The Canadian Film Fest, formerly known as the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario.James Adams, "'It's more than just a festival. It's a cause.'". The Globe and Mail, March 24, 2008. Showcasing a program of Canadian independent films,"The Canadian Film Festival levels up and embraces Filth". Now, March 20, 2017. 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."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. Although not staged between 2009 and 2011, it was relaunched in 2012 and has run annually since."Everyday's a good day for a film fest". National Post, March 23, 2012. The festival has been staged at the Scotiabank Theatre since 2017."Film Fest opens for patriotic moviegoers". Toronto Star, March 17, 2017.
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."Postponed Canadian Film Fest finds new home on Super Channel". Canadian Press, April 20, 2020. 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.Norman Wilner, "Canadian Film Fest announces 2021 lineup, will stream on Super Channel". Now, March 9, 2021.
Award for Best Feature Film Year Film Director Ref 2004 Expiration Gavin Heffernan 2005 The Overlookers Christopher Warre Smets "Scriptwriter shoots from the heart with Hit Man screenplay". Streeter, July 16, 2008. 2006 The End of Silence Anita Doron Chris Knight, "Good location comes with the territory". National Post, June 27, 2006. 2007 The Zero Sum Raphael Assaf 2008 The Last Hit Man Christopher Warre Smets 2012 A Little Bit Zombie Casey Walker 2013 The Storm Within (Rouge sang) Martin Doepner Charles-Henri Ramond, "Rouge sang: deux prix à Toronto". Films du Québec, March 25, 2013. 2014 Patch Town Craig Goodwill Juliana Cummins, "Patch Town takes best feature prize at 2014 CFF". Playback, March 25, 2014. 2015 Ben's at Home Mars Horodyski Etan Vlessing, "Ben’s at Home heads to Pacific Northwest Pictures for Canada". Playback, March 30, 2015. 2016 How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town Jeremy Lalonde Regan Reid, "Canadian Film Fest announces 2016 winners". Playback, April 4, 2016. 2017 Great Great Great Adam Garnet Jones Regan Reid, "Great Great Great picks up CFF best feature". Playback, March 27, 2017. 2018 The Drawer Boy Arturo Pérez Torres Lauren Malyk, "CFF ’18: The Drawer Boy, Luba score top prizes". Playback, March 26, 2018. 2019 The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova Zack Bernbaum Jordan Pinto, "The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova wins best feature at CFF". Playback, March 25, 2019. 2020 Shoot to Marry Steve Markle Debra Yeo, "Documentary ‘Shoot to Marry’ and feature ‘Queen of the Morning Calm’ win Canadian Film Fest awards". Toronto Star, June 8, 2020. 2021 Sugar Daddy Wendy Morgan "Sugar Daddy CFF Winner". Northern Stars, April 19, 2021. 2022 Carmen Valerie Buhagiar "Maltese film Carmen gets best feature award in Canadian Film Fest". Times of Malta, April 5, 2022. 2023 Babysitter Monia Chokri Kelly Townsend, "Babysitter wins Best Feature at 2023 Canadian Film Fest". Playback, April 3, 2023. 2024 With Love and a Major Organ Kim Albright Kelly Townsend, "Doubles leads 2024 Canadian Film Fest winners". Playback, March 25, 2024. 2025 Darkest Miriam Naomi Jaye Jamie Casemore, "Darkest Miriam wins Best Feature at CFF". Playback, April 1, 2025. 2026 Akashi Mayumi Yoshida Jamie Casemore, "Akashi wins Best Feature, audience award at Canadian Film Fest". Playback, March 30, 2026.
