their identities and affirms the complexities of selfhood. We highly commend the director’s artistic courage by presenting this year’s Michael Fukushima AnimAsian Award to director Jin for Thank You For Your Love.

DGC Ontario and WIFT+ Toronto
Film Award

All films made by women or non-binary Ontario-based artists are eligible for this award.

$1,000 cash prize

Same Time Next Year?, Anushay Sheikh

Jury Statement

In their debut fiction work, Anushay Sheikh brilliantly crafts a world shared by two former lovers through words that are spoken and unspoken, gazes that are returned and unreturned, and touches that must be deferred to an uncertain future. Within the affordances and limitations of the short film format, Sheikh shows great promise as a director who locates cultural specificity, conveys emotional depth, and above all, understands that what is on screen is equally important as what is left off-screen. For these reasons, we are pleased to grant Same Time Next Year? the DGC Ontario & WIFT+ Toronto Film Award.

Canadian Society of Cinematographers
Best Cinematography

Motel, Grand-Pré, Calvin Liu

Jury Statement

With evocative, emotional and patient cinematography, Motel Grand-Pré’s images served the narrative in every way, making it the jury’s unanimous choice for this award. This short documentary is told with immersive compositions and lighting that support its subject matter with remarkable restraint. Liu perfectly pairs his imagery with the storyline to set a mood and tell a story without being self-conscious. An inspiring film, from a strong auteur-driven voice – Liu is a filmmaker to keep an eye on!

Honourable Mention

Serene Hues

Rita Tse

Jury Statement

A visually stunning, experimental film that provoked discussion and questioned the definition of cinematography. The analog techniques used and unexpected images created were visually transcendent, resulting in a captivating and meditative final piece that defies typical boundaries of cinematic expression.

Armstrong Acting Studios Outstanding Performer in a Canadian Short Film

The award recipient will receive full class tuition coverage of a class at Armstrong Acting Studios. Recipient must be an Ontario resident.

Full class tuition ($1,129 value)

Karupy, performance by Sumathy Balaram

Jury Statement

It is the jury’s pleasure to name the Armstrong Acting Studios Outstanding Performer in a Canadian Short Film Award to Sumathy Balaram for her portrayal of the main character, Karupy. The jury was beyond impressed by her subtle and restrained performance that conveyed the rage simmering beneath her character’s stoicism. Her remarkable chemistry with the ensemble, as well as the commanding presence she brings to solitary moments on screen, make her performance unforgettable. As the manipulative matriarch at the story’s core, Balaram delivers a portrayal that is somehow chilling, hilarious and deeply human—an extraordinary achievement that left us in awe.