The Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film, formerly also known as the NFB John Spotton Award, is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to a film judged to be the best Canadian short film of the festival. As of 2017, the award is sponsored by International Watch Company and known as the "IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film".[1]

Winners

Year Film Director ACCT honours Ref
1989 Stealing Images Alan Zweig [2]
Justine's Film (Le film de Justine) Jeanne Crépeau
1990 Shaggie: Letters from Prison Janis Cole [3]
New Shoes Ann Marie Fleming
1991 The Making of Monsters John Greyson [4]
The Learning Path Loretta Todd
Unknown Soldiers Veronika Soul
1992 Letters of Transit (Les Sauf-conduits) Manon Briand [5]
Blue Don McKellar
The Fairy Who Didn't Want to Be a Fairy Anymore Laurie Lynd Best Live Action Short Drama winner
Moose Jaw: There's a Future in Our Past Rick Hancox
My Niagara Helen Lee
1993 Save My Lost Nigga Soul Clement Virgo Best Theatrical Short Film nominee [6]
Me, Mom and Mona Mina Shum
1994 Frank's Cock Mike Hoolboom [7]
Technilogic Ordering Philip Hoffman
Make Some Noise Andrew Munger
1995 Reconstruction Laurence Green [8]
Odilon Redon, or The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity Guy Maddin
Use Once and Destroy John L'Écuyer
1996 Letters from Home Mike Hoolboom [9]
Sin Cycle Jack Cocker, Ben Famiglietti
Lodela Philippe Baylaucq
1997 Cotton Candy Roshell Bissett [10]
bp: pushing the boundaries Brian Nash Best Short Documentary nominee
1998 When Ponds Freeze Over Mary Lewis Best Live Action Short Drama winner [11]
1999 Discharge (Décharge) Patrick Demers [12]
Karaoke Stéphane Lafleur
2000 The Hat (Le Chapeau) Michèle Cournoyer [13]
Ernest Keith Behrman
2001 FILM(dzama) Deco Dawson [14]
2002 Blue Skies Ann Marie Fleming [15]
2003 Aspiration Constant Mentzas [16]
2004 Man. Feel. Pain. Dylan Akio Smith [17]
2005 Big Girl Renuka Jeyapalan Best Live Action Short Drama nominee [18]
There's a Flower in My Pedal Andrea Dorfman
2006 The Days (Les Jours) Maxime Giroux [19]
2007 Pool Chris Chong Chan Fui [20]
2008 Block B Chris Chong Chan Fui [21]
Next Floor Denis Villeneuve Best Live Action Short Drama winner
2009 Danse Macabre Pedro Pires Best Live Action Short Drama winner [22]
The Armoire Jamie Travis
2010 Little Flowers (Les Fleurs de l'âge) Vincent Biron [23]
2011 Doubles with Slight Pepper Ian Harnarine Best Live Action Short Drama winner [24]
No Words Came Down Ryan Flowers, Lisa Pham
Of Events (D'aléas) Mathieu Tremblay
2012 Keep a Modest Head (Ne crâne pas sois modeste) Deco Dawson [25]
Crackin' Down Hard Mike Clattenburg
2013 Noah Walter Woodman, Patrick Cederberg Best Live Action Short Drama winner [26]
The Chaperone 3D Fraser Munden Best Short Documentary nominee
Yellowhead Kevan Funk
2014 The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer Randall Okita [27]
2015 Overpass Patrice Laliberté Best Live Action Short Drama nominee [28]
Bacon and God's Wrath Sol Friedman Best Short Documentary winner
2016 Mutants Alexandre Dostie Best Live Action Short Drama winner [29]
2017 Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire Best Live Action Short Drama nominee [30]
The Tesla World Light Matthew Rankin Best Animated Short nominee
2018 Brotherhood (Ikhwène) Meryam Joobeur [31]
Fauve Jérémy Comte Best Live Action Short Drama winner
2019 Delphine Chloé Robichaud [32]
The Physics of Sorrow Theodore Ushev
2020 Benjamin, Benny, Ben Paul Shkordoff Best Live Action Short Drama nominee [33]
2021 Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice Zacharias Kunuk Best Animated Short winner [34]
Nuisance Bear Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden Best Short Documentary nominee
2022 Simo Aziz Zoromba [35]
Same Old Lloyd Lee Choi
2023 Motherland Jasmin Mozaffari [36]

