By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The Adams Family’s latest was one of several fright films to be honored.
The jury awards for the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival were presented yesterday at the Cinéma du Musée in the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. Heading up the winners was MOTHER OF FLIES, the witchcraft chiller from writers/directors/stars Toby Poser, Zelda Adams and John Adams (pictured above), which became the first U.S. production to take the Cheval Noir Award for Best Film in the festival’s history; it also won Best Motion Picture Score. The complete list of winners, with select jury statements, is as follows:
Cheval Noir Competition 2025 (Jury: Pascal Plante [President], Ethan Eng, Alison Foreman, Payton McCarty-Simas, George Schmaltz)
- Best Film: MOTHER OF FLIES (d. John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser)
Statement from Jury President Pascal Plante: “This might not be the film with the most means or the flashiest camerawork, but it’s a film that, in a meta way, reminds us why we even bother to make films in the first place. It’s funny–every time I’m back in this neighborhood, it brings me back to my Concordia days… and one teacher once told us, ‘Don’t just make films with your friends!’ and I was kind of always opposed to that concept. I try to make films with my friends as much as possible. But these filmmakers bring this up a notch: They even keep it in the family! The result is an earnest film; a true indie that feels authentic, vital, and impeccably crafted. The editing–on a laptop on Premiere Pro–and cinematography–with whatever prosumer camera you can get your hands on–are on point, to say the least. In short: it just rocks. Our Cheval Noir Award for Best Film goes to MOTHER OF FLIES by Zelda, John, and Toby…a.k.a. the Adams Family!”
- Special Jury Mention (Best Film): NEW GROUP (d. Yuta Shimotsu)
- Best Director: Hadrah Daeng Ratu, for THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN
- Best Screenplay: Connor Diedrich and Samuel Johnson, for TERRESTRIAL (d. Steve Pink)
- Best Cinematography: Alex Metcalfe, for CIELO (d. Alberto Sciamma)
- The Sandro Forte Award for Best Motion Picture Score: H6LLB6ND6R, for MOTHER OF FLIES (d. John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser)
- Outstanding Performance Award: Bakhytzhan Alpeis, for STINKER (d. Yerden Telemissov)
- Outstanding Performance Award: Ui Mihara, for I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN (d. Kenichi Ugana)
New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature 2025 (Jury: Chris Nash [President], Jim Brunzell, Louise Buckler, Deirdre Crimmins, Anelle Dehghani, Jean-François Leblanc)
- Best First Feature: IT ENDS (d. Alexander Ullom)
Jury Statement: “IT ENDS is a film that manages to use low-budget conventions and tropes to their fullest extent in order to create a film that runs from being an unnerving thriller to a sincere and bittersweet contemplation on time, friendship, and solitude; this would be a difficult task for even the most seasoned filmmaker, but Alexander Ullom succeeds with an uncommon level of grace and delicacy that rewards the audience in ways they wouldn’t initially expect.”
- Special Jury Mentions: FUCKTOYS (d. Annapurna Sriram) and HELLCAT (d. Brock Bodell, pictured above)
International Short Film Competition 2025 (Jury: Kaniehtiio Horn [President], Rémi Fréchette, Evan O’Brien, Carol Nguyen, Wylie Rush)
- Best Film: BARLEBAS (d. Malu Janssen)
Jury Statement: “An all too familiar story, fear of the power that women hold. A story of resilience told through beautiful images and a haunting soundtrack. The lead carries the audience along with her unforgettable original voice and songs. Definitely an easy and unanimous decision for the jury.”
- Best Director: Jo Ba-reun, for FLOOR
- Best Screenplay: Dylan Pun and Michael Turk, for SHRIMP FRIED RICE (d. Dylan Pun)
- Best Cinematography: BARLEBAS (Sam Du Pon)
- The Sandro Forte Award for Best Motion Picture Score: PROXY (Christopher Lund)
- Outstanding Performance Award: Ruby Zoom, for THE COLLECTOR, and Agnieszka Rajda, for WEIRD TO BE HUMAN
- Special Jury Mentions: WEIRD TO BE HUMAN (d. Jan Grabowski) and THE REBIRTH (d. Connie Shi)
Satoshi Kon for Excellence in Animation Competition 2025 (Jury: Rachel Samson [President], Sam Chou, Chimwemwe Miller
- Best Animated Feature: THE GIRL WHO STOLE TIME (d. Yu Ao and Zhou Tienan)
Jury Statement: “For its great ambition, its gripping plot twists, its ability to surprise with its variety of tone changes, the risks taken in terms of narrative form, and the richness of its visual presentation, the Satoshi Kon 2025 jury awards the Best Feature Film prize to THE GIRL WHO STOLE TIME by directors Yu Ao and Zhou Tienan.”
- Special Jury Mention: I AM FRANKELDA (SOY FRANKELDA) (d. Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz)
- Best Animated Short/Gold: OFF-TIME (d. Nata Metlukh)
Jury Statement: “For its lively animation, its designs, and its drawn universe that delighted all three of us, its engaging sound design, its reflection on time, accelerationism, and the attention and care required to be in touch with oneself, with others, and with all of life: the Satoshi Kon 2025 Jury awards its Gold Prize for Best Short Film to Off-Time by filmmaker Nata Metlukh.”
