Audience Awards Crown “I Love Paris” at Fantasia International Film Festival

The Fantasia International Film Festival ran in Montreal from July 16 through early August 2026. The event, known for showcasing genre cinema, concluded its audience-vote segment by announcing the winners of the audience awards shortly after the juried awards were revealed.

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• Best International Feature – *Gold*: I Love Paris (dir. Nicky Murphy, France/Australia). *Silver*: No Rest for the Wicked (dir. Kasper Kalle, Denmark/Faroe Islands/Iceland). *Bronze*: Bagworm (dir. Oliver Bernsen, USA).

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• Best International Short – *Gold*: Bruised Sky (dir. Gary Kent, U.K.). *Silver*: Reset (dirs. Jerry Hsu & Celine Tien, USA). *Bronze*: Pimple (dir. Fernando Alle, Portugal).

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• Best Asian Feature – *Gold*: Anymart (dir. Yusuke Iwasaki, Japan). *Silver*: The Specials (dir. Eiji Uchida, Japan). *Bronze*: TOKYO BURST: Crime City (dir. Eiji Uchida, Japan/South Korea).

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• Best Asian Short – *Gold*: The Last Jiangshi (dir. Yu Chih Chieh, China/Hong Kong/Taiwan). *Silver*: Tongue (dir. Lim Da-seul, South Korea). *Bronze (tie)*: Chaar Diwaari (dir. Syed Shadan, India) and Wish You Were Dead (dir. Lee Min-hyuk, South Korea).

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• Best Animated Feature – *Gold*: Cherry and Virgin (dir. Masanao Kawajiri, Japan). *Silver*: Jim Queen (dirs. Nicolas Athane & Marco Nguyen, France). *Bronze*: Zsazsa Zaturnnah (dir. Avid Liongoren, Philippines/France).

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• Best Animated Short – *Gold*: The Lovers (dirs. Alice Mao & Sophia Paez, USA). *Silver*: Echo (dir. Asuka Dokai, Japan). *Bronze*: Trading Cards (dir. Radheya Jang, Australia/U.K.).

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• Best Canadian Feature – *Gold*: Unholy Night (dir. Michael Gabriele, Canada). *Silver*: Castration Movie Chapter iii. Junior Ghosts — Premorphic Drift; A Fragmentary Passage (dir. Louise Weard, Canada). *Bronze (tie)*: Insectasy (dir. Angus Silver, Canada) and A Safe Distance (dir. Gloria Mercer, Canada).

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• Best Canadian Short – *Gold*: Something Borrowed (dir. Findlay Ironside, Canada). *Silver (tie)*: Bagman (dirs. Connor Gaston & Vaughn Gaston, Canada) and Man Eating Pussy (dir. Emily Lawson, Canada). *Bronze*: Sleep Through Summer (dir. Erin Mick, Canada).

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• Best Québec Feature – *Gold*: Tight Lettuce (dir. Harrison Houde, Canada). *Silver*: Romin (dirs. Jassen Charron & Anthony Dionne, Canada). *Bronze*: Someone’s Daughter (dir. Wiebke von Carolsfeld, Canada).

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• Best Québec Short – *Gold*: Neighbors (dir. Andre Bendahan, Canada). *Silver*: Serenity (dir. Frank Tremblay, Canada). *Bronze*: Sol Vivant (dir. Émile Lavoie, Canada).

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• Best Documentary – The Seoul Guardians (dirs. Cho Chul-young, Kim Jong-woo & Kim Shin-wan, South Korea).

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• Écran Fantastique – Suzuki=Bakudan (dir. Akira Nagai, Japan).

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Winning an audience award at Fantasia signals strong viewer engagement, often translating into heightened visibility for distribution and festival circuits. For Nicky Murphy, the gold-medal win for *I Love Paris* places the vampire mockumentary alongside internationally recognized titles, potentially expanding its reach beyond the festival’s genre-focused audience. Similarly, Masanao Kawajiri’s *Cherry and Virgin* receiving top honors in the animated category underscores the growing appetite for Japanese animation within North American indie markets.

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The festival’s awards list, released after the July 16 opening, provides a snapshot of emerging talent across multiple regions and formats. Filmmakers highlighted by the audience votes are likely to leverage this momentum in upcoming market screenings and award-season campaigns throughout the remainder of 2026.

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