Vancouver International Film Festival announces winners of 2024 juried awards
Inay (Mama) wins the Arbutus Award for best B.C. film; Summit award for best Canadian film goes to Universal Language
Universal Language.
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM Festival has announced the winners of this year’s juried international film awards and revamped Canadian film awards.
The Summit Award for best Canadian film, worth $15,000, went to Universal Language by director Matthew Rankin. It was presented by a Directors Guild of Canada jury made up of Zarrar Kahn, Shane Smith, and Rebecca Steele. “The jury is pleased to recognize the Summit Award to a film that reaches new heights within the landscape of Canadian cinema,” the jury said in a media statement. “It highlights Canadian cinema as a global force, while still championing a local culture that finds itself in transformation. This film was far from the most neutral experience of our lives.”
The Horizon Award for emerging Canadian director, worth $3,000, went to Jerome Yoo for Mongrels. The Directors Guild of Canada jury composed of Yi-Jung Chen, Chris Chong Chan Fui, and Jamila Pomeroy said in a statement: “In their debut feature, this director created a beautiful portrait of a family experiencing grief in a new country and culture. The director has a pointed authorship both aesthetically and emotionally. The tone was both poetic and surreal, speaking to the complexities of familial love and grief.” Special mention went to director Sanja Živković for Cat’s Cry.
The $15,000 Tides Award for best Canadian documentary was presented by Rogers Group of Funds Jury members Ana Belén Asfura Fuentes, Rachel M’Bon, and Corey Payette and went to director Kim O’Bomsawin for Ninan Auassat: We, the Children. “The film we chose for the Tides Award offers a profound look at life through the eyes of youth, using breathtaking cinematography to reflect the cycles of nature and existence,” the jury said in a statement. “The unfiltered stories of a new generation, filled with resilience, unfold with striking authenticity. The filmmaker’s approach feels both intimate and universal, capturing the essence of childhood and community in ways that are truly unique. The sound design and music weave through the narrative like a heartbeat. It is a portrait of life, as seen through the eyes of the next generation, where hope is not just a word, but a vision of the future.” Special mention went to director Thea Loo for Inay (Mama).
Inay (Mama). Photo courtesy No More Productions
Inay (Mama) was honoured again with the Arbutus Award for best B.C. film, a prize worth $10,000 and $15,000 in post-production services credit provided by Company 3. The jury consisted of Jorge Amigo, Joella Cabalu, and Mila Zuo. “Our pick for the Arbutus Award is a bold and brave film that deeply affected our jury,” the jury said. “This film offers a refreshing and layered lens on a familiar subject by showing the complexities of how flawed Canadian immigration policies impact families, intimate relationships, and people’s wellbeing. Seamlessly weaving home videos, Super 8, and candid conversations, with glimpses of the hazy Philippine landscape, the director shows how memories of our homeland and unresolved trauma due to government-enforced family separation are ever-present and ongoing. With an uncontrived and restrained approach, this film models a pathway for healing and communication between loved ones across generations. It left our jury with a sense of hope and excitement for this emerging filmmaker’s future.” Special mention went to The Stand, directed by Christopher Auchter.
The $5,000 Short Forum Award, presented by the Novus jury of Chris Hyde, Michael Scoular, and Pegah Tabassinejad, went to “Strawberry Shortcake”, directed by Taiwan’s Deborah Devyn Chuang. “‘Strawberry Shortcake’ impressed the jury immediately with its fully realized world, in which production design, performance, and camera direction can quickly pull us into a sense of safety and just as powerfully shatter it. Deborah Devyn Chuang is a director unafraid of taboos, and committed to a vision of cinema that can express the commonly unsayable and unthinkable. We’re pleased to recognize this striking short film and can't wait to see the work still to come, ” the jury said. Special mention went to “Judas Icarus Twists His Wrist”, directed by Canada’s Kerr Holden.
The $5,000 Vanguard Award—presented by Lochmaddy Foundation Jury consisting of Hannah Baek, Miryam Charles, and Noé Rodríguez—was given to director Emilija Gašić for 78 Days. “With striking ability to navigate an intimate family portrait, providing nuanced insights into sisterhood and parenthood, this film captivates from its very first scene,” the jury stated. “Yet the true accomplishment of this proposal emerges unexpectedly as the film unfolds, revealing a sophisticated understanding of the hybrid nature of film. Its precise editing yields a mesmerizing artifact where absence and presence weave a fractured coming-of-age story amid war.” Special mention went to director Denise Fernandes for Hanami.
The winners of the VIFF Audience Awards will be announced after the festival during the week of October 7. 
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