Canadian Film Festival

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Canadian Film Fest
CFF Icon.png
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
Founded2004
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.canfilmfest.ca

The Canadian Film Festival, formerly known as the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario.[1] Showcasing a program of Canadian independent films,[2] 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.[3] Although not staged between 2009 and 2011, it was relaunched in 2012 and has run annually since.[4] The festival has been staged at the Scotiabank Theatre since 2017.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7]

Award for Best Feature Film[]

Year Film Director Ref
2004 Expiration Gavin Heffernan
2005 The Overlookers Christopher Warre Smets
2006 The End of Silence Anita Doron
2007 The Zero Sum Raphael Assaf
2008 The Last Hit Man Christopher Warre Smets [8]
2012 A Little Bit Zombie Casey Walker [9]
2013 The Storm Within (Rouge sang) Martin Doepner [10]
2014 Patch Town Craig Goodwill [11]
2015 Ben's at Home Mars Horodyski [12]
2016 How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town Jeremy Lalonde [13]
2017 Great Great Great Adam Garnet Jones [14]
2018 The Drawer Boy Arturo Pérez Torres [15]
2019 The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova Zack Bernbaum [16]
2020 Shoot to Marry Steve Markle [17]
2021 Sugar Daddy Wendy Morgan [18]

Films[]

2016[]

Features[]

Shorts[]

  • 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[]

Shorts[]

  • 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[]

Shorts[]

  • 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[]

  • 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[]

  • Best Feature: The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova[16]
  • Best Short: Terminally in Love[16]
  • William F. White Reel Canadian Indie: Honey Bee[16]
  • People's Pick: Wolves Unleashed: Against All Odds[16]
  • DGC Ontario Best Director: Zack Bernbaum, The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova[16]
  • ReTake Furniture Rentals Best Set and Production Design: Terminally in Love[16]
  • Best Actor in a Feature: Aaron Abrams, Nose to Tail[16]
  • Best Actor in a Short: Krista Morin, Spooning[16]
  • Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking: Wolves Unleashed: Against All Odds[16]
  • Best Short, Honorable Mention: No. 3: In the Absence of Angels
  • Harold Greenberg Script Competition: Stephen Sloot, Harold Doesn't Die[16]

2020[]

Features[]

Shorts[]

  • 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[]

  • Best Feature - Shoot to Marry[17]
  • William F White Reel Canadian Indie - Queen of the Morning Calm[17]
  • Best Short - Liminal[17]
  • ReTAKE Best Set Design - The Bear and the Beekeeper
  • DGC Ontario’s Best Director - Gloria Ui Young Kim, Queen of the Morning Calm[17]
  • Best Breakout Performance - Maya Harman, Chubby; Eponine Lee, Queen of the Morning Calm[17]
  • Editing - Nail in the Coffin
  • Best New Voice - Isa Benn, Shoegazer[17]
  • Cinematography - François Messier-Rheault, Heart Bomb (Une bombe au cœur)
  • Best Music - Alex Bird, Because One Day

2021[]

Features[]

Shorts[]

  • 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
  • (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 — 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 — 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[]

  • Best Feature - Sugar Daddy[18]
  • EDA Foundation Best Producer - Salar Pashtoonyar, Bad Omen[18]
  • Best Short - Jean-Sébastien Beaudoin-Gagnon, Acting Out[18]
  • DGC Ontario Best Director - Wendy Morgan, Sugar Daddy[18]
  • ReTAKE Furniture Rental Best Set Design - White Elephant[18]
  • William F. White Reel Canadian Indie - Events Transpiring Before, During, and After a High School Basketball Game[18]
  • Best Ensemble - White Elephant[18]
  • Best Music - Marie-Hélène L. Delorme, Sugar Daddy[18]
  • Best Performance - Kelly McCormack, Sugar Daddy[18]
  • Best Director (Short) - Katerine Martineau, Girls Shouldn't Walk Alone at Night[18]
  • Best Performance, Female (Short) - Joanie Martel, Moon (Lune)[18]
  • Best Performance, Male (Short) - Éric Bernier, Mister Cachemire (Monsieur Cachemire)[18]
  • Breakout Performance (Short) - Amaryllis Tremblay, Girls Shouldn't Walk Alone at Night[18]
  • Best Screenplay - Samuel Cartin, Mister Cachemire (Monsieur Cachemire)[18]

References[]

  1. ^ James Adams, "'It's more than just a festival. It's a cause.'". The Globe and Mail, March 24, 2008.
  2. ^ "The Canadian Film Festival levels up and embraces Filth". Now, March 20, 2017.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Everyday's a good day for a film fest". National Post, March 23, 2012.
  5. ^ "Film Fest opens for patriotic moviegoers". Toronto Star, March 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "Postponed Canadian Film Fest finds new home on Super Channel". Canadian Press, April 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Norman Wilner, "Canadian Film Fest announces 2021 lineup, will stream on Super Channel". Now, March 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "Scriptwriter shoots from the heart with Hit Man screenplay". Streeter, July 16, 2008.
  9. ^ Graham Lanktree (April 28, 2012). "Ottawa gets A Little Bit Zombie". metronews.ca. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  10. ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Rouge sang: deux prix à Toronto". Films du Québec, March 25, 2013.
  11. ^ Juliana Cummins, "Patch Town takes best feature prize at 2014 CFF". Playback, March 25, 2014.
  12. ^ Etan Vlessing, "Ben’s at Home heads to Pacific Northwest Pictures for Canada". Playback, March 30, 2015.
  13. ^ Regan Reid, "Canadian Film Fest announces 2016 winners". Playback, April 4, 2016.
  14. ^ Regan Reid, "Great Great Great picks up CFF best feature". Playback, March 27, 2017.
  15. ^ Lauren Malyk, "CFF ’18: The Drawer Boy, Luba score top prizes". Playback, March 26, 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jordan Pinto, "The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova wins best feature at CFF". Playback, March 25, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Debra Yeo, "Documentary ‘Shoot to Marry’ and feature ‘Queen of the Morning Calm’ win Canadian Film Fest awards". Toronto Star, June 8, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sugar Daddy CFF Winner". Northern Stars, April 19, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liam Lacey, "The Canadian Film Festival: Films by emerging Canadian filmmakers find a second-time-around pandemic home on Super Channel". Original Cin, April 1, 2021.

External links[]

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