{{Short description|Annual film fest in Toronto, Ontario}} {{Infobox Film Festival | name = Canadian Film Fest | logo = Canadian Film Festival logo.svg | caption = | image = | image_alt = | image_size = | number = | location = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | language = English | founded = 2004 <!-- under a different name --> | website = {{URL|http://www.canfilmfest.ca}} }}
The '''Canadian Film Fest''', formerly known as the '''Canadian Filmmakers Festival''', is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario.<ref>James Adams, "'It's more than just a festival. It's a cause.'". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 24, 2008.</ref> Showcasing a program of Canadian independent films,<ref>[https://nowtoronto.com/movies/features/the-canadian-film-festival-levels-up/ "The Canadian Film Festival levels up and embraces Filth"]. ''Now'', March 20, 2017.</ref> it is held in March of each year and usually runs for five days.
The festival was launched in 2004, and ran annually until 2008 at the Royal Cinema.<ref>"Canadian Film Fest presents ...: A patriotic showcase of movie talent in new features, docs and shorts plus a host of panels, parties and other special events at the Royal". ''Toronto Star'', March 25, 2016.</ref> Although not staged between 2009 and 2011, it was relaunched in 2012 and has run annually since.<ref>"Everyday's a good day for a film fest". ''National Post'', March 23, 2012.</ref> The festival has been staged at the Scotiabank Theatre since 2017.<ref>"Film Fest opens for patriotic moviegoers". ''Toronto Star'', March 17, 2017.</ref>
The festival was formed in association with the Toronto International Film Festival Group, but operates independently of TIFF. It serves commonly, but not exclusively, as the Toronto premiere venue for films which premiered elsewhere on the Canadian or international film festival circuits in the previous year but have not yet screened in Toronto, although it also serves as the premiere venue for some films.
The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada; instead, the organizers partnered with the pay TV service Super Channel to provide television and streaming broadcasts of the films that had been slated to screen at the festival.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2020/04/20/postponed-canadian-film-fest-finds-new-home-on-super-channel.html "Postponed Canadian Film Fest finds new home on Super Channel"]. Canadian Press, April 20, 2020.</ref> With the pandemic continuing into 2021, festival organizers again partnered with Super Channel to present the 2021 edition of the festival under the same model.<ref>Norman Wilner, [https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-features/canadian-film-fest-announces-2021-lineup-will-stream-on-super-channel "Canadian Film Fest announces 2021 lineup, will stream on Super Channel"]. ''Now'', March 9, 2021.</ref>
==Award for Best Feature Film== {| class="wikitable sortable" width=100% |- ! Year ! Film ! Director ! Ref |- | 2004 || ''Expiration'' || Gavin Heffernan || {{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} |- | 2005 || ''The Overlookers'' || Christopher Warre Smets || <ref name=smets>[https://streeter.ca/toronto/news/scriptwriter-shoots-from-the-heart-with-hit-man-screenplay/ "Scriptwriter shoots from the heart with Hit Man screenplay"]. ''Streeter'', July 16, 2008.</ref> |- | 2006 || ''The End of Silence'' || Anita Doron || <ref>Chris Knight, "Good location comes with the territory". ''National Post'', June 27, 2006.</ref> |- | 2007 || ''The Zero Sum'' || Raphael Assaf || {{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} |- | 2008 || ''The Last Hit Man'' || Christopher Warre Smets || <ref name=smets/> |- | 2012 || ''A Little Bit Zombie'' || Casey Walker || <ref>{{cite web|author=Graham Lanktree|title=Ottawa gets A Little Bit Zombie|url=http://metronews.ca/news/ottawa/118745/ottawa-gets-a-little-bit-zombie/|website=metronews.ca|date=April 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022065518/http://metronews.ca/news/ottawa/118745/ottawa-gets-a-little-bit-zombie/|archive-date=22 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- | 2013 || ''The Storm Within (Rouge sang)'' || Martin Doepner || <ref>Charles-Henri Ramond, [https://www.filmsquebec.com/rouge-sang-deux-prix-a-toronto/ "Rouge sang: deux prix à Toronto"]. ''Films du Québec'', March 25, 2013.</ref> |- | 2014 || ''Patch Town'' || Craig Goodwill || <ref>Juliana Cummins, [https://playbackonline.ca/2014/03/25/patch-town-takes-best-feature-prize-at-2014-cff/ "Patch Town takes best feature prize at 2014 CFF"]. ''Playback'', March 25, 2014.