The 30th Fantasia International Film Festival wrapped up this past Sunday in Montreal, showcasing an impressive variety of horror, fantasy, action and other genre movies from all over the world. The jury awards were announced last week, and now the public’s choices for the best features and shorts have been revealed.
Fantasia 2026 attracted a record number of attendees and sold-out screenings, and plans have already begun for the 31st edition, which runs July 15-August 1, 2027. The ’26 Audience Awards were led by two very different variations on the vampire theme…
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Gold: I LOVE PARIS (dir. Nicky Murphy, France/Australia; pictured above and reviewed here)
Silver: NO REST FOR THE WICKED (dir. Kasper Kalle, Denmark/Faroe Islands/Iceland; reviewed here)
Bronze: BAGWORM (dir. Oliver Bernsen, USA; reviewed here)
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT
Gold: BRUISED SKY (dir. Gary Kent, UK)
Silver: RESET (dirs. Jerry Hsu and Celine Tien, USA)
Bronze: PIMPLE (dir. Fernando Alle, Portugal)
BEST ASIAN FEATURE
Gold: ANYMART (dir. Yusuke Iwasaki, Japan)
Silver: THE SPECIALS (dir. Eiji Uchida, Japan)
Bronze: TOKYO BURST: CRIME CITY (dir. Eiji Uchida, Japan/South Korea)
BEST ASIAN SHORT
Gold: THE LAST JIANGSHI (dir. Yu Chih Chieh, China/Hong Kong/Taiwan)
Silver: TONGUE (dir. Lim Da-seul, South Korea)
Bronze (tie): CHAAR DIWAARI (dir. Syed Shadan, India) and WISH YOU WERE DEAD (dir. Lee Min-hyuk, South Korea)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Gold: CHERRY AND VIRGIN (dir. Masanao Kawajiri, Japan)
Silver: JIM QUEEN (dirs. Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, France)
Bronze: ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH (dir. Avid Liongoren, Philippines / France)
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Gold: THE LOVERS (dirs. Alice Mao and Sophia Paez, USA)
Silver: ECHO (dir. Asuka Dokai, Japan)
Bronze: TRADING CARDS (dir. Radheya Jang, Australia/UK)
BEST CANADIAN FEATURE
Gold: UNHOLY NIGHT (dir. Michael Gabriele, Canada)
Silver: CASTRATION MOVIE CHAPTER iii. JUNIOR GHOSTS—PREMORPHIC DRIFT; A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE (dir. Louise Weard, Canada)
Bronze (tie): INSECTASY (dir. Angus Silver, Canada) and A SAFE DISTANCE (dir. Gloria Mercer, Canada)
BEST CANADIAN SHORT
Gold: SOMETHING BORROWED (dir. Findlay Ironside, Canada)
Silver (tie): BAGMAN (dirs. Connor Gaston and Vaughn Gaston, Canada) and MAN EATING PUSSY (dir. Emily Lawson, Canada)
Bronze: SLEEP THROUGH SUMMER (dir. Erin Mick, Canada)
BEST QUÉBEC FEATURE
Gold: TIGHT LETTUCE (dir. Harrison Houde, Canada)
Silver: ROMIN (dirs. Jassen Charron and Anthony Dionne, Canada)
Bronze: SOMEONE’S DAUGHTER (dir. Wiebke von Carolsfeld, Canada)
BEST QUÉBEC SHORT
Gold: NEIGHBORS (dir. Andre Bendahan, Canada)
Silver: SERENITY (dir. Frank Tremblay, Canada)
Bronze: SOL VIVANT (dir. Émile Lavoie, Canada)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
THE SEOUL GUARDIANS (dirs. Cho Chul-young, Kim Jong-woo, and Kim Shin-wan, South Korea)
ÉCRAN FANTASTIQUE
SUZUKI=BAKUDAN (dir. Akira Nagai, Japan)
