The 2025 edition of the Atlantic International Film Festival, the 45th edition in the event's history, took place from September 10 to 17, 2025 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Kelly Townsend, "AIFF unveils four Atlantic features as world premieres for 45th festival". Playback, July 23, 2025.
The first films in the program were announced on July 25, with the full program announced on August 13.Andrew Tracy, "Atlantic Int’l Film Festival unveils full lineup for 2025 edition". Playback, August 13, 2025.
The festival opened with Bretten Hannam's film At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik) and closed with Bill Condon's Kiss of the Spider Woman, with Andy Hines's Little Lorraine serving as the centrepiece Atlantic Gala.
Awards Award winners were announced on September 14.Andrew Tracy, "Sk+te’kmujue’katik, Little Lorraine top award winners at AIFF". Playback, September 15, 2025.
Award Film Recipient Gordon Parsons Award for Best Atlantic Canadian Feature At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik) Bretten Hannam Best Atlantic Canadian Director Blueberry Grunt Sherry White Joan Orenstein & David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting Little Lorraine Stephen McHattie Dancing on the Elephant Mary Walsh Best Atlantic Short Film Feed Nancy Urich Best Atlantic Short Film, Honorable Mention Mourning Rituals Annaka Gale Best Atlantic Short Documentary The Muse Wanda Nolan Best Atlantic Short Documentary, Honorable Mention Imprint Duncan Major Michael Weir Award for Best Atlantic Screenwriting Little Lorraine Andy Hines, Adam Baldwin Best Atlantic Cinematographer At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik) Guy Godfree Best Atlantic Editor Dancing on the Elephant Angela Baker Best Atlantic Original Score At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik) Jeremy Dutcher
Official selections
Gala Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country At the Place of Ghosts Sk+te’kmujue’katik Bretten Hannam Canada Kiss of the Spider Woman Bill Condon United States Little Lorraine Andy Hines Canada
Reel East Coast Shorts English title Original title Director(s) Province Louis Akshay Shirke Canada The Muse Wanda Nolan A Place to Wait and Watch Vaida Nairn A Soft Touch Heather Young talking to humans about the end of the world Millefiore Clarkes Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Hunting Adventure Alan Syliboy
World Cinema English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Blue Trail O Último Azul Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Netherlands Blueberry Grunt Sherry White Canada Dancing on the Elephant Julia Neill, Jacob Z. Smith Canada Dreams (Sex Love) Drømmer Dag Johan Haugerud Norway Hangashore Justin Oakey Canada The History of Sound Oliver Hermanus United Kingdom, United States It Was Just an Accident یک تصادف ساده Jafar Panahi Iran, France, Luxembourg The Love That Remains Ástin Sem Eftir Er Hlynur Pálmason Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France Lovely Day Mille secrets mille dangers Philippe Falardeau Canada The Mastermind Kelly Reichardt United States Mile End Kicks Chandler Levack Canada My Son Came Back to Disappear Mon fils ne revint que sept jours Yan Giroux Canada Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Matt Johnson Canada Nouvelle Vague Richard Linklater France Peak Everything Amour Apocalypse Anne Émond Canada A Poet Un poeta Simón Mesa Soto Colombia A Private Life Vie Privée Rebecca Zlotowski France Raptures Rörelser Jon Blåhed Sweden, Finland Sentimental Value Affeksjonsverdi Joachim Trier Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom Sound of Falling In Die Sonne Schauen Mascha Schilinski Germany Steal Away Clement Virgo Canada, Belgium The Things You Kill Alireza Khatami Turkey, Poland, France, Canada What We Dreamed of Then Taylor Olson Canada Wrong Husband Uiksaringitara Zacharias Kunuk Canada
