29th Fantasia International Film Festival

The 29th Fantasia International Film Festival opened on July 16 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with American neo-Western black comedy film Eddington, by Ari Aster.^[1] The Canadian Trailblazer Award was presented to Hungarian-born Canadian filmmaker George Mihalka, the director of the 1981 slasher film My Bloody Valentine, and Sheila McCarthy, Canadian actress and singer during festival.^[2][3]

Pascal Plante, a Canadian film director and screenwriter served as jury president for Compétition Cheval Noir. The seven of the competition’s eight categories awards were announced on July 26, with the jury awarding Mother of Flies, a horror–fantasy film by John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Posner, with the Cheval Noir Award for Best Film, marking the first time a United States production has received this award.^[4]

The festival closed on August 3, 2025 with dog sex adult comedy Fixed, by Russian-American animator, producer–director, Genndy Tartakovsky, who was also honored with 'Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award' along with Danny Elfman, American film composer, and musician.^[5] In the Audience Awards announced on August 5, 2025, Best International Feature Gold was awarded to 2025 French film Flush, a thriller comedy by Grégory Morin.^[6]

• Pascal Plante, Canadian film director and screenwriter – Jury President
• Ethan Eng, Canadian filmmaker
• Alison Foreman, Journalist, features writer at IndieWire
• Payton McCarty-Simas, freelance writer, artist, and editor based in New York City
• George Schmalz, Vice President, Theatrical Distribution and New Business Development at Kino Lorber

• Chris Nash, writer, director, and prosthetics effects artist from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – Jury President
• Jim Brunzell, director of festivals, Dark Star Pictures
• Louise Buckler, head of marketing Arrow Films
• Deirdre Crimmins, film critic and programmer
• Anelle Deghani, The Coven sales agent
• Jean-François Leblanc, filmmaker

• Kaniehtiio Horn, Canadian actress and filmmaker – Jury President
• Rémi Fréchette, Director, Screenwriter, Editor
• Evan O’Brien, Junior Executive, NEON
• Carol Nguyen, Vietnamese Canadian filmmaker
• Wylie Rush, Director, Screenwriter

• Rachel Samson, an animation filmmaker and programmer from Quebec City – Jury President
• Sam Chou Animation Director and Showrunner
• Chimwemwe Miller, Voice Actor

• Elza Kephart, Canadian filmmaker, from Montreal, Quebe – Jury President
• Cam Maitland, Film and Content Specialist, Hollywood Suite
• Alanna Thain, Professor of Cinema and Cultural Studies, McGill University
• Joe Lipsett, Freelance Film and Television Critic
• Olivia Norquay, Film Programmer, Dave Barber Cinematheque

• Ginette Petit, Producer – Jury President
• Bryan Perro, Québec author of the children's fantasy fiction series Amos Daragon
• Luc Chamberland, Director, Screenwriter and Teacher
• Alex Parkinson, Associate Director and Feature Animation VFX Supervisor at Cinesite

• Miguel de Plante, film critic, editor, director
• Louis-Paul Rioux, Mediafilm Senior Collaborator
• Elijah Baron, Film Critic, AQCC Vice-President

• Yves Rivard, French-Canadian film critic

• JP Bergeron, Actor, Director
• Isabelle Giroux, Actress
• Hélène Théberge, Director of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival

Source:^{[7][8][9][5][10][11]}

The opening film Eddington is a 2025 American action comedy film by Ari Aster. It depicts the political and social turmoil in the fictional city of Eddington, New Mexico, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The closing film Fixed is a 2025 American adult animated romantic comedy film by Genndy Tartakovsky. It follows a dog who learns that he is going to be neutered in the morning.

Highlighted title and double-dagger (‡) indicates Cheval Noir Competition winner.

Highlighted title and double-dagger (‡) indicates New Flesh Competition winner.

This section highlights the talent of Quebec filmmakers, shown across their feature films.^[12]

The festival announced its juried awards, with Mother of Flies, by John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser—collectively known as the Adams Family—receiving the Cheval Noir Award for Best Film. It also received The Sandro Forte Award for Best Motion Picture Score.^[4][13][14]

• Best Film: Mother of Flies by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser
• Special Jury Mention (Best Film): New Group by Yuta Shimotsu
• Best Director: Hadrah Daeng Ratu for The Book of Sijjin And Illiyyin
• Best Screenplay: Connor Diedrich and Samuel Johnson for Terrestrial, by Steve Pink
• Best Cinematography: Alex Metcalfe for Cielo by Alberto Sciamma
• The Sandro Forte Award for Best Motion Picture Score: H6LLB6ND6R for Mother of Flies
• Outstanding Performance Award: Ui Mihara for I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn by Kenichi Ugana

• Best First Feature — It Ends — Alexander Ullom
• Special Jury Mentions:
  • Fucktoys — Annapurna Sriram
  • Hellcat — Brock Bodell

• Best Film: Barlebas by Malu Janssen
• Best Director: Jo Ba-reun for Floor
• Best Screenplay: Dylan Pun, for Shrimp Fried Rice by Dylan Pun)
• Best Cinematography: Barlebas by 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 by Jan Grabowski
  • The Rebirth by Connie Shi

• Best Animated Feature: The Girl who Stole Time by Yu Ao and Zhou Tienan
• Special Jury Mention (Best Animated Feature): I Am Frankelda by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz
• Best Animated Short, Gold: My Organs Lying on the Ground by Shinobu Soejima
• Best Animated Short, Silver: Éiru by Giovanna Ferrari
• Best Animated Short, Bronze: Off-Time by Nata Metlukh

• Best Director (Feature Film): Chloé Cinq-Mars for Nesting (Peau à peau)
• Special Jury Mention: Simon Glassman for Buffet Infinity

