The Best of Montreal Independent Film Festival

Montreal Independent Film Festival (MIFF) was founded in the spirit of independent filmmaking, creativity, and discovery for international and Canadian shorts and features of all genres. The festival is both monthly and annual. All the award winners of the monthly editions are further considered for the annual festival and screening with cash awards, promotions and bonuses for independent filmmakers and artists from all over the world. All the winners and official selections of the monthly edition also can request for online screening. The festival is known as has become very popular in bringing emerging talents together with well known and established names in film industry.

Baraheni, the artistic director of the festival finalized the decision with the members of jury and the programmers of the festival from Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and Paris. The MIFF committee consists of filmmakers, critics, distributors, actors and writers from all over the world. The festival is trying to create groundbreaking tools for indie artists to succeed in the film industry. While monthly festivals do not usually offer screenings, the Montreal Independent Film Festival is providing the option to all the official selection and the award winners to promote and screen throughout the month. The festival is a true indie filmmakers festival and it stands with all indie projects from all over the globe. It is with great pleasure to announce the latest winners and the honorable mentions of the festival.

Best Narrative Feature & Best Director:

Downeast

Director: Joe Raffa

Honorable Mention Feature Directing:

FIRES IN THE DARK

Director: Lienhard Dominique

Best Narrative short:

A Little Prank

Director: Jordi Funtanet

Honorable Mention Short:

All blood runs red

Director: Paul Mignot

Best Independent Feature:

The Departure

Director: Jianguo Gao

Honorable Mention Independent Feature:

The Fisherman’s Diary

Director: Enah Johnscott

Honorable Mention Independent Feature:

Kenjira

Director: Manoj Kana

Best Horror:

Here comes the Wolf

Director: Rohart Julie

Best Comedy:

Fourth Grade

Director: Marcelo Galvao

Best Animation:

Clothes on rainy day

Director: Shih Hung Wu

Best Science Fiction

Virtually Happy

Director: Emma Selinski

Best Web Series/TV Pilot:

Rubber Room

Director: Dugan Bridges

Best Experimental:

Familiar Struggle

Director: Wayne Sables

Honorable Mention Experimental:

LOTUS

Director: Angelika Fürstler, Austin Ahlborg

Best Environmental:

Generation Ocean: Sharks

Directors: Kari Rosenberg, Jordan Nowlin

Best Female Director:

Michelle Danner for The Runner

Best Human Rights:

Requiem for Black Love

Director: Eric Almond

Best First Time Filmmaker:

Expedition Ayiti

Director: Richard Serrao

Honorable Mention First Feature:

American Cherry

Director: Marcella Cytrynowicz

Best Student Film:

Another Day

Director: Daniel Topic

Honorable Mention Student Film:

Belief

Director: Carlos Mario Rodriguez

Best LGBTQ:

The Pageant

Director: Kasey O'Brien

Best Music Video:

"Libertà" - Peppe Lana

Director: Gianni Cannizzo

Honorable Mention Music Video:

VILDÁ - Utsjoki disco

Director: Kim Saarinen

Best Thriller:

Mediator

Director: Cas Sigers-Beedles

Best Trailer:

After Party

Director: Alexandros Zarbis

Best Unproduced Script:

The Master's Servant

Writer: Todd E Wise

Honorable Mention Script:

Roll Over Beethoven

Writer: Gene Ayres

Honorable Mention Script:

The Last Day of Paradise

Writer: Kiki Denis

Best Producer:

Beijing 120

Producer: Yu Yiping & Yu Yafei

Best Cinematographer:

The Beach

Cinematographer: Dylan River

Best Editor:

Editor: Benedict Kasulis for Touch the Boulder

Best Composer:

The Wanderlust of Apu

Composer: Bickram Ghosh

Feature Documentary:

The Least We Can Do

Director: Moira Simpson

Honorable Mention Feature Documentary:

Hara El kebira

Director: Gilles Elie Cohen

Best Short Documentary:

Tarcila: Indigenous Solutions to Climate Change from Peru

Director: Sarah Kuck

Honorable Mention Short Documentary:

Babylon: Ghetto, Renaissance, and Modern Oblivion

Director: Jessica Gould

Best Actor:

Greg Finley for Downeast

Best Actress:

Keara Barnes for A Midwinter Nightmare

Honorable Mention Best Actress & Best Actor:

Teri Polo & William Baldwin for Fourth Grade

Honorable Mention Actress:

Mena Suvari & Ben Begley for Fourth Grade

Honorable Mention Actress:

Minerva Vier for Shevolution

Honorable Mention Canadian Short:

And He Was Gone

Director: Ace McCallum

Honorable Mention Canadian Documentary:

108 Journey

Directors: Hugo Rozon, Mathieu Perrault Lapierre

Best Canadian Script:

The Conclave

Scriptwriter: Edward Hicklin

Honorable Mention Canadian Documentary:

True West, the John Scott story

Director: VICTORIA MCFADYEN

Best Short Documentary:

Pressure Baby

TIM RIEDEL, PAUL BETTINGS

Honorable Mention Canadian Script:

Destiny of Tar and Feathers

Writer: Harold L. Brown

Best Enviromental Canadian Short:

Millennials leave in peace

Director: Louise Marie Beauchamp

Honorable Mention Short Canadian Indie:

Mommy May

Director: Drew Pollins