Canadian Film Fest Unveils 2025 Award Winners, Wrapping a Record-Breaking Festival

CANADIAN FILM FEST UNVEILS 2025 AWARD WINNERS, WRAPPING A RECORD-BREAKING FESTIVAL

Darkest Miriam, The Players, Gold Bars: Who The F*ck Is Uncle Ludwig? And Waiting For The Storm win Feature Film Awards, S K E E T is awarded People’s Pick for Best Flick

Toronto, ON - March 31, 2025 – Canadian Film Fest (CFF), the indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers, revealed the 2025 award winners on Saturday, March 29 at the festival’s Closing Night. The awards follow a very successful  festival, which had its biggest lineup in the history of the event driven by a record number of submissions from filmmakers.

On the heels of a 6 CSA nominations, Naomi Jaye’s sophomore feature DARKEST MIRIAM took home Best Feature;Sarah Galea-Davis was honoured with the Best Director award for her film THE PLAYERS, while Stefani Kimber won the feature film jury award for Best Acting for her performance in the film. S K E E T by writer-director Nik Sextontook home People’s Pick for Best Flick.

“This year more than ever, we are proud to bring incredible homegrown stories to the big screen for Canadian audiences,” said Ashleigh Rains, Festival Director, Canadian Film Fest. “This year’s festival is a reminder of how powerful our community of Canadian filmmakers and creatives are when we come together to support one another. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners, and thanks for another spectacular festival!”  

See below for the complete list of winners for CFF 2025. For more information, visit canfilmfest.ca.

 

The 2025 Canadian Film Fest Award Winners:

BEST FEATURE
DARKEST MIRIAM by Naomi Jaye, produced by Julie Baldassi, Brian Robertson

BEST DIRECTOR
Sarah Galea-Davis for THE PLAYERS

BEST SHORT FILM
SLEEP TALKING by Ethan Godel

BEST PRODUCER SHORT FILM
Amir Zargara and Iman Tahsin for A GOOD DAY WILL COME

PEOPLE’S PICK FOR BEST FLICK
S K E E T by Nik Sexton


Feature Film Jury Awards:

The feature film jury included Paul Gratton (Whistler Film Festival Programmer), Kim Albright (Writer/Director), Ian Harnarine (Writer/Director).

BEST ACTING
Stefani Kimber in THE PLAYERS

BEST DOCUMENTARY
GOLD BARS: WHO THE F*CK IS UNCLE LUDWIG? by Billie Mintz

SPECIAL MENTION FOR ORIGINALITY AND DIRECTION
WAITING FOR THE STORM directed by François Delisle

Short Film Jury Awards:

The short film jury consisted of Eva Thomas (Director), Kiarash Dadagar (Director), Alice Wang (Writer/Director, Programmer), Katie Uhlmann (Actor, Writer/Director and President of WebSeries Canada) and Vanessa Magic (Director).

BEST COMEDY SHORT FILM
BAIL BAIL by Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
BEAUPRÉ THE GIANT by Alain Fournier

BEST PERFORMANCE
Celia Green in GREENHORN

About the Canadian Film Fest:

The Canadian Film Fest is a non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate the art of cinematic storytelling by exclusively showcasing Canadian films. The festival unites film-loving audiences with diverse selections of features and shorts from across the country. The CFF provides Canadian filmmakers with essential professional development and networking opportunities through its Industry Series and awards.

Social Media:
#CanFilmFest

Twitter / X: @CanFilmFest

Instagram: @CanFilmFest

Facebook: facebook.com/CanFilmFest

Youtube: Canadian Film Fest

- 30 -

Media Contact:

Sydney Clarke, Publicity and Promotions Coordinator, Touchwood PR
sydney.clarke@touchwoodpr.com

Hannah Veenendaal, Publicity and Promotions Coordinator, Touchwood PR
hannah.veenendaal@touchwoodpr.com

Next
Next

Canadian Voices Take the Stage: Canadian Film Fest Announces Stellar 2025 Lineup