</ref> |- | 2015 || ''Ben's at Home'' || Mars Horodyski || <ref>Etan Vlessing, [https://playbackonline.ca/2015/03/30/bens-at-home-heads-to-pacific-northwest-pictures-for-canada/ "Ben’s at Home heads to Pacific Northwest Pictures for Canada"]. ''Playback'', March 30, 2015.</ref> |- | 2016 || ''How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town'' || Jeremy Lalonde || <ref>Regan Reid, [http://playbackonline.ca/2016/04/04/canadian-film-fest-announces-2016-winners/ "Canadian Film Fest announces 2016 winners"]. ''Playback'', April 4, 2016.</ref> |- | 2017 || ''Great Great Great'' || Adam Garnet Jones || <ref name=greatgreat>Regan Reid, [https://playbackonline.ca/2017/03/27/great-great-great-picks-up-cff-best-feature/ "Great Great Great picks up CFF best feature"]. ''Playback'', March 27, 2017.</ref> |- | 2018 || ''The Drawer Boy'' || Arturo Pérez Torres || <ref>Lauren Malyk, [https://playbackonline.ca/2018/03/26/cff-18-the-drawer-boy-and-luba-score-top-prizes/ "CFF ’18: The Drawer Boy, Luba score top prizes"]. ''Playback'', March 26, 2018.</ref> |- | 2019 || ''The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova'' || Zack Bernbaum || <ref name=dombrova>Jordan Pinto, [https://playbackonline.ca/2019/03/25/dancing-dogs-of-dombrova-wins-best-feature-at-cff/ "The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova wins best feature at CFF"]. ''Playback'', March 25, 2019.</ref> |- | 2020 || ''Shoot to Marry'' || Steve Markle || <ref name=shoot>Debra Yeo, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2020/06/08/documentary-shoot-to-marry-and-feature-queen-of-the-morning-calm-win-canadian-film-fest-awards.html "Documentary ‘Shoot to Marry’ and feature ‘Queen of the Morning Calm’ win Canadian Film Fest awards"]. ''Toronto Star'', June 8, 2020.</ref> |- | 2021 || ''Sugar Daddy'' || Wendy Morgan|| <ref name=sugardaddy>[https://www.northernstars.ca/sugar-daddy-cff-winner/ "Sugar Daddy CFF Winner"]. ''Northern Stars'', April 19, 2021.</ref> |- | 2022 || ''Carmen'' || Valerie Buhagiar || <ref>[https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/maltese-film-carmen-gets-best-feature-award-in-canadian-film-fest.946279 "Maltese film Carmen gets best feature award in Canadian Film Fest"]. ''Times of Malta'', April 5, 2022.</ref> |- | 2023 || ''Babysitter'' || Monia Chokri || <ref>Kelly Townsend, [https://playbackonline.ca/2023/04/03/babysitter-wins-best-feature-at-2023-canadian-film-fest/ "Babysitter wins Best Feature at 2023 Canadian Film Fest"]. ''Playback'', April 3, 2023.</ref> |- | 2024 || ''With Love and a Major Organ'' || Kim Albright || <ref name=doubles>Kelly Townsend, [https://playbackonline.ca/2024/03/25/doubles-leads-2024-canadian-film-fest-winners/ "Doubles leads 2024 Canadian Film Fest winners"]. ''Playback'', March 25, 2024.</ref> |- | 2025 || ''Darkest Miriam'' || Naomi Jaye || <ref name=2025awards>Jamie Casemore, [https://playbackonline.ca/2025/04/01/darkest-miriam-wins-best-feature-at-cff/ "Darkest Miriam wins Best Feature at CFF"]. ''Playback'', April 1, 2025.</ref> |- | 2026 || ''Akashi'' || Mayumi Yoshida || <ref name=2026awards>Jamie Casemore, [https://playbackonline.ca/2026/03/30/akashi-wins-best-feature-audience-award-at-canadian-film-fest/ "Akashi wins Best Feature, audience award at Canadian Film Fest"]. ''Playback'', March 30, 2026.</ref> |}
==Films== ===2014=== ====Features==== *''Afterparty'' — Michelle Ouellet *''The Birder'' — Ted Bezaire *''H & G'' — Danishka Esterhazy *''Patch Town'' — Craig Goodwill *''Play the Film'' — Alec Toller *''The Privileged'' — Leah Walker
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Bastards'' — Jeremy LaLonde *''De Puta Madre: A Love Story'' — Catherine Black *''Ephemeral'' — Rebecca Davis *''The Golden Ticket'' — Patrick Hagarty *''Gumshoes'' — Reese Eveneshen *''Kate'' — Illya Klymkiw *''The Last Supper'' — Jonathan Eagan *''Margaret Finds Her Mojo'' — Brett Heard *''My Old Man'' — Ryan M. Andrews *''Peter and Jane Know Some of the Same People'' — Chris Remerowski *''The Prince'' — Francesco Giannini *''Snapshots'' — Brian Stockton *''Survival Guide'' — Phil Connell *''Uncommon Enemies'' — Alex Hatz }}
===2015=== ====Features==== *''Barn Wedding'' — Shaun Benson *''Ben's at Home'' — Mars Horodyski *''The Cocksure Lads Movie'' — Murray Foster *''Late Night Double Feature'' — Navin Ramaswaran, Zach Ramelan, Torin Langen *''Nocturne'' — Saul Pincus *''Pretend We're Kissing'' — Matt Sadowski *''Relative Happiness'' — Deanne Foley *''Shooting the Musical'' — Joel Ashton McCarthy
===2016=== ====Features==== *''20 Moves'' — Harv Glazer *''Across the Line'' — Director X *''Borealis'' — Sean Garrity *''Dead Rush'' — Zach Ramelan *''How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town'' — Jeremy LaLonde *''Jackie Boy'' — Cody Campanale *''The Sabbatical'' — Brian Stockton
