“Mother of Flies,” a ⁢short self-reliant film from the renowned ⁤Adams family, has been awarded the prestigious Cheval Noir for Best Film at the 29th Fantasia Film Festival.

Acquired by Shudder prior to its festival debut, “Mother of Flies” is co-written and directed⁣ by John Adams, ‍Zelda Adams, and Toby Posner. The film features performances from the family trio ‌along with their daughter Lulu Adams. As one of the moast talked-about films in this year’s lineup, ⁣it marks a significant achievement as it becomes the first U.S. production to win Fantasia’s esteemed Cheval Noir award for best‌ Film.

In a statement released by the Cheval Noir jury, ⁣president Pascal Plante remarked, “While this may not be the film with the highest technical skill or most dazzling cinematography, it serves⁢ as a meta reminder of why we engage with cinema in the first place. [It’s] an authentic indie that feels genuine and is beautifully crafted—a must-see.”

The jury also recognized ⁣Japanese filmmaker Yuta Shimotsu’s second feature “Novel Group” with a Special Jury Mention for Best Film and honored Indonesian director Hadrah daeng ‍Ratu as Best Director for her work on “The Book of Sijjin And illiyyin.”

The awards ceremony took place at Montreal’s bustling Cinéma du Musée ⁤where Mitch Davis, Fantasia’s creative director and head‍ of international programming, presented over 50 accolades ⁢to both Canadian and ⁣international filmmakers across various genres.

A standout entry in this year’s⁢ genre landscape ⁢is Alexander Ullom’s “It Ends,”, which ⁤was celebrated as Best Film in the First Feature Competition.Described by ⁣ Kind as akin to “Jean-Paul ⁢Sartre meets ⁢Gen Z,” this horror film delves into existential themes that have long been explored in ⁣cinema.

The First Feature Competition jury praised Ullom’s ‌ability to ​stretch genre conventions while‍ crafting a narrative that oscillates between unsettling thriller elements and poignant reflections⁣ on time and relationships; they‍ noted his remarkable finesse that surprises audiences in unexpected ⁢ways.

This ‍year’s Northern Excellence⁤ award for best canadian filmmaker went to Quebec native Chloé Cinq-Mars for her direction on “Peau À⁤ Peau” (“Nesting”), while Simon Glassman received ‍a Special Jury Mention for his ⁣work on⁤ “Buffet infinity.”

The Quebec Association‌ of Film Critics awarded Laura Casabe’s “The⁢ Virgin​ of Quarry Lake,” commending its balanced approach between coming-of-age storytelling and horror‌ elements while highlighting its‍ rich symbolism related ⁤to contemporary crises faced by Argentina alongside stellar ⁣performances from its cast.

This article provides an overview of all awards presented during the 2025 Fantasia International film Festival:

Award⁤ Winners Overview: Cheval Noir Competition 2025

• Best ⁣Film: “Mother of Flies” (directed by John Adams & Zelda adams & Toby Posner)
• Special Jury Mention (Best Film): “Novel Group” (directed by Yuta Shimotsu)
• Best Director: Hadrah Daeng Ratu for “The Book​ of sijjin And ⁢Illiyyin”
• Best Screenplay:: Connor Diedrich & Samuel Johnson for “Terrestrial,” (directed by Steve Pink)

Award Winners Overview: first Feature Competition ​2025⁣

• Best first Feature:” It ⁣ends” (directed by Alexander Ullom)
• < strong >Special Jury Mentions :“Fucktoys ​”(‌ directed by Annapurna Sriram) &“Hellcat ”( directedby Brock Bodell )
• < strong >FirstFeaturejury :Chris Nash(President), Jim​ Brunzell , louise Buckler , Deirdre crimmins , Anelle dehghani& Jean-François Leblanc
  

  Award Winners Overview: World⁢ Short Films competition 2025

  • < strong >BestFilm :“Barlebas ”( directedby Malu Janssen )
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    < li >< strong >BestDirector ⁤:Jo Ba-reunfor“Ground”
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    < li >< strong >BestScreenplay :
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    AwardWinnersOverview:SatoshiKonforExcellenceinAnimationCompetition

