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The Toronto International Film Festival has named the winners of its 2026 Short Cuts competition, with three films receiving $10,000 prizes across international, Canadian and animation categories.
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the winners of its 2026 Short Cuts awards, recognising three films from Greece, Canada and the United Kingdom as the festival concluded its 51st edition.
Elia Kalogianni’s Mammalia received the Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film, Michael Del Monte’s Fight Kid won Best Canadian Short Film, while Varun Raman and Tom Hancock’s Into the Betaverse took the Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Each award carries a $10,000 cash prize.
The winners were announced on 20 September as TIFF wrapped its 2026 edition in Toronto.
‘Mammalia’ Wins Best International Short Film
Greek filmmaker Elia Kalogianni received the award for Best International Short Film for Mammalia.
The 19-minute film follows Antonia and Mavra, two women living together in an isolated home alongside domesticated animals. As their routines begin to fracture, their relationship develops into a struggle involving care, control and power.
Maria Filini and Romanna Lobats lead the cast, with Alexandros Tiliopoulos producing the film.
Mammalia had its world premiere at TIFF as part of Strange Cuts, the festival’s programme dedicated to unconventional and genre-bending short-form work.
‘Fight Kid’ Named Best Canadian Short Film
Michael Del Monte’s Fight Kid received the award for Best Canadian Short Film.
The 16-minute Canadian film centres on a father placing the weight of his ambitions on his young son as he prepares him for a high-stakes boxing match.
The project marks a move into narrative short filmmaking for Del Monte, whose previous work has primarily been in documentary filmmaking.
Fight Kid had its world premiere at TIFF 2026 as part of the Short Cuts competition.
‘Into the Betaverse’ Takes Best Animated Short Film
British filmmakers Varun Raman and Tom Hancock won the Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film with Into the Betaverse.
The 14-minute British comedy follows Gary, who has proposed to a girlfriend he knows only through a virtual world called the Betaverse. His sceptical friend Dave enters the digital environment to investigate whether the relationship is genuine.
The film stars Andrew Ellis, Corin Silva, Olivia Frances Brown and David Avery, with Chuckie McEwan and Archie Sinclair producing.
Raman and Hancock also wrote the screenplay.
The film was produced by Grey Moth and made its world premiere at TIFF.
Three $10,000 Awards for Short Filmmakers
TIFF’s Short Cuts programme provides an international showcase for emerging and established filmmakers working in short-form cinema.
The 2026 awards recognise films across three distinct categories — international short filmmaking, Canadian short filmmaking and animation — with each winning team receiving $10,000.
The three winners now leave Toronto with one of the festival circuit’s most visible short-film honours as their films continue their international journeys following TIFF.
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