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Divorce Photographer'' — Christine Buijs *''Dude, Where's My Ferret?'' — Alison Parker *''Duty Calls'' — Jackie English *''The Floaters'' — Nick Wilson *''Flung'' — Christopher Warre Smets *''The Girl Next Door'' — Peter Mabrucco *''Julia Julep'' — Alana Cymerman *''Keystone'' — Ian Foster *''Looking for Today'' — Dylan Rayne Fitzgerald *''Onto Us'' — Natty Zavitz *''Pit'' — Jonathan Steckley *''Shavasana'' — Ian Macmillan *''Static'' — Tanya Lemke *''Synapse Dance'' — Karen Suzuki *''Winter Hymns'' — Dusty Mancinelli *''Worst.Day.Ever.'' — Adam Goldhammer }}
===2017=== ====Features==== *''An American Dream: The Education of William Bowman'' — Ken Finkleman *''Badsville'' — April Mullen *''Broken'' — Lynne Spencer *''Broken Mile'' — Justin McConnell *''Edging'' — Natty Zavitz *''Filth City'' — Andy King *''Great Great Great'' — Adam Garnet Jones *''The Heretics'' — Chad Archibald *''Lost Solace'' — Chris Scheuerman *''Modern Classic'' — J.M.B. Hunter
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''A.O.K.'' — Aris Athanasopoulos *''The Bakebook'' — Suri Parmar *''The Cameraman'' — Connor Gaston *''Come Back'' — Hannah Anderson, Aidan Shipley *''Companionship'' — Zachary Ramelan, Alex Loubert *''Farm Is a Four-Letter Word'' — Ryan Couldrey *''Grocery Store Action Movie'' — Matthew Campbell *''I Love You So Much It's Killing Them'' — Joel Ashton McCarthy *''Magic Mushrooms'' — Sean Wainsteim *''Milk'' — Winnifred Jong *''Parent, Teacher'' — Roman Tchjen *''Rainfall'' — Efehan Elbi *''She Came Knocking'' — John Ainslie *''Sleeping In'' — Denis Dulude *''Sunny Side Up'' — Caitlin Dosa *''Time Out'' — Navin Ramaswaran *''Tuesday, 10:08 a.m.'' — Thomas Pepper, Jane Tattersall *''Ways to Water'' — Kit Weyman *''Welcome Stranger'' — Brit Kewin }}
===2018=== ====Features==== *''Becoming Burlesque'' — Jackie English *''The Cannon'' — Marshall Axani *''The Drawer Boy'' — Arturo Pérez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff *''The Go-Getters'' — Jeremy LaLonde *''Love Jacked'' — Alfons Adetuyi *''Luba'' — Caley Wilson *''Ordinary Days'' — Kris Booth, Renuka Jeyapalan, Jordan Canning *''Prodigals'' — Michelle Ouellet *''Room for Rent'' — Matthew Atkinson *''A Swinger's Weekend'' — Jon E. Cohen
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''As Long As It Takes (Le temps qu'il faut)'' — Abeille Tard *''Before the Day'' — Paul McGillion *''Breathing Through a Straw'' — Leigh Rivenbark *''Cancel the Fucking Internet'' — Ryan Kayet *''The Catch'' — Holly Brace-Lavoie *''C.P.R.'' — Clara Altimas *''Dinette'' — Christopher Lazar *''Emmy'' — Hannah Cheesman *''Friends on Facebook'' — Chris Ross *''Game'' — Joy Webster *''Good Hands'' — Lauren Vandenbrook *''I Love You More'' — Kevin Hartford *''The Last Goodbye'' — James Benda *''Martin's Hagge'' — Penny Eizenga *''Must Kill Karl'' — Joe Kicak *''Newborn'' — Ray Savaya *''Prom Night'' — Samantha MacAdam *''Purl'' — Ian Macmillan *''Slap Happy'' — Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli *''The Things You Think I'm Thinking'' — Sherren Lee }}
===2019=== ====Features==== *''Creep Nation'' — John Geddes *''The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova'' — Zack Bernbaum *''Honey Bee'' — Rama Rau *''Nose to Tail'' — Jesse Zigelstein *''Nowhere'' — Thomas Michael *''Pond Life'' — Gord Rand *''Red Rover'' — Shane Belcourt *''This Is North Preston'' — Jaren Hayman *''Wolves Unleashed: Against All Odds'' — Andrew Simpson
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Among the Soil'' — Francis Luta *''Be My Guest'' — David Jermyn *''Brave Little Army'' — Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt *''Case of the Massey Bodice Ripping'' — Karen Knox *''Christmas Green'' — Clara Altimas *''Claire'' — Spencer Ryerson *''Darkside'' — Erin Carter, Sam Coyle *''The Desolation Prize'' — Shane Day *''Dotage'' — Cat Hostick *''Duck Duck Goose'' — Shelley Thompson *''Engaged to be Engaged'' — Joseph Covello *''Hang Up!'' — Richard Powell *''Home in Time'' — Patrick Hagarty *''I Beat Up My Rapist'' — Katrina Saville *''Keep Coming Back'' — Brendan Brady *''Moon Dog'' — Chala Hunter *''No. 3: In the Absence of Angels'' — Camille Hollett-French *''One Leg In, One Leg Out'' — Lisa Rideout *''The Riveters'' — Kate Felix *''A Snake Marked'' — Juan Riedinger *''Screaming on the Inside'' — Salar Pashtoonyar *''Shuttlecock'' — Melanie Jones *''Spatss!'' — Régis Loisel *''Spooning'' — Rebecca Applebaum *''Take Your Mark'' — Scott Cavalheiro *''Terminally in Love'' — Emily Jenkins, Justin Black *''This Is Not a Drill'' — Ravi Steve *''With You Always'' — Angela Besharah *''Woman in