BY YEAR
2016
No awards this year.
2017
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Hot Seat (Anna Kerrigan) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Hala (Minhal Baig) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Strange Beasts (Magali Barbe) |
| The Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Minhal Baig – for writing and directing two outstanding short films, Hala and After Sophie, with Pretext coming next. An extremely talented filmmaker on this evidence, we look forward to more. |
| Female Performance | Tess Granfield (Hala) |
| Male Performance | Byron Quiros (Hot Seat) |
| Directing | Minhal Baig (Hala) |
| Writing | Anna Kerrigan (Hot Seat) |
| Music | Ali Helnwein (After Sophie) |
| Editing | Jarrah Gurrie (Hot Seat) |
| Cinematography | Benji Dell (Hala) |
| Mixed Media & Visual Design | Neil Easton, Dean Frater, Peregrine McCafferty, Philippe Medina, Maïckel Pasta, Ricardo Thiele, Mario Ucci (Strange Beasts) |
2018
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Land Without Evil (Katalin Egely) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Creswick (Natalie Erika James) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Aria (Myrsini Aristidou) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Morgan Gruer – For excellent, emotive hand-drawn animation with Reflections, and incorporating her vibrant talent to live action work including music videos. |
| Female Performance | Chryssa Platsatoura (Aria) |
| Male Performance | Hervé Laudière (Listening Eyes) |
| Directing | Myrsini Aristidou (Aria) |
| Writing | Joosje Duk (Night) |
| Music | Tonolec (Land Without Evil) |
| Cinematography | Darrell Martin (Somersault Pike) |
| Editing | Kate Lefoe (Somersault Pike) |
| Mixed Media | Katalin Egely (Land Without Evil) |
| Visual Design | Katalin Egely (Land Without Evil) |
2019
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Salam (Claire Fowler) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Control (Kimmy Gatewood, Alison Becker) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Little Pyongyang (Roxy Rezvany) Once Upon a Line (Alicja Jasina) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Maegan Houang – For a fantastic, refreshing blend of cinematography, sounds, production design, and mixed media in her short film In Full Bloom. |
| Female Performance | Taylor Hess (The Morning After) |
| Male Performance | David Ebert (It’s Been Too Long) |
| Directing | Courtney Hope Thérond (The Dress You Have On) |
| Writing | Elizabeth Rose (The Law of Averages) |
| Music | Monica Lyrae (Hyphen) |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Bupp (Salam) |
| Editing | Kimmy Gatewood (Control) |
| Sound | Katie Gately (Once Upon a Line) |
| Mixed Media | Mélody Boulissière (Ailleurs) |
| Visual Design | Lindi Wright, Gwendolyn Basala, Madeleine Drewell, Danniella Hay (Family Portrait) |
| Special Contribution Prize | Alison Becker’s dog, Digne (Control) |
2020
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Long Time Listener, First Time Caller (Nora Kirkpatrick) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Foyer (Sophie B Jacques) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | The Pregnant Ground (Haolu Wang) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Kelsie Moore – With three excellent submissions, the filmmakers has demonstrated top-end artistry across mixed genres and styles with The Get, The Gray Area, and Shelter in Place. |
| Female Performance | Lu Huang (The Pregnant Ground) Breeda Wool (Long Time Listener, First Time Caller) |
| Male Performance | Ptolemy Slocum (Uproot) |
| Directing | Sophie B Jacques (Foyer) |
| Writing | Armita Keyani (Welcome Home) |
| Music | Satyaki Banerjee (The Story of Painted Songs) Chancha Vía Circuito, El Búho (El Mago Georges) |
| Cinematography | Jeff Leeds Cohn (Long Time Listener, First Time Caller) |
| Editing | Richard Comeau (Foyer) |
| Sound | Ines Adriana (The Pregnant Ground) |