References

  1. ^ "Canadian Short Film Slate Offers a Kaleidowscope of Bright Talent, Innovative Filmmaking and shining directorial debuts" (PDF) (Press release). Toronto International Film Festival Inc. 9 August 2017. p. 1. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Quirky film `most popular' at Toronto festival". Ottawa Citizen, September 18, 1989.
  3. ^ "Cyrano festival's most popular film". Ottawa Citizen, September 17, 1990.
  4. ^ "Festival of Festivals: Toronto director embraces honor, but not the spoils". Windsor Star, September 16, 1991.
  5. ^ Jay Scott, "Festival focus firmly on first features". The Globe and Mail, September 21, 1992.
  6. ^ Craig MacInnis, "$25,000 Toronto-City prize goes to native filmmaker". Toronto Star, September 20, 1993.
  7. ^ "Egoyan's film fest win sweet". Windsor Star, September 19, 1994.
  8. ^ "Surprise winner for best Canadian film at Toronto Film Festival is Live Bait". Canadian Press, September 17, 1995.
  9. ^ Sid Adilman, "Journey gets top filmfest award". Toronto Star, September 16, 1996.
  10. ^ Craig MacInnis, "Pair splits top prize; Verteran Egoyan and rookie Fitzgerald win". Edmonton Journal, September 15, 1997.
  11. ^ "Prestigious award for Newfoundlander". The Telegram, September 21, 1998.
  12. ^ John McKay, "American Beauty favoured by fans". Welland Tribune, September 20, 1999.
  13. ^ "Asian and Alberta filmmakers big winners at Toronto film festival awards". Canadian Press, September 17, 2000.
  14. ^ "Films from Nunavut and Manitoba big winners at subdued festival". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, September 17, 2001.
  15. ^ "Cronenberg the big winner". Guelph Mercury, September 17, 2002.
  16. ^ "Barbarian Invasions a winner". Hamilton Spectator, September 16, 2003.
  17. ^ Liam Lacey, "Hotel Rwanda wins top festival prize". The Globe and Mail, September 20, 2004.
  18. ^ "Toronto film fest deemed a hit". Peterborough Examiner, September 19, 2005.
  19. ^ "Surprise! Bella takes top prize at TIFF". Toronto Star, September 17, 2006.
  20. ^ Mark Medley, "Cronenberg film wins top TIFF prize". National Post, September 17, 2007.
  21. ^ Linda Barnard, "Slumdog takes the people's prize; LeBron James documentary tapped as runner-up". Toronto Star, September 14, 2008.
  22. ^ "It's a wrap for TIFF; Film 'Precious' nabs audience prize at festival, stoking Oscar predictions". Telegraph-Journal, September 21, 2009.
  23. ^ "Quebec dominates TIFF awards". Playback, September 20, 2010.
  24. ^ Chris Knight, "Lebanese film wins TIFF's top prize; Starbuck is People's Choice runner-up". National Post, September 19, 2011.
  25. ^ "A different kind of Playbook for TIFF ending". Toronto Star, September 16, 2012.
  26. ^ "TIFF 2013: 12 Years a Slave wins film fest's top prize". The Toronto Star. 15 September 2013.
  27. ^ "'The Imitation Game' Wins Toronto Audience Award". The Wrap. 14 September 2014.
  28. ^ "'Room' Wins Toronto Film Festival's People's Choice Award". Variety. 20 September 2015.
  29. ^ "TIFF People's Choice Award cements La La Land's place in Oscar race". Entertainment Weekly. 18 September 2016.
  30. ^ "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri takes home TIFF's top honour". CBC News, September 17, 2017.
  31. ^ "'Green Book' boosts awards season prospects with TIFF audience award win". Screen Daily, September 16, 2018.
  32. ^ Etan Vlessing, "Toronto: Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit' Wins Audience Award". The Hollywood Reporter, September 15, 2019.
  33. ^ Etan Vlessing, "Toronto: Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' Wins Audience Award". The Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2020.
  34. ^ Steve Pond, "‘Belfast’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, September 18, 2021.
  35. ^ Christian Zilko, "‘The Fabelmans’ Wins TIFF 2022 People’s Choice Award". IndieWire, September 18, 2022.
  36. ^ Steve Pond, "‘American Fiction’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s Audience Award". TheWrap, September 17, 2023.
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