Stall'' — Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature: ''The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova''<ref name=dombrova/> *Best Short: ''Terminally in Love''<ref name=dombrova/> *William F. White Reel Canadian Indie: ''Honey Bee''<ref name=dombrova/> *People's Pick: ''Wolves Unleashed: Against All Odds''<ref name=dombrova/> *DGC Ontario Best Director: Zack Bernbaum, ''The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova''<ref name=dombrova/> *ReTake Furniture Rentals Best Set and Production Design: ''Terminally in Love''<ref name=dombrova/> *Best Actor in a Feature: Aaron Abrams, ''Nose to Tail''<ref name=dombrova/> *Best Actor in a Short: Krista Morin, ''Spooning''<ref name=dombrova/> *Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking: ''Wolves Unleashed: Against All Odds''<ref name=dombrova/> *Best Short, Honorable Mention: ''No. 3: In the Absence of Angels'' *Harold Greenberg Script Competition: Stephen Sloot, ''Harold Doesn't Die''<ref name=dombrova/> }}
===2020=== ====Features==== *''Alone Across the Arctic'' — Francis Luta *''Clapboard Jungle'' — Justin McConnell *''The Cuban'' — Sergio Navarretta *''Hazy Little Thing'' — Sam Coyle *''A Perfect Plan'' — Jesse Ikeman *''Queen of the Morning Calm'' — Gloria Ui Young Kim *''Shoot to Marry'' — Steve Markle *''Volition'' — Tony Dean Smith
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''8+ Weeks'' — Mike Mildon *''20:12'' — Kevin Champagne Lessard *''20 Minutes to Life'' — Veronika Kurz *''Age of Dysphoria'' — Jessica Petelle *''Along the Water's Edge'' — Jonathan Elliott *''The Bear and the Beekeeper'' — Kristina Mileska *''Because One Day'' — Aref Mahabadi *''Blue in Hollywood'' — James Gangl *''Buzzard'' — Joy Webster *''Chubby'' — Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli *''Death of the Party'' — Melanie Jones *''Everyone's Leaving Us'' — Jessie Gabe *''For the Best'' — Madeline Wahl *''Heart Bomb (Une bombe au cœur)'' — Rémi St-Michel *''Hypernova'' — Tate Young *''Joey'' — Jessica Hinkson, Laura Nordin *''Liminal'' — Dan Abramovici *''Plush'' — Anna Jane Edmonds *''Pressure Play'' — Eric Bizzarri *''The Red Bicycle'' — Fazila Amiri *''Shoegazer'' — Isa Benn *''Stealing from Stoners'' — Cameron LaPrairie, Brett Morton *''Swimmers'' — Chris Ross *''Tips'' — Mercedes Papalia *''You Too, Chuckles'' — Kevin Hartford }}
====Unscreened==== Several films had been planned for the festival lineup, but were not able to be screened due to the shift from physical to broadcast screening. However, the films were still screened for the jury, and remained eligible for the festival awards. *''All About Who You Know'' — Jake Horowitz *''Nail in the Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro'' — Michael Paszt *''Unidentified Woman'' — Katrina Saville *''You Hired a Hitman'' — Ravi Steve
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''Shoot to Marry''<ref name=shoot/> *William F White Reel Canadian Indie - ''Queen of the Morning Calm''<ref name=shoot/> *Best Short - ''Liminal''<ref name=shoot/> *ReTAKE Best Set Design - ''The Bear and the Beekeeper'' *DGC Ontario’s Best Director - Gloria Ui Young Kim, ''Queen of the Morning Calm''<ref name=shoot/> *Best Breakout Performance - Maya Harman, ''Chubby''; Eponine Lee, ''Queen of the Morning Calm''<ref name=shoot/> *Editing - ''Nail in the Coffin'' *Best New Voice - Isa Benn, ''Shoegazer''<ref name=shoot/> *Cinematography - François Messier-Rheault, ''Heart Bomb (Une bombe au cœur)'' *Best Music - Alex Bird, ''Because One Day'' }}
===2021=== ====Features==== *''Between Waves'' — Virginia Abramovich<ref name=lacey>Liam Lacey, [https://www.original-cin.ca/posts/2021/3/31/the-canadian-film-festival-films-by-emerging-canadian-filmmakers-find-a-pandemic-home-on-super-channel-for-the-second-straight-year "The Canadian Film Festival: Films by emerging Canadian filmmakers find a second-time-around pandemic home on Super Channel"]. ''Original Cin'', April 1, 2021.</ref> *''Chained'' — Titus Heckel<ref name=lacey/> *''The Corruption of Divine Providence'' — Jeremy Torrie<ref name=lacey/> *''Events Transpiring Before, During and After a High School Basketball Game'' — Ted Stenson<ref name=lacey/> *''Mad Dog and the Butcher (Les Derniers vilains)'' — Thomas Rinfret<ref name=lacey/> *''Range Roads'' — Kyle Thomas<ref name=lacey/> *''Sugar Daddy'' — Wendy Morgan<ref name=lacey/> *''White Elephant'' — Andrew Chung<ref name=lacey/> *''Woman in Car'' — Vanya Rose<ref name=lacey/>
