The 2025 edition of the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the 37th edition in the event's history, was held from September 13 to 21, 2025 in Sudbury, Ontario.[1] The first film announcements were released on July 31,[2] and a second set of preview announcements was released on August 14,[3] with the full program announced on August 21.[4]
The first announcement included two world premieres, of the Northern Ontario-shot films A Breed Apart and Violence.[5]
Awards
Winners in the festival's CTV Best in Shorts competition for amateur filmmakers from Northern Ontario were announced on September 21, with winners in the main juried and audience choice categories announced on September 25.[6]
| Award
|
Film
|
Filmmaker
|
| Audience Choice, Feature Film |
Out Standing (Seule au front) |
Mélanie Charbonneau
|
| Audience Choice, Feature Film Runner-Up |
Once Upon My Mother (Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan) |
Ken Scott
|
| Audience Choice, Documentary |
John Candy: I Like Me |
Colin Hanks
|
| Audience Choice, Documentary Runner Up |
The Librarians |
Kim A. Snyder
|
| Audience Choice, Short Film |
Serenity |
Frank Tremblay
|
| Audience Choice, Short Film Runner Up |
Dish Pit |
Anna Hopkins
|
| Outstanding Canadian Feature |
Once Upon My Mother (Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan) |
Ken Scott
|
| Outstanding International Feature |
DJ Ahmet |
Georgi M. Unkovski
|
| Outstanding Female-Led Feature Film |
Out Standing (Seule au front) |
Mélanie Charbonneau
|
| Cinema Indigenized Outstanding Talent |
Free Leonard Peltier |
Jesse Short Bull, David France
|
| French-Language Feature Film |
The Cost of Heaven (Gagne ton ciel) |
Mathieu Denis
|
| Inspiring Voices and Perspectives |
Clear Sky |
Shawn Clearsky Davis, Michael Del Monte
|
| Outstanding Short Film |
Made for U |
Nathanael Draper
|
| Outstanding Animated Short Film |
Dolly Baby: Rhythm and Flesh |
Bouchera Tahraoui
|
| Outstanding Northern Ontario Short Film |
Can You Feel It Now? |
Isak Vaillancourt
|
| CTV Best in Shorts, Open Category First Place |
Mr. Noah and the Second Flood |
Kelly Saxberg
|
| CTV Best in Shorts, Open Category Second Place |
Double (Podwójne) |
Piotr Skowronski
|
| CTV Best in Shorts, Scholarship |
Behind the Screen |
Nation North
|
Official selections
Gala Presentations
Special Presentations
| English title
|
Original title
|
Director(s)
|
Production country
|
| Arco |
Ugo Bienvenu |
France
|
| Ballistic |
Chad Faust |
Canada, United States
|
| Blue Moon |
Richard Linklater |
United States
|
| A Breed Apart |
Adam Belanger, David Lafontaine |
Canada
|
| Honey Bunch |
Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli |
Canada
|
| If I Had Legs I'd Kick You |
Mary Bronstein |
United States
|
| It Was Just an Accident |
یک تصادف ساده |
Jafar Panahi |
Iran, France, Luxembourg
|
| Kiss of the Spider Woman |
Bill Condon |
United States, Mexico
|
| Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery |
Ally Pankiw |
Canada
|
| Lovely Day |
Mille secrets mille dangers |
Philippe Falardeau |
Canada
|
| No Other Choice |
어쩔수가없다 |
Park Chan-wook |
South Korea
|
| Nouvelle Vague |
Richard Linklater |
France
|
| Omaha |
Cole Webley |
United States
|
| The President's Cake |
مملكة القصب |
Hasan Hadi |
Iraq, Qatar, United States
|
| A Private Life |
Vie privée |
Rebecca Zlotowski |
France
|
| Saints and Warriors |
Patrick Shannon |
Canada
|
| The Secret Agent |
O Agente Secreto |
Kleber Mendonça Filho |
Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany
|
| Steal Away |
Clement Virgo |
Canada, Belgium
|
| We'll Find Happiness |
On sera heureux |
Léa Pool |
Canada, Luxembourg
|
Features Canada
| English title
|
Original title
|
Director(s)
|
Production country
|
| Best Boy |
Jesse Noah Klein |
Canada
|
| The Bruce Peninsula |
Matthew Poitras |
Canada
|
| Compulsive Liar 2 |
Menteuse |
Émile Gaudreault |
Canada
|
| Dancing on the Elephant |
Julia Neil, Jacob Z. Smith |
Canada
|
| Deathstalker |
Steven Kostanski |
Canada, United States
|
| The Cost of Heaven |
Gagne ton ciel |
Mathieu Denis |