Films 2014 Features Afterparty — Michelle Ouellet The Birder — Ted Bezaire H & G — Danishka Esterhazy Patch Town — Craig Goodwill Play the Film — Alec Toller The Privileged — Leah Walker
Shorts
2015 Features Barn Wedding — Shaun Benson Ben's at Home — Mars Horodyski The Cocksure Lads Movie — Murray Foster Late Night Double Feature — Navin Ramaswaran, Zach Ramelan, Torin Langen Nocturne — Saul Pincus Pretend We're Kissing — Matt Sadowski Relative Happiness — Deanne Foley Shooting the Musical — Joel Ashton McCarthy
2016 Features 20 Moves — Harv Glazer Across the Line — Director X Borealis — Sean Garrity Dead Rush — Zach Ramelan How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town — Jeremy LaLonde Jackie Boy — Cody Campanale The Sabbatical — Brian Stockton
Shorts
2017 Features An American Dream: The Education of William Bowman — Ken Finkleman Badsville — April Mullen Broken — Lynne Spencer Broken Mile — Justin McConnell Edging — Natty Zavitz Filth City — Andy King Great Great Great — Adam Garnet Jones The Heretics — Chad Archibald Lost Solace — Chris Scheuerman Modern Classic — J.M.B. Hunter
Shorts
2018 Features Becoming Burlesque — Jackie English The Cannon — Marshall Axani The Drawer Boy — Arturo Pérez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff The Go-Getters — Jeremy LaLonde Love Jacked — Alfons Adetuyi Luba — Caley Wilson Ordinary Days — Kris Booth, Renuka Jeyapalan, Jordan Canning Prodigals — Michelle Ouellet Room for Rent — Matthew Atkinson A Swinger's Weekend — Jon E. Cohen
Shorts
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
Awards
2020 Features Alone Across the Arctic — Francis Luta Clapboard Jungle — Justin McConnell The Cuban — Sergio Navarretta Hazy Little Thing — Sam Coyle A Perfect Plan — Jesse Ikeman Queen of the Morning Calm — Gloria Ui Young Kim Shoot to Marry — Steve Markle Volition — Tony Dean Smith
Shorts
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
2021 Features Between Waves — Virginia AbramovichLiam 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. Chained — Titus Heckel The Corruption of Divine Providence — Jeremy Torrie Events Transpiring Before, During and After a High School Basketball Game — Ted Stenson Mad Dog and the Butcher (Les Derniers vilains) — Thomas Rinfret Range Roads — Kyle Thomas Sugar Daddy — Wendy Morgan White Elephant — Andrew Chung Woman in Car — Vanya Rose
Shorts
Awards
2022 Features Ashgrove — Jeremy LaLonde Beneath the Surface (Le Lac des hommes) — Marie-Geneviève Chabot Carmen — Valerie Buhagiar The Last Mark — Reem Morsi The Long Rider — Sean Cisterna The Noise of Engines (Le Bruit des moteurs) — Philippe Grégoire A Small Fortune — Adam Perry Tehranto — Faran Moradi Tenzin — Michael LeBlanc, Josh Reichmann We're All in This Together — Katie Boland
Shorts
Awards
2023 Features Babysitter — Monia Chokri Bloom (Jouvencelles) — Fanie Pelletier Bystanders — Koumbie Golden Delicious — Jason Karman How to Get Your Parents to Divorce (Pas d'chicane dans ma cabane!) — Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers Polarized — Shamim Sarif Retrograde — Adrian Murray Streams Flow from a River — Christopher Yip When Time Got Louder — Connie Cocchia Wintertide — John Barnard
Shorts
Awards
2024 Features The Burning Season — Sean Garrity Daughter of the Sun — Ryan Ward Doubles — Ian Harnarine Hailey Rose — Sandi Somers Kite Zo A: Leave the Bones — Kaveh Nabatian Look at Me — Taylor Olson Place of Bones — Audrey Cummings Valley of Exile — Anna Fahr WaaPaKe — Jules Arita Koostachin With Love and a Major Organ — Kim Albright Wild Goat Surf — Caitlyn Sponheimer
Shorts
Awards
2025 Features Conceiving Clara — Tarique Qayumi Crocodile Eyes — Ingrid Veninger Darkest Miriam — Naomi Jaye Gold Bars: Who the Fuck Is Uncle Ludwig? — Billie Mintz His Father's Son — Meelad Moaphi Home Free — Avi Federgreen The Killgrin — Joanna Tsanis Larry (They/Them) — Catherine Legault The Legacy of Cloudy Falls — Nick Butler Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story — Kate Kroll The Players — Sarah Galea-Davis Please, After You — Rob Michaels Skeet — Nik Sexton To the Moon — Kevin Hartford Vampire Zombies... from Space! — Michael Stasko Waiting for the Storms (Le Temps) — François Delisle
Shorts
Awards
2026 Features Akashi — Mayumi Yoshida Ballistic — Chad Faust The Bearded Girl — Jody Wilson Best Boy — Jesse Noah Klein A Breed Apart — Adam Belanger, David Lafontaine A Farewell to Youth — Adam Jack Hangashore — Justin Oakey It Comes in Waves — Fitch Jean James — Max Train Los Rios — Ryan Fyfe-Brown, Dale Bailey Lucid — Deanna Milligan, Ramsey Fendall Mihnea — Mike Doaga Nesting (Peau à peau) — Chloé Cinq-Mars Plan C — Scott Cavalheiro #vanlife — Trevor Cameron What Comes Next — Alex Caulfield
Shorts
Awards
Gallery
References
External links Canadian Film Festival