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''1978'' — Hamza Bangash *''Acting Out'' — Jean-Sébastien Beaudoin-Gagnon *''Ain't No Time for Women (Y'a pas d'heure pour les femmes)'' — Sarra El Abed *''Aniksha'' — Vincent Toi *''Bad Omen'' — Salar Pashtoonyar *''Birdie'' — Alexandre Lefebvre *''Breakout'' — Kevin Hartford *''Clothing (Les vêtements)'' — Caroline Blais *''Danica's Mom'' — Kennedy Kao *''The First Goodbye'' — Ali Mashayekhi *''The Flexed Arm Hang'' — Findlay Brown *''Girls Shouldn't Walk Alone at Night (Les filles ne marchent pas seules la nuit)'' — Katerine Martineau *''Goodbye Golovin'' — Mathieu Grimard *''Inuit Languages of the 21st Century'' — Ulivia Uviluk *''Just for the Record'' — Vojin Vasovic *''The Kall'' �� Barbara Mamabolo *''Mister Cachemire (Monsieur Cachemire)'' — Iouri Philippe Paillé *''Moon (Lune)'' — Zoé Pelchat *''Nothing Pretty Here (Rien de beau ici)'' — Gabrielle Vigneault-Gendron *''Of Memory and Debris (De memoria y escombros)'' — Rodrigo Michelangeli *''Otanimm-Onnimm (Father/Daughter)'' — Neko Wong-Houle, Terrance Houle *''The Pond, at Night (L'Étang, la nuit)'' — Olivia Boudreau *''The Room'' — Sami Mermer, Houman Zolfaghari *''Roseline Like in the Movies (Roseline comme dans les films)'' — Sara Bourdeau *''The Sky is Blue, Katlhoum'' — Darani Urgessa *''The Trip'' — Mikizi Migona Papatie *''Wish'' — Ingrid Veninger *''With Feeling'' — Gillian McKercher *''The World to Come'' — Josh Fagen }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''Sugar Daddy''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *EDA Foundation Best Producer - Salar Pashtoonyar, ''Bad Omen''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Short - Jean-Sébastien Beaudoin-Gagnon, ''Acting Out''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *DGC Ontario Best Director - Wendy Morgan, ''Sugar Daddy''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *ReTAKE Furniture Rental Best Set Design - ''White Elephant''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *William F. White Reel Canadian Indie - ''Events Transpiring Before, During, and After a High School Basketball Game''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Ensemble - ''White Elephant''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Music - Marie-Hélène L. Delorme, ''Sugar Daddy''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Performance - Kelly McCormack, ''Sugar Daddy''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Director (Short) - Katerine Martineau, ''Girls Shouldn't Walk Alone at Night''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Performance, Female (Short) - Joanie Martel, ''Moon (Lune)''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Performance, Male (Short) - Éric Bernier, ''Mister Cachemire (Monsieur Cachemire)''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Breakout Performance (Short) - Amaryllis Tremblay, ''Girls Shouldn't Walk Alone at Night''<ref name=sugardaddy/> *Best Screenplay - Samuel Cartin, ''Mister Cachemire (Monsieur Cachemire)''<ref name=sugardaddy/> }}
===2022=== ====Features==== *''Ashgrove'' — Jeremy LaLonde *''Beneath the Surface (Le Lac des hommes)'' — Marie-Geneviève Chabot *''Carmen'' — Valerie Buhagiar *''The Last Mark'' — Reem Morsi *''The Long Rider'' — Sean Cisterna *''The Noise of Engines (Le Bruit des moteurs)'' — Philippe Grégoire *''A Small Fortune'' — Adam Perry *''Tehranto'' — Faran Moradi *''Tenzin'' — Michael LeBlanc, Josh Reichmann *''We're All in This Together'' — Katie Boland
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Ahu's Journal'' — Weeda Azim *''Aska'' — Clara Milo *''Beast'' — Benjamin Nicolas *''Bleach'' — Mattias Graham *''Decomposing'' — Nessa Aref *''Defund'' — Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Araya Mengesha *''Feeling the Apocalypse'' — Chen Sing Yap *''fufu'' — Omolola Ajao *''god@mail.com'' — Roger Gariépy *''I Hate You'' — Taylor Olson, Koumbie *''In the Fray'' — Allyson Glenn *''In the Jam Jar'' — Colin Nixon *''Joutel'' — Alexa-Jeanne Dubé *''Mimine'' — Simon Laganière *''Not My Age'' — Kaitlyn Lee *''Nuisance Bear'' — Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden *''On the Fence'' — Paula Ner Dormiendo *''Opération Carcajou'' — Nicolas Krief *''Proximity'' — Jamie Miller *''Rent Do'' — Gavin Michael Booth *''See You Garbage! (Au plaisir les ordures!)'' — Romain Dumont *''The Eternal Chaos of Allan Andre'' — Stephane Mukunzi *''The Future Innu (L'Innu du futur)'' — Stéphane Nepton *''Things We Feel But Do Not Say'' — Lauren Grant *''Trophy'' — Sandra Coppola *''We Don't Need Your Kind'' — Kennedy Kao *''White Rose'' — Marilou Caravecchia-Pelletier *''Woodpecker'' — Kevin T. Landry }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''Carmen'' *Best Short - ''See You, Garbage!'' *DGC Ontario Best Director - Marie Geneviève Chabot, ''Beneath the Surface'' *ReTAKE Furniture Rental Best Set Design - ''The Noise of Engines'' *William F. White Reel Canadian Indie - ''Ashgrove'' *Best Ensemble - ''Ashgrove'' *Best Music - ''Tenzin'' *Best Breakthrough Performance - Tenzin Kelsang, ''Tenzin'' *Best Producer (Short) - Asad Chaudhry, ''On the Fence'' *Best Acting Ensemble (Short) - ''I Hate You'' *Best Cinematography (Short) - Sam Holling, Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman, ''Nuisance Bear'' }}