Canada
|
| Fanny |
Yan England |
Canada, Japan
|
| Follies |
Folichonneries |
Éric K. Boulianne |
Canada
|
| Hangashore |
Justin Oakey |
Canada
|
| It Comes in Waves |
Fitch Jean |
Canada
|
| Little Lorraine |
Andy Hines |
Canada
|
| Mile End Kicks |
Chandler Levack |
Canada
|
| Nobel and the Kid |
James Anthony Usas |
Canada
|
| Out Standing |
Seule au front |
Mélanie Charbonneau |
Canada
|
| Racewalkers |
Kevin Claydon, Phil Moniz |
Canada
|
| Space Cadet |
Kid Koala |
Canada
|
| The Things You Kill |
Alireza Khatami |
Turkey, Poland, France, Canada
|
| Violence |
Connor Marsden |
Canada
|
| What We Dreamed of Then |
Taylor Olson |
Canada
|
| Yunan |
Ameer Fakher Eldin |
Germany, Canada, Italy, Palestine, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia
|
Cana-Doc
World Cinema
| English title
|
Original title
|
Director(s)
|
Production country
|
| Being Maria |
Maria |
Jessica Palud |
France
|
| DJ Ahmet |
Georgi M. Unkovski |
North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia
|
| Everything's Going to Be Great |
Jon S. Baird |
Canada, United States
|
| Fantasy Life |
Matthew Shear |
United States
|
| The Great Arch |
L'Inconnu de la Grande Arche |
Stéphane Demoustier |
France, Denmark
|
| Guess Who's Calling! |
Le Répondeur |
Fabienne Godet |
France
|
| Horseshoe |
Edwin Mullane, Adam O'Keeffe |
Ireland
|
| Köln 75 |
Ido Fluk |
Germany, Poland, Belgium
|
| Little Amélie or the Character of Rain |
Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes |
Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han |
France
|
| Luz |
Flora Lau |
China, Hong Kong
|
| The Mastermind |
Kelly Reichardt |
United States
|
| Mermaid |
Tyler Cornack |
United States
|
| Merrily We Roll Along |
Maria Friedman |
United States
|
| My Father's Shadow |
Akinola Davies Jr. |
United Kingdom, Nigeria
|
| Oh, Hi! |
Sophie Brooks |
United States
|
| A Poet |
Un poeta |
Simón Mesa Soto |
Colombia, Germany, Sweden
|
| The Scout |
Paula González-Nasser |
United States
|
| Speak Out |
Dans la peau de Cyrano |
Jennifer Devoldère |
France
|
| Stormskerry Maja |
Myrskyluodon Maija |
Tiina Lymi |
Finland
|
| Urchin |
Harris Dickinson |
United Kingdom
|
| The Wonderers |
Qui brille au combat |
Joséphine Japy |
France
|
World Doc
In Full View: Crisis, Conflict, Conscience
Cinema Indigenized (Nishnaabek Dbaajmawaat)
Short Circuit
| English title
|
Original title
|
Director(s)
|
Production country
|
| 20 Crickets |
Zha Babaieva |
Canada
|
| Bots |
Rich Williamson |
Canada
|
| Can You Feel It Now? |
Isak Vaillancourt |
Canada
|
| Crave |
Mark Middlewick |
South Africa
|
| Dish Pit |
Anna Hopkins |
Canada
|
| Dolly Baby: Rhythm and Flesh |
Bouchera Tahraoui |
Canada
|
| Fan |
Philippe Berthelet |
Canada
|
| The Human Under the Bed |
Euan O'Leary |
Canada
|
| Karupy |
Kalainithan Kalaichelvan |
Canada
|
| Made for U |
Nathanael Draper |
Canada
|
| My Little Girl |
Allez ma fille |
Chloé Jouannet |
France
|
| Old Tomorrow |
Kane Stewart |
Canada
|
| Paulie |
Aaron Martini |
Canada
|
| Pool Sharks |
Austin Lindsay |
Canada
|
| S.A.D. |
Vanessa Sandre |
Canada
|
| The Sentry |
Jake Wachtel |
Cambodia, Norway, United States
|
| Serenity |
Frank Tremblay |
Canada
|
| A Snowman's Dream |
Gus Belford, Steve Belford |
Canada
|
| A Strange Bird |
Jingwei Bu |
China
|
CTV Best in Shorts
The festival's dedicated competition for short films by amateur local filmmakers from Northern Ontario.
References
- ^ "Cinéfest Sudbury unveils official 2025 festival image, tagline". Sudbury Star, July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Cinéfest Sudbury gives early peek at this year’s festival films". Sudbury.com, August 1, 2025.
- ^ "John Candy doc coming to Cinéfest Sudbury next month". Sudbury Star, August 15, 2025.
- ^ Jenny Lamothe, "Come to Cinéfest Sept. 13-21 and find the unexpected". Sudbury.com, August 21, 2025.
- ^ Jamie Casemore, "Cinéfest’s first wave of titles includes two world premieres". Playback, August 5, 2025.
- ^ "‘Out Standing’ and John Candy doc take audience awards at Cinéfest". Sudbury.com, September 28, 2025.