• Best Film: The Virgin of the Quarry Lake by Laura Casabe
• Special Jury Mention: Burning by Radik Eshimov

• Best Film, Gold: The Sound of Raindrops by Max Banse, Julie Blanc, Alvaro Deolio, Elena Forlini, Estelle Jourdan, Gabriel Riera, and Lila Trouvé
• Best Film, Silver: Soap Box (Boîte À Savon) by Jimmy Pettigrew)
• Best Film, Bronze: Christopher & the Bug by Vanessa Lynn Esteves
• Special Jury Mentions: The Little One and the Giant by Isabela Costa and A Small Garden by the Window by Lee Jong-hoon

• MELS Award for Best Short Film:
  • 1st Place: Mad Dog (Molosse) by Marc-Antoine Lemire
  • 2nd Place: Butter Knife by Théophile Mur
  • 3rd Place: Itty Bitty Betty by Laura Buchanan
  • Special Mention: Girasol by Dominic Couturier and Pierre Inglebert
• AQPM Award for Best Emerging Production in a Short Film: Iconic by April Daneau
  • Special Mention: Don’t Judge a Unicorn by Its Horn by 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 to Liane Paré for Dumpster Duchess by Raphë, Liana Paré
  • 2nd to Pierre Inglebert, for Girasol by Dominic Couturier and Pierre Inglebert)
  • 3rd to Martin Reisch, for Island of Forgetfulness by Erin Ross
  • Special Mention to Guillaume Langlois and Raphaël Ouellet, for Greluche by Daphnée Côté-Hallé
• Fantasia Award for Best Performance in a Short Film to Stéfanelle Auger, for Envolée by Renaud Ouimet
  • Special Mention to Marguerite Bouchard, for L’explosion, et puis le calme by William Tétreault and Maximilian Isaacs, for Here Comes Kermit Williams by Ryan Terk
• Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE) Award for Best Editing in a Short Film to John-Daniel Arauz, for Kitty the Viper by John-Daniel Arauz
  • Special Mention to Marc-Olivier Huard, for Interurbain by Marc-Olivier Huard
• Spira Award for Best Regional Short Film to Frères D’armes by François Lalonde
  • Special Mention to Rien Que Du Vent by PH Debiès
• Bam Music Award for Best Sound in a Short Film to Loud by Adam Azimov
• Toon Boom Award for Best 2D Short Film to Grain by Ilana Zackon
• Dragonframe Award for Best Stop Motion Short Film to Songes et étrangetés au jardin by Kimm D. and Caroline Hayeur
  • Special Mention to Exit the Red Room | A David Lynch Tribute by Corey Nikolaus
• Coup de Coeur SLA Location Award for a Short Film to A Better Day by Scott Cowan

Audience awards were announced on August 5, 2025.^[6][15]

• Gold: Flush, by Grégory Morin, France
• Silver: Fucktoys, by Annapurna Sriram, United States
• Bronze:
  • Terrestrial, by Steve Pink, United States
  • The Forbidden City, by Gabriele Mainetti, Italy

• Gold: Burning by Radik Eshimov, Kyrgyzstan
• Silver: Hi-Five by Kang Hyeong-cheol, South Korea
• Bronze: I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn by Kenichi Ugana, Japan

• Gold: Death Does Not Exist by Félix Dufour-Laperrière, Canada
• Silver: I Am Frankelda by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, Mexico
• Bronze: Mononoke the Movie: The Ashes of Rage by Kenji Nakamura and Kiyotaka Suzuki, Japan

• Gold: Let’s Settle This! by Jack Woon, New Zealand
• Silver:
  • Steak Dinner by Nathan Ginter, United States
  • Skin by Urvashi Pathania, United States
• Bronze:
  • Check Please! by Shane Chung, United States
  • The Nightwalker by Mark Reyes, United States

• Gold: Floor by Jo Ba-reun, South Korea
• Silver: The Last Ride by Yashoda Parthasarthy and Vijesh Rajan, India
• Bronze: Red Spider Lilies: The Ascension by Koji Shiraishi, Japan

• Gold: LOCA! by Ion Miyamoto and Yuta Uchiya, Japan
• Silver: Mamiko’S Poop by Yasuteru Ohno, Japan
• Bronze:
  • Beyond the Trail by Vab.png, Japan
  • Maybe Blue by Zhou Qian, China

• Gold: The Undertone by Ian Tuason, Canada
• Silver: Foreigner by Ava Maria Safai, Canada
• Bronze: Buffet Infinity by Simon Glassman, Canada

• Gold: The Sphinx by Jesse Padveen, Canada
• Silver: Shrimp Fried Rice by Dylan Pun, Canada
• Bronze: Heirlooms by Dan Abramovici, Canada

• Gold: Messy Legends by Kelly Kay Hurcomb and James Watts, Canada
• Silver: Inner Walls (Au pied du mur) by Alexandra Elkin, Canada
• Bronze: Anna Kiri by Francis Bordeleau, Canada

• Gold: Duchess 17 by Daly Sonesaksith, Canada
• Silver: Steal My Life by Annie Wren, Canada
• Bronze: Le Punk De Natashquan by Nicolas Lachapelle, Canada

• I Am Frankelda by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, Mexico

Source:^[16][17]

• Canadian Trailblazer Award:
  • George Mihalka
  • Sheila McCarthy

• Cheval Noir Lifetime Achievement Award:
  • Danny Elfman

• • Genndy Tartakovsky

• Indie Maverick Award: Lloyd Kaufman

• Denis-Héroux Award: Anne-Marie Gélinas

• Official website
• Fantasia International Film Festival at FilmFreeway