===2023=== ====Features==== *''Babysitter'' — Monia Chokri *''Bloom (Jouvencelles)'' — Fanie Pelletier *''Bystanders'' — Koumbie *''Golden Delicious'' — Jason Karman *''How to Get Your Parents to Divorce (Pas d'chicane dans ma cabane!)'' — Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers *''Polarized'' — Shamim Sarif *''Retrograde'' — Adrian Murray *''Streams Flow from a River'' — Christopher Yip *''When Time Got Louder'' — Connie Cocchia *''Wintertide'' — John Barnard
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Alex'' — Aisha Evelyna *''Amani'' — Alliah Fafin *''Bach Ma'' — Darlene Huynh *''Call Me Daddy'' — Amanda de Souza *''Corvine'' — Sean McCarron *''Desi Standard Time Travel'' — Kashif Pasta *''The English Teacher'' — Jeremy James Fokuoh *''Everything Will Be All Right'' — Farhad Pakdel *''Fursona'' — Alyssia Labbé-Hervieux *''Great Seeing You'' — Holly Pruner *''Junior's Giant'' — Paula Brancati *''Majboor-E-Mamool'' — Haaris Qadri *''Menace'' — Joy Webster *''Momma's Boy'' — Sonny Atkins *''No Bedroom'' — Ryan Leedu *''October 5th'' — Lily Labelle *''Quiet Minds Silent Streets'' — Karen Chapman *''Rachel and Raha'' — Nedda Sarshar *''Shallots and Garlic'' — Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto *''Sissy'' — Caleb Harwood, Simon Paluck *''Soap'' — Lulu Wei *''The Temple (Le Temple)'' — Alain Fournier *''There Are No Children Here'' — Shehrezade Mian *''There Was Nothing'' — Alexandre Lavigne *''The Untouchable'' — Avazeh Shahnavaz }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''Babysitter''<ref name=2023awards>Kelly Townsend, [https://playbackonline.ca/2023/04/03/babysitter-wins-best-feature-at-2023-canadian-film-fest/ "Babysitter wins Best Feature at 2023 Canadian Film Fest"]. ''Playback'', April 3, 2023.</ref> *Best Short - ''Menace''<ref name=2023awards/> *DGC Ontario Best Director - Adrian Murray, ''Retrograde''<ref name=2023awards/> *ReTAKE Furniture Rental Best Set Design - ''Babysitter''<ref name=2023awards/> *William F. White Reel Canadian Indie - ''Bloom (Jouvencelles)''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Screenplay - ''How to Get Your Parents to Divorce (Pas d'chicane dans ma cabane!)''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Ensemble - ''How to Get Your Parents to Divorce (Pas d'chicane dans ma cabane!)''<ref name=2023awards/> *People's Pick for Best Flick - ''Polarized''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Documentary Short - ''Quiet Minds Silent Streets''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Performance - Eric Peterson, ''Junior's Giant''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Breakthrough Performance - Cassandra Paige, ''No Bedroom''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Producer (Short) - Shyam Valera, ''Desi Standard Time Travel''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Acting Ensemble (Short) - ''The Untouchable''<ref name=2023awards/> *Best Cinematography (Short) - ''There Was Nothing''<ref name=2023awards/> }}
===2024=== ====Features==== *''The Burning Season'' — Sean Garrity *''Daughter of the Sun'' — Ryan Ward *''Doubles'' — Ian Harnarine *''Hailey Rose'' — Sandi Somers *''Kite Zo A: Leave the Bones'' — Kaveh Nabatian *''Look at Me'' — Taylor Olson *''Place of Bones'' — Audrey Cummings *''Valley of Exile'' — Anna Fahr *''WaaPaKe'' — Jules Arita Koostachin *''With Love and a Major Organ'' — Kim Albright *''Wild Goat Surf'' — Caitlyn Sponheimer
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Aftercare'' — Anubha Momin *''Ahu'' — Mahsa Razavi *''Bibi's Dog Is Dead'' — Shervin Kermani *''Bleak as the Setting Sun'' — Joanna Decc *''Boat People'' — Thao Lam, Kjell Boersma *''Breathe'' — Kimberly Miller-Pryce *''Capsule'' — Dani Kind *''Children of War'' — Salar Pashtoonyar *''Dead Cat'' — Annie-Claude Caron, Danick Audet *''Desync'' — Minerva Navasca *''Don't Forget Me'' — Alice Wang *''EITR'' — Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller *''Ephemera'' — Cici Clancy *''Erase & Rewind'' — Lauren Grant *''Fish Boy'' — Christopher Yip *''The Future Above Us'' — Vanessa Magic *''Grenfell Adrift on an Iceberg'' — John Hollands *''Hello Anson'' — Yvonne Sung *''Here and There (D'Ici, d'ailleurs)'' — Chadi Bennani *''Hot Local Singles Are in Your Area'' — Peter Sreckovic *''I Never Promised You a Jasmine Garden'' — Teyama Alkamli *''In the Heat'' — Samuel Chou *''In the Whiteness'' — Niya Ahmed Abdullahi *''Katshinau (Les Mains sales)'' — Julien G. Marcotte, Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush *''Khastegari'' — Camil Ghajary *''The Last Rhino (Le Dernier rhinocéros)'' — Guillaume Harvey *''Mum'' — Julia Patey *''Nosocomephilia'' — Michèle Kaye *''Return to Hairy Hill (Retour à Hairy Hill)'' — Daniel Gies *''Redlights'' — Eva Thomas *''Rock the Cradle'' — Asis Sethi *''Saint Bernard'' — Luke Sargent *''Seance for a Close Friend'' — Ammar Keshodia *''The Steak'' — Kiarash Dadgar *''Still Waters'' — Katia Café-Fébrissy *''Table for Three'' — Joseph Chung *''Three Trees'' — M.R. Horhager, Aaron Hong *''The Tweetations Revue'' — Fraser Collins *''Unibrow'' — Nedda Sarshar *''Until You Die (Jusqu’à ce que tu meures)'' — Florence Lafond *''Virga'' — Jean-François Leblanc *''What Good Canadians Do'' — Stephanie Joline *''When You Know You...Know?'' — Katie Uhlmann *''The Whipping Boy'' — Victor Oly *''Xie Xie, Ollie'' — James Michael Chiang }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''With Love and a Major Organ''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Short - ''Redlights''<ref name=doubles/> *DGC Ontario Best Director - Anna Fahr, ''Valley of Exile''<ref name=doubles/> *William F. White Reel Canadian Indie - ''Doubles''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Screenplay - Jonas Chernick and Diana Frances, ''The Burning Season''<ref name=doubles/> *People's Pick for Best Flick - ''Doubles''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Leading Performance - Taylor Olson, ''Look At Me''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Supporting Performance - Errol Sitahal, ''Doubles''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Animated Short - ''Boat People''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Comedy Short - ''Dead Cat''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Documentary Short - ''Hello Anson''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Writing (Short) - Charles Dionne, ''Virga''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Producer (Short) - Kiarash Dadgar, ''The Steak''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Comedy Performance (Short) - ''EITR''<ref name=doubles/> *Best Dramatic Performance (Short) - Gauri Prasad, ''Rock the Cradle''<ref name=doubles/> }}
===2025=== ====Features==== *''Conceiving Clara'' — Tarique Qayumi *''Crocodile Eyes'' — Ingrid Veninger *''Darkest Miriam'' — Naomi Jaye *''Gold Bars: Who the Fuck Is Uncle Ludwig?'' — Billie Mintz *''His Father's Son'' — Meelad Moaphi *''Home Free'' — Avi Federgreen *''The Killgrin'' — Joanna Tsanis *''Larry (They/Them)'' — Catherine Legault *''The Legacy of Cloudy Falls'' — Nick Butler *''Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story'' — Kate Kroll *''The Players'' — Sarah Galea-Davis *''Please, After You'' — Rob Michaels *''Skeet'' — Nik Sexton *''To the Moon'' — Kevin Hartford *''Vampire Zombies... from Space!'' — Michael Stasko *''Waiting for the Storms (Le Temps)'' — François Delisle
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Anyway, I Piss Sitting Down (Anyway, j'pisse assis)'' — Zak Slattery *''Beaupré the Giant (Géant Beaupré)'' — Alain Fournier *''Belonging'' — Benjamin Campbell *''Beyond the Gaze'' — Arianna Bardesono *''Black Empanadas'' — Sid Santiago Zanforlin *''Brave Rebel Army'' — Michelle D'Alessandro Hatt *''Days Before the Death of Nicky (Jours avant la mort de Nicky)'' — Denis Côté *''Capacity'' — Kristin Booth, Tim Ware *''Clementine'' — Beth Evans *''Chand'' — Arshad Mohamed *''Cranes Like White Giraffes'' — Josiah Dyck *''Do Us Part'' — William Phillips *''Easybake'' — Sasha Duncan *''Ezda'' — Halime Akturk *''Gatekeepers'' — Jason Speir, Ben Speir *''The Gift'' — Rebecca Applebaum *''A Good Day Will Come'' — Amir Zargara *''Greenhorn'' — Sabrina Way *''Hair!'' — Sara Jade Alfaro-Dehghani *''Hatch'' — Alireza Kazemipour, Panta Mosleh *''Herald'' — Sandro Pehar *''Kofi'' — Marianna Phung *''Lease Me Alone'' — Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers *''Lei 累'' — Huiri Shi *''Raptured'' — Camille Trudel *''Michif Land-Based Knowledge'' — Robin Adams *''Mother's Tongue'' — Vanessa Millado *''My Son Went Quiet'' — Ian Bawa *''Nola'' — Aisha Evelyna, Natalie Novak Remplakowski *''Of May'' — Brit Kewin *''One Day'' — Yazmeen Kanji *''One Night on Opeongo'' — Sam Leslie *''The Other Stuff'' — Bernard Gray *''Paper Lanterns'' — Laura King *''Pasta Negra'' — Jorge Thielen Armand *''Saturday Class'' — Carri Chen *''The Sculptor'' — Joshua Banman *''The Show Will Begin Shortly'' — Liz Shmuilov *''Sleep Talking'' — Ethan Godel *''Spaceman'' — Dan Abramovici *''Spermatozoon'' — Beth Tang *''Summer Love'' — Virgile Ratelle *''Tailor Made'' — Quan Luong *''Thin Walls'' — Robert Armanyous *''Tina, When Will You Marry?'' — Celestina Aleobua *''Uasheskun'' — Normand Junior Thirnish-Pilot *''Uncomfy'' — Jessica Hinkson *''Wanda Justice Warrior'' — Josiane Blanc *''Waterman's Ballad'' — Jamie Knox *''Whispering in the Leaves'' — Luvleen Hunjan }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''Darkest Miriam''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Documentary - ''Gold Bars: Who the Fuck Is Uncle Ludwig?''