By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The just-concluded Canadian event hosted plenty of fine features and shorts, and now the favorites have been revealed.
The 28th Fantasia International Film Festival, which ran July 19-August 4 in Montreal, saw a record number of sold-out screenings and attendance, comparable to the best pre-pandemic years. The very best of the fest, as voted by those attendees, are as follows:
Best International Feature
Gold: BOOKWORM (pictured; Dir. Ant Timpson, New Zealand)
Silver: THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (Dir. Mathieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelière, France)
Bronze: RATS! (Dir. Maxwell Navelansky and Carl Fry, USA)
Best Asian Feature
Gold: A SAMURAI IN TIME (Dir. Junichi Yasuda, Japan)
Silver: TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN (Dir. Soi Cheang, Hong Kong)
Bronze: PENALTY LOOP (Dir. Shinji Araki, Japan)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: GHOST CAT ANZU (Dir. Yōko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, Japan)
Silver: THE MISSING (Dir. Carl Joseph Papa, Philippines)
Bronze: MONONOKE THE MOVIE: PHANTOM IN THE RAIN (Dir. Kenji Nakamura, Japan)
Best International Short
Gold: FACES (Dir. Blake Simon, United States)
Silver: THE STREETLIGHT (Dir. Sophia Parella, United States)
Bronze: OLGA’S EYES (Directed by Sarah Carlot Jaber, Belgium)
Best Asian Short
Gold: MEMORY (Dir. Jang Hawon, South Korea)
Silver: WANNA DIE WANNA KILL (Dir. Jeong Jaehee, South Korea)
Bronze: NIGHT FISHING (Dir. Byoung-gon Moon, South Korea)
Best Animated Short
Gold: RUTHLESS BLADE (Dir. Bo Zhang, China)
Silver: LANTERN BLADE, EP 3 (Dir. Ziki Zhu, China)
Bronze (TIED): THE BEASTS (Dir. Michael Berry, USA) and GIANT FISH (Dir. Si Seunghyun, South Korea)
Best Canadian Feature
Gold: SELF DRIVER (Dir. Michael Pierro)
Silver: THE SILENT PLANET (Dir. Jeffrey St. Jules)
Bronze: SCARED SHITLESS (Dir. Vivieno Caldinelli)
Best Canadian Short
Gold: THE SHITTY RIDE (Dir. Cole Doran)
Silver: DIRTY BAD WRONG (Dir. Erica Orofino)
Bronze: BATH BOMB (Dir. Colin G. Cooper)
Best Quebec Feature
Gold: KIDNAPPING INC. (Dir. Bruno Mourral)
Silver: HUNTING DAY (Dir. Annick Blanc)
Bronze: ABABOUINÉ (Dir. André Forcier)
Best Quebec Short
Gold: THE IMAGE SELLER (Dir. Donovan Richard)
Silver: DIE IN SILENCE (Dir. Émile Lavoie)
Bronze: (TIED): REINTEGRATION (Dir. Youssef Harouj) and BRING BACK GUILLAUME (Dir. Kevin de Laval)
Best Documentary
Gold: VOIVOD: WE ARE CONNECTED (Dir. Felipe Belalcazar, Canada)
L’Écran Fantastique Award
THE BEAST WITHIN (Dir. Alexander J. Farrell, United Kingdom)
The fest team has also announced the dates for the 29th edition of Fantasia: It will take place July 17-August 3, 2025.
