The 28th edition of The Fantasia International Film Festival wrapped up on August 4th with the World Premiere of André Forcier’s period dramedy ABABOUINÉ. Boasting record-breaking attendance and sold-out screenings that matched the festival’s pre-pandemic peak, the renowned Canadian festival is thrilled to confirm its return in 2025, running from July 17 to August 3.

After counting thousands of votes from its passionate audience, Fantasia is also excited to reveal its esteemed Audience Awards.

► BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE 

Gold: BOOKWORM (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, United States)

► 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, The 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: LES YEUX D’OLGA (Dir. 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, EPISODE 3 (Dir. Ziki Zhu, China)

Bronze: Tie – LES BÊTES (Dir. Michael Berry, United States) 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 QUÉBEC FEATURE

Gold: KIDNAPPING INC. (Dir. Bruno Mourral)

Silver: JOUR DE CHASSE (Dir. Annick Blanc)

Bronze: ABABOUINÉ (Dir. André Forcier)

► BEST QUÉBEC SHORT

Gold: THE IMAGE SELLER (Dir. Donovan Richard)

Silver: MOURIR EN SILENCE (Dir. Émile Lavoie)

Bronze: Tie – RÉINSERTION (Dir. Youssef Harouj) and BRING BACK GUILLAUME (Dir. Kevin de Laval)

► BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Gold: VOÏVOD: WE ARE CONNECTED (Dir. Felipe Belalcazar, Canada)

Norman Gidney is the founder and editor-in-chief of HorrorBuzz, which he launched in 2015 to cover everything that goes bump in the night: horror films, haunts, books, games, and the people who make them. He also runs The Screaming Room Film Festival and hosts the Horror Movie Night series at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, California.