The Vancouver Short Film Festival (VSFF) has officially announced its highly anticipated list of nominees for the 2025 awards, shining a spotlight on exceptional talent in the Canadian short film landscape. The festival, a cornerstone for celebrating the vibrant community of short film, documentary, and animation artists, aims to elevate creators from British Columbia and foster connections with the broader national film industry.
This year’s nominations span a wide array of categories, recognizing excellence in every facet of filmmaking. Here are the official nominees for VSFF 2025:
Key Creative & Technical Awards:
- Best Sound Design: Mark Dolmont for One Day This Kid, Howard Rissin for Tailor Made, Daniel Jacques Létourneau for The Little Shopping Trolley, Dave Chick for The Neighbourhood at the End of the World, and David Daoud for The Sorrow.
- Best Visual Effects: Milton Muller & Davané for Grimace, Artem Sanodze for Queen of The Underworld, Jimmy G. Pettigrew, PH Debiès, & Joël Ferland for Small Step, Yusuke Sato for Stand In, and Miro Salom & AJ Garces for The Neighbourhood at the End of the World.
- Best Editing: Saeed Vahidi for HATCH, Alexander Farah for One Day This Kid, Nathalie Massaroni for Tailor Made, Namaï Kham Po for The Little Shopping Trolley, and Kyle Sanborn for The Ornament.
- Best Cinematography: Harrison Mendel for Grimace, Farhad Ghaderi for One Day This Kid, Liam Death for Or Forever Hold Your Peace, Jordan Quellman for The Skimmer, and Kaayla Whachell for The Sorrow.
- Best Screenplay: Chen Sing Yap & Minerva Navasca for Desync, Alireza Kazemipour for HATCH, Rebeca Spiegel for Lost Media, Laurence Ly for The Little Shopping Trolley, and Nedda Sarshar for Unibrow.
- Best Director: Beth Evans for Clementine, Minerva Navasca for Desync, Alexander Farah for One Day This Kid, Laurence Ly for The Little Shopping Trolley, and Shane Day for The Neighbourhood at the End of the World.
- Best Production Design: Isobel “Diz” Baker-Smith for easybake and My Roommate Ahriman, Adriana Marchand for One Day This Kid, Carnior for Small Step, and Tiana P. Gordon for The Ornament.
- Best Stunts: Roberta Cenedese for HATCH, Ken Do, Johnson Do, Megan Hui, & Owen Chau for Stand In, and Tally Rodin for The Neighbourhood at the End of the World.
Performance Recognition:
- Best Performance (x2): Allie Dunbar for Clementine, Jadyn Nasato for Desync, Ali Eldurssi for HATCH, Jean Yoon for Memento Mori, Francis Dowlatabadi for My Roommate Ahriman, Massey Ahmar for One Day This Kid, Laura Luu for The Little Shopping Trolley, M.J. Kehler for The Neighbourhood at the End of the World, Nathalie Boltt for The Ornament, and Nhi Do for The Sorrow.
Specialized Categories & Genres:
- Social Impact: easybake, Tailor Made, The Book of Black Voices, The Little Shopping Trolley, and Unibrow.
- Best Animation: Have I Swallowed Your Dreams, Heartland, and The Murderer.
- Best Documentary: Beyond the Salish, Mum, and Tailor Made.
- Best After Dark Film: easybake, Grimace, Queen of The Underworld, The Neighbourhood at the End of the World, and The Sorrow.
- Best Student Film: Body Varial, Desync, Cargo, Heartland, and How Do We Speak?.
Regional & National Spotlight:
- Best BC Short Film: HATCH, One Day This Kid, Queen of The Underworld, The Neighbourhood at the End of the World, The Ornament, and The Sorrow.
- Best Canadian Short Film: Clementine, Dancing with Time, Tailor Made, The Little Shopping Trolley, and Unibrow.
The Grand Prize:
- Best Short Film: HATCH, One Day This Kid, Tailor Made, The Little Shopping Trolley, and The Sorrow.
The Vancouver Short Film Festival plays a crucial role in the Canadian film ecosystem by providing a vital platform for short filmmakers to present their work to the public. This exposure helps to build essential connections between emerging talents, established industry professionals, and their local communities.
Indie Shorts Mag congratulates all the nominees and looks forward to the festival’s showcase of these outstanding short films!
