Bookworm wins international Fantasia Audience Award

Festival celebrates record attendance

by Jennie Kermode

Bookworm
Bookworm Photo: courtesy of Photon Films

This year's Fantasia international Film Festival came to a close on Sunday night after a bumper year, with record attendance and more sold out screenings than at any time since before the Covid pandemic began. Full details of its Audience Awards have now been released, with Ant Timpson's Bookworm, starring Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood, named Best international Feature.

Next year's festival will be held between 17 July and 3 August.

Those awards in full:

Best International Feature

  • Gold: Bookworm (Dir. Ant Timpson, New Zealand)
  • Silver: The Count Of Monte Cristo (Dir. Mathieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patelière, France)
  • Bronze: Rats! (Dir. Maxwell Navelansky and Carl Fry, US)

Best Asian Feature

  • Gold: A Samurai In Time (Dir. Junichi Yasuda, Japan)
  • Silver: Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In (Dir. Soi Cheang, Hong Kong)
  • Bronze: Penalty Loop (Dir. Shinji Araki, Japan)

Best Animated Feature

  • Gold: Ghost Cat Anzu (Dir. Yōko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, Japan)
  • Silver: The Missing (Dir. Carl Joseph Papa, The Philippines)
  • Bronze: Mononoke The Movie: Phantom In The Rain (Dir. Kenji Nakamura, Japan)

Best International Short

  • Gold: Faces (Dir. Blake Simon, US)
  • Silver: The Streetlight (Dir. Sophia Parella, US)
  • Bronze: Les Yeux D’olga (Dir. Sarah Carlot Jaber, Belgium)

Best Asian Short

  • Gold: Memory (Dir. Jang Hawon, South Korea)
  • Silver: Wanna Die Wanna Kill (Dir. Jeong Jaehee, South Korea)
  • Bronze: Night Fishing (Dir. Byoung-Gon Moon, South Korea)

Best Animated Short

  • Gold: Ruthless Blade (Dir. Bo Zhang, China)
  • Silver: Lantern Blade, Episode 3 (Dir. Ziki Zhu, China)
  • Bronze: Tie - Les Bêtes (Dir. Michael Berry, US) And Giant Fish (Dir. Si Seunghyun, South Korea)

Best Canadian Feature

  • Gold: Self Driver (Dir. Michael Pierro)
  • Silver: The Silent Planet (Dir. Jeffrey St. Jules)
  • Bronze: Scared Shitless (Dir. Vivieno Caldinelli)

Best Canadian Short

  • Gold: The Shitty Ride - (Dir. Cole Doran)
  • Silver: Dirty Bad Wrong (Dir. Erica Orofino)
  • Bronze: Bath Bomb (Dir. Colin G Cooper)

Best Québec Feature

  • Gold: Kidnapping Inc. (Dir. Bruno Mourral)
  • Silver: Jour De Chasse (Dir. Annick Blanc)
  • Bronze: Ababouiné (Dir. André Forcier)

Best Québec Short

  • Gold: The Image Seller (Dir. Donovan Richard)
  • Silver: Mourir En Silence (Dir. Émile Lavoie)
  • Bronze: Tie - Réinsertion (Dir. Youssef Harouj) And Bring Back Guillaume (Dir. Kevin De Laval)

Best Documentary Feature

  • Gold: Voïvod: We Are Connected (Dir. Felipe Belalcazar, Canada)

Share this with others on...
News

Expanding the possible Fernanda Salgado on fantasy, reality, Jan Švankmajer and Ana, En Passant

A burning thing Sneha Mehta and Teddy Stern on falling in love with Mumbai, and making Getar Hero

Nothing is impossible Paul Rowley on moving to New York, the Pulse massacre, and Gays Against Guns

‘The only thing that makes a story universal is emotions’ Warsaw’s Industry panel discuss reaching audiences abroad

The only thing worth saying Chuko and Arie Esiri on adapting Mrs Dalloway and making Clarissa

European Film Academy shortlist announced 68 features vie for nomination

More news and features

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the London Film Festival and Newfest.



We're looking forward to the Belfast Film Festival, Halloween Frightfest, the Cheltenham International Film Festival and the Leeds International Film Festival.



We've recently brought you coverage of the New York Film Festival, Grimmfest, Beyond Fest, the San Sebastian International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon, Instagram and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


London Winners announced


Tallinn Black Nights UK co-production joins Works In Progress


Warsaw What Belongs To Others takes top prize


Tallinn Baltic Competition, Rebels With A Cause and Critics' Picks titles announced


Dinard I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning named Best Film