Narrative New Waves English title Original title Director(s) Production country Blue Heron Sophy Romvari Canada DJ Ahmet Georgi M. Unkovski North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia Follies Folichonneries Eric K. Boulianne Canada For Worse Amy Landecker United States Lucky Lu Lloyd Lee Choi Canada, United States Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) Joel Alfonso Vargas United States My Father's Shadow Akinola Davies Jr. United Kingdom, Ireland, Nigeria Pinch Uttera Singh India Sleepless City Ciudad sin sueño Guillermo Galoe Spain, France A Useful Ghost ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany Vermilion Amy Trefry Canada
Late Night Visions English title Original title Director(s) Production country Honey Bunch Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli Canada If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Mary Bronstein United States Portal to Hell Woody Bess United States
In Focus English title Original title Director(s) Production country Anne of Green Gables Kevin Sullivan Canada Closet Monster Stephen Dunn Parsley Days Andrea Dorfman Shadow Men Nos hommes dans l'ouest Renée Blanchar
Documentaries English title Original title Director(s) Production country Agatha's Almanac Amalie Atkins Canada Another Light on the Road: Robert Frank and June Leaf's Canadian Home Katherine Whalen, John Parlante Canada, United States The Dating Game Violet Du Feng United States, United Kingdom, Norway The Eyes of Ghana Ben Proudfoot United States Folktales Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady United States, Norway Ghosts of the Sea Les enfants du large Virginia Tangvald Canada, France John Candy: I Like Me Colin Hanks United States Life After Reid Davenport United States Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery Ally Pankiw Canada Niñxs Kani Lapuerta Mexico, Germany The Pitch Michèle Hozer Canada Shari & Lamb Chop Lisa D'Apolito United States Videoheaven Alex Ross Perry United States Yanuni Richard Ladkani Germany, Brazil, Canada, United States, Australia
Shorts English title Original title Director(s) Production country And, Scene Brianna Russell Canada Anita Louise and the Wild Women Arena Alamino Canada Astro Tim Ewalts Netherlands A Bear Remembers Linden Zhang, Hannah Knight United Kingdom Beneath Which Rivers Flow Ali Yahya Iraq Bread Will Walk Alex Boya Canada Brenda and Baxter Leah Johnston Canada Debaters Alex Heller United States Dike Bar Amy Siegel Canada Disco Fever Kevin Hartford Canada Dish Pit Anna Hopkins Canada Eel Wayne Burns Canada Elvira Sarah Segal-Lazar Canada Feed Nancy Urich Canada (for once I dreamed of you) Kate Solar Canada Hypersensitive Hypersensible Martine Frossard Canada Imprint Duncan Major Canada The Loon Le Huard Paula Bourgie Canada La Mayordomía Martin Edralin Canada More Than Happy Wei Keong Tan Singapore Mourning Rituals Annaka Gale Canada No Matter the Weather Beau temps, mauvais temps Florence Lafond Canada Oh Yeah! Nick Canfield United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland Oliver Andrew Strickland Canada An Ongoing List of Things Found in the Library Book Drop, Usually Being Used as Bookmarks Kayla Abuda Galang United States Orbits Orbites Sarah Seené Canada Ordinary Life Futsu no seikatsu Yoriko Mizushiri France, Japan Paradaïz Matea Radic Canada Pidikwe (Rumble) Caroline Monnet Canada Power Jordan Canning Canada Promise in the Ground Ally Bowes, Ariel Mackenzie, Linus Mulherin Canada Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts Shervin Kermani Canada RAT+CAMMIE=FOREVER Marissa Sean Cruz Canada Retirement Plan John Kelly Ireland Scars We Love Les Belles cicatrices Raphaël Jouzeau France She Raised Me Ben Lewis Canada The Spin Disturber L'Empêcheuse de tourner en rond Hélène Lebon Canada Susana Amandine Thomas, Gerardo Coello Escalante Mexico, United States Sweetie Taylor Olson Canada Le Tour du Canada John Hollands Canada Year of the Dragon Giran Findlay Liu Canada Zari Shruti Parekh United States, India
References