- Best Animated Short/Silver: ÉIRU (d. Giovanna Ferrari)
- Best Animated Short/Bronze: MY ORGANS LYING ON THE GROUND (d. Shinobu Soejima)
Northern Excellence for Best Canadian Filmmaker 2025 (Jury: Elza Kephart [President], Olivia Norquay, Joe Lipsett, Cam Maitland, Alanna Thain
- Best Director (Feature Film): Chloé Cinq-Mars, for PEAU À PEAU (NESTING)
Jury Statement: “Anchored by a raw and uncompromising lead performance and immersive direction, this film leads us down an at times terrifying young mother’s downward mental spiral. For its unflinching and deeply human exploration of an often-overlooked aspect of motherhood, we give the award for Best Canadian film to writer/director Chloé Cinq-Mars for PEAU À PEAU (NESTING).”
- Special Jury Mention: Simon Glassman, for 8BUFFET INFINITY
AQCC Award 2025 (Jury: Miguel de Plante, Louis-Paul Rioux, Elijah Baron)
- Best Film: THE VIRGIN OF THE QUARRY LAKE (d. Laura Casabe)
Jury Statement: “For its judicious balance between the coming-of-age story and everyday horror, for its strong symbolism linked to the crises of 21st-century Argentina and for the excellent performances of all the actresses, we award the Quebec Association of Film Critics (AQCC) prize to the film THE VIRGIN OF THE QUARRY LAKE, by Laura Casabe.”
- Special Jury Mention: BURNING (d. Radik Eshimov)
Poulain Noir Competition 2025 (Jury: Ginette Petit [President], Luc Chamberland, Bryan Perro, Alex Parkinson)
- Best Film/Gold: THE SOUND OF RAINDROPS (d. Max Banse, Julie Blanc, Alvaro Deolio, Elena Forlini, Estelle Jourdan, Gabriel Riera, and Lila Trouvé)
Jury Statement: “THE SOUND OF RAINDROPS is a film of remarkable artistic mastery. Its animation stands out for its originality, the quality of its visual composition, and a formal approach that is both poetic and metaphorical. Through the story of two brothers threatened by a storm, both internal and external, the film addresses a delicate subject with great sensitivity. It resonates with the viewer without ever overstating its message and invites us to reflect on what binds us together. The music and sound design support the narrative with subtlety and consistently thoughtful choices. Congratulations to the entire team for this bold, powerful, and moving work.”
- Best Film/Silver: SOAP BOX (BOÎTE À SAVON) (d. Jimmy Pettigrew)
- Best Film/Bronze: CHRISTOPHER AND THE BUG (d. Vanessa Lynn Esteves)
- Special Jury Mentions: THE LITTLE ONE AND THE GIANT (d. Isabela Costa) and A SMALL GARDEN BY THE WINDOW (d. Lee Jong-hoon)
Les Fantastiques Week-Ends Du Cinéma Québécois Competition 2025
MELS Award for Best Short Film:
- 1st Place: MOLOSSE (d. Marc-Antoine Lemire)
- 2nd Place: BUTTER KNIFE (d. Théophile Mur)
- 3rd Place: ITTY BITTY BETTY (d. Laura Buchanan)
- Special Mention: GIRASOL (d. Dominic Couturier and Pierre Inglebert)
AQPM Award for Best Emerging Production in a Short Film: ICONIC (Adelaide Sokolov, d. April Daneau)
Special Mention: DON’T JUDGE A UNICORN BY ITS HORN (Ellie Charette and Arian Salarian, d. Ellie Charette)
ARRQ Award for Best Direction in a Short Film: Guillaume Boivin and Steve Villeneuve, for THE SCREAMING
Special Mention: Théophile Mur, for BUTTER KNIFE
EVS Award for Best Emerging Direction in a Short Film: Andrew Cyr-Marcoux, for L’ÉCHO PERDU
Royal Photo Award for Best Cinematography in a Short Film:
- 1st Place: Liane Paré, for DUMPSTER DUCHESS (d. Raphë, Liana Paré)
- 2nd Place: Pierre Inglebert, for GIRASOL (d. Dominic Couturier and Pierre Inglebert)
- 3rd Place: Martin Reisch, for ISLAND OF FORGETFULNESS (d. Erin Ross)
- Special Mention: Guillaume Langlois and Raphaël Ouellet, for GRELUCHE (d. Daphnée Côté-Hallé)
Fantasia Award for Best Performance in a Short Film: Stéfanelle Auger, for ENVOLÉE (d. Renaud Ouimet)
Special Mention: Marguerite Bouchard, for L’EXPLOSION, ET PUIS LE CALME (d. William Tétreault) and Maximilian Isaacs, for HERE COMES KERMIT WILLIAMS (d. Ryan Terk)
Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE) Award for Best Editing in a Short Film: John-Daniel Arauz, for KITTY THE VIPER (d. John-Daniel Arauz)
Special Mention: Marc-Olivier Huard, for INTERURBAIN (d. Marc-Olivier Huard)
Spira Award for Best Regional Short Film: FRÈRES D’ARMES (d. François Lalonde)
Special Mention: RIEN QUE DU VENT (d. PH Debiès)
Bam Music Award for Best Sound in a Short Film: LOUD (d. Adam Azimov)
Toon Boom Award for Best 2D Short Film: GRAIN (d. Ilana Zackon)
Dragonframe Award for Best Stop Motion Short Film: SONGES ET ÉTRANGETÉS AU JARDIN (d. Kimm D. and Caroline Hayeur)
Special Mention: EXIT THE RED ROOM | A DAVID LYNCH TRIBUTE (d. Corey Nikolaus)
Coup de Coeur SLA Location Award for a Short Film: A BETTER DAY (d. Scott Cowan)