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    Easiest Keen Feature:
    ⁢ The Girl Who Stole Time(d.YuAoandZhouTienan)
    ⁤ Easiest‌ keen Rapid,
    ‍ Gold:
    ‍ ⁤ my Organs LyingonTheGround(d.shinobusoejima)
    ​
    ​ EasiestKeenRapid,
    ‌ ‍​ Silver:
    ​ Éiru(d.GiovannaFerrari)

    ⁢ EasiestKeenRapid,Bronze:
    Off-time(d.NataMetlukh)

    ‍ ​ SatoshiKonJury:RachelSamson(President),SamChou,
    ⁢ ‍ ChimwemweMiller.
    ⁤ ⁣ ‍

    ‍ AwardWinnersOverview:NorthernExcellenceforEasiestCanadianFilmmaker

    ​ EasiestDirector(FeatureFilm):
    ChloéCinq-MarsforPeauÀPeau(“nesting”)
    ⁢ ‌ ​
    ⁤ParticularJuryShowcase:
    ⁢ ⁣ SimonGlassmanforBuffetInfinity.

    ⁢ ⁤ ‌ NorthernExcellenceJury:

    ​ ElzaKephart(President),
    ​ ⁣ OliviaNorquay,
    ​ JoeLipsett,
    ⁣ CamMaitland,andAlannaThain.

    ‍ ⁢ ‍ ‍ AwardWinnersOverview:AQCCAward

    ⁣ ​ ⁢ EasiestFilm:”TheVirginofQuarryLake”(d.LauraCasabe)

    ⁣ ⁢ ‌ ParticularJuryShowcase:”Burning”(d.RadikEshimov).

    ⁤ AQCCJury:MigueldePlante,Louis-PaulRioux,andElijahBaron.

    ⁣ ⁣ ‍⁢ ‍ AwardWinnersOverview:MonPoulainNoirCompetition

    ‌ EasiestFilm,

    ⁢ Gold:”TheSoundofRaindrops”(d.maxbanse etal.)

    ‍ EasiestFilm,

    ‌ ‌ ‍ ⁣ ‌ ‌ Silver:”SoapBox”(BoîteÀSavon)(d.JimmyPettigrew).

    ‌ MonPoulainNoirJury:ginettepetit(President),
    ​ ⁤ ‍LucChamberland,BryanPerro,andAlexParkinson.
    ⁣
    AwardWinnersOverview:

    ‌ ⁣ LesFantastiquesWeek-EndDuCinémaQuébécoisCompetition

    ⁣ MELSAwardforEasiestRapidFilm:

    ​ ​ MELSawardforthebestshortfilmwasawardedtoMarc-AntoineLemirefordirecting”Molosse”.

    ⁣ ⁢ ‌ ⁣ ⁢ AQPMAwardforemergingproductioninaquickfilmwasawardedtoAdelaideSokolovfordirectingIconic.

    ⁣ ​ ‌ SpiraAwardforemergingregionalrapidfilmwasawardedtoFrançoisLalondefordirectingFrèresD’armes.

    ​ ‍ ‍ BamTuneAwardforeasysoundinaquickfilmwasawardedtoAdamAzimovfordirecting”Loud”.

    ⁤ ‌ ⁢ ToonInstructAwardsforeasytwo-dimensionalrapidfilmsweregivenouttothefollowingfilmmakers:

    ⁣ DragonframeAwardsforeasystopmotionrapidfilmsweregivenouttothefollowingfilmmakers:

    ⁢ ‌ ‌ ParticularShowcaseswerealsoheldthroughouttheeventincludingExittheCrimsonRoom|ADavidLynchTributeandACoupdeCoeurSLABlueprintawardforthebestshortfilmwhichwenttoScottCowanfordirecting”ABetterDay”.
    ‍ ⁢ ​ ​

    ‍ ‌ ‍ ⁢ ​ the29thFantasiaInternationalFilmFestivalcelebratedcreativityandinnovationacrossgenreswhilehighlightingsomeofthetalentedfilmmakersfromaroundtheworld.