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Short - ''Sleep Talking''<ref name=2025awards/> *DGC Ontario Best Director - Sarah Galea-Davis, ''The Players''<ref name=2025awards/> *People's Pick for Best Flick - ''Skeet''<ref name=2025awards/> *Special Mention for Originality - ''Waiting for the Storms''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Performance - Stefani Kimber, ''The Players''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Animated Short - ''Beaupré the Giant''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Comedy Short - ''Bail Bail''<ref name=2025awards/> *Jury Honorable Mention - ''Sleep Talking''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Producer (Short) - Amir Zargara and Iman Tahsin, ''A Good Day Will Come''<ref name=2025awards/> *Best Performance (Short) - Celia Green, ''Greenhorn''<ref name=2025awards/> }}
===2026=== ====Features==== *''Akashi'' — Mayumi Yoshida *''Ballistic'' — Chad Faust *''The Bearded Girl'' — Jody Wilson *''Best Boy'' — Jesse Noah Klein *''A Breed Apart'' — Adam Belanger, David Lafontaine *''A Farewell to Youth'' — Adam Jack *''Hangashore'' — Justin Oakey *''It Comes in Waves'' — Fitch Jean *''James'' — Max Train *''Los Rios'' — Ryan Fyfe-Brown, Dale Bailey *''Lucid'' — Deanna Milligan, Ramsey Fendall *''Mihnea'' — Mike Doaga *''Nesting (Peau à peau)'' — Chloé Cinq-Mars *''Plan C'' — Scott Cavalheiro *''#vanlife'' — Trevor Cameron *''What Comes Next'' — Alex Caulfield
====Shorts==== {{Columns-list| *''Animals'' — Michael Makaroff *''As Long as We Are Immortal (Tant que nous sommes immortels)'' — Nora Burlet Dhainaut *''At the End'' — Isabelle Deluce, Lili Beaudoin *''Black Water (Lac en cœur)'' — Tim Bouvette *''Blood or Water'' — Kristina Mileska *''Conditions of Release'' — Mitchell Greenberg *''Eel'' — Wayne Burns *''En plein air'' — Morgana McKenzie *''Finding Shelter'' — Mehrtash Mohhit *''Flat'' — Suri Parmar *''For Dawn'' — Setareh Saleh *''Fractured Acts'' — Yeimi Daza *''Ghislaine's Place'' — Franie-Éléonore Bernier *''The Gnawer of Rocks (Mangittatuarjuk)'' — Louise Flaherty *''Halfway Haunted'' — Sam Rudykoff *''Halifax Pier'' — Matthew Daniel Herst *''I Am Pleased'' — Vanessa Magic *''Leili's Photo'' — Maral Mostafavi *''Leopard'' — Dan Abramovici *''The Line She Carries'' — Crystal Martin *''The Loon (Le Huard)'' — Paula Bourgie *''The Midnight Hour'' — Anita Yung *''My Grandmother's Tipi (Nuuhkuum Uumichiwaapim)'' — Lindsay Chewanish *''Niimi'' — Dana Solomon *''Pidikwe (Rumble)'' — Caroline Monnet *''Pink Elephant'' — Maria del Mar *''Portraits'' — Quan Luong *''Road 138'' — Sarah Warren *''Rocco'' — Luke Gallagher *''S.A.D.'' — Vanessa Sandre *''Sea Star'' — Tyler Mckenzie Evans *''Sorry, It's a Girl'' — Jaskaran Gill *''Taco Boy'' — Lizzie Han *''A Tale of Ira Abbott'' — Sasha Zvereva *''V.I.N.C.E. (Voice Intelligent Narrative Creative Engine)'' — Adam Greydon Reid *''Vital'' — Amir Zargara *''Wayside'' — Roann Enriquez *''Winkie'' — Daniel Duranleau *''Winter After Winter'' — Brandon Kaufman *''Would You Love Me If I Were a Worm?'' — Aaron Alter }}
====Awards==== {{Columns-list| *Best Feature - ''Akashi''<ref name=2026awards/> *Best Short - ''Sea Star''<ref name=2026awards/> *DGC Ontario Best Director - Justin Oakey, ''Hangashore''<ref name=2026awards/> *People's Pick for Best Flick - ''Akashi''<ref name=2026awards/> *Special Jury Award for Cinematography - ''Hangashore''<ref name=2026awards/> *Special Jury Award for Exceptional Vision - ''James''<ref name=2026awards/> *Special Jury Award for Impact - ''Los Rios''<ref name=2026awards/> *Best Performance (Short) - Artemis Aria, ''The Players''<ref name=2026awards/> *Best Producer (Short) - Louise Flaherty, ''Leili's Photo''<ref name=2026awards/> *Best Screenplay (Short) - Tim Bouvette, Jeanne Gourd and Camille L. Saint-Michelle, ''Black Water''<ref name=2026awards/> }}
==Gallery== <gallery> CFF Icon.png|Old logo before the name change </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.canfilmfest.ca Canadian Film Festival]
Category:Film festivals in Toronto Category:Film festivals established in 2004 Category:2004 establishments in Canada