| Mixed Media | Valerie Barnhart (Girl in the Hallway) |
| Visual Design | Anita Bruvere (Home) |
| Special Contribution Prize | Dalia Binzari (Juste Moi et Toi) |
2021
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | L’heure de l’ours (Agnès Patron) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | The Walking Fish (Thessa Meijer) Hysterical Girl (Kate Novack) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Normal (Julie Caty) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Ragini Bhasin – For consistency in excellence making culturally relevant and moving short films Ghazaal and Hide and Seek. |
| Female Performance | Sophia Di Martino (End-O) |
| Male Performance | Cian Hughes (Paddy) |
| Directing | Thessa Meijer (The Walking Fish) |
| Writing | Katherine Tolentino (Parachute) Elaine Grace (End-O) |
| Music | Yeiner Alexander Sinisterra Montaño, Victor Manual Angulo Huila, Hilario Vallecilla Hurtado, Miller Valencia Caidedo (Pacifico Oscuro) Pierre Oberkampf (L’heure de l’ours) |
| Cinematography | Elvis Urbae (Back In The Island) |
| Editing | Joanne Nerenberg, Steven Ross (Hysterical Girl) |
| Sound | Jules Valeur, Agathe Poche, Clément Laforce (Gone Youth) |
| Mixed Media | Meghann Artes (Oh Baby!) |
| Visual Design | Julie Caty (Normal) |
| Special Contribution Prize | Sacrebleu Productions |
2022
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Freedom Swimmer (Olivia Martin-McGuire) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | August Sky (Jasmin Tenucci) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Frimas (Marianne Farley) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Dayna Reggero – For her insightful, essential documentaries but also her human spirit to make the world more aware of itself through her various projects. |
| Female Performance | Salomé Dewaels (Plaque) |
| Male Performance | Steve Laplante (Like the Ones I Used to Know) |
| Directing | Paule Beaudoin (Neige) Cansu Boğuşlu (Down From the Clouds) |
| Writing | Zoé Pelchat (Lune) |
| Music | Ruth Hillar, Sebastián Cúneo (When It Comes From the Earth) |
| Cinematography | Szymon Kuriata (Down From the Clouds) Vincent Gonneville (Neige) |
| Editing | Federica Intelisano, Daniele Peloni (The Mirror) |
| Sound | respectively anonymous (Freedom Swimmer) |
| Mixed Media | Lynn Tomlinson (Ten Degrees of Strange) Katalin Egely (When It Comes From the Earth) |
| Visual Design | Lynn Tomlinson (Ten Degrees of Strange) |
| Special Contribution Prize | H264 Distribution |
2023
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | A Nice Little Film About A Nice Little Death (Julia Mendoza Friedman) Apart, Together (Olivia Hang Zhou) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Clare (Lauren Minnerath) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Astonishing Little Feet (Maegan A Houang) La Traversée (Ève Saint-Louis) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Lauren Minnerath – for stirring performances of strong female characters in two beautifully relevant short films, Clare and The Morning After |
| Female Performance | Shavvon LinLeann, Michele Panu (Apart, Together) |
| Male Performance | Claude Laroche (La Traversée) |
| Directing | Maegan A Houang (Astonishing Little Feet) |
| Writing | Ève Saint-Louis (La Traversée) |
| Music | Masami Tomihisa, Electric Foley & Music, Robert Mayson (Pigeon) |
| Cinematography | Jessica Dowse, Oscar Partridge (My Condolences To Your Future Lovers) |
| Editing | Julia Mendoza Friedman (A Nice Little Film About A Nice Little Death) |
| Sound | Josh Gerson, Rolando Nadal, Laura Beckner (Willing To Go There) |
| Mixed Media | Mileidy Fernandez, Angie White (Bloom) |
| Visual Design | Terry Watson, Jay Dizon, Anne Valliant (Astonishing Little Feet) |
| Special Contribution Prize | The child cast from Lucia (Victoria Rivera) |
2024
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Heat Spell (Marie-Pier Dupuis) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Brown Brit (The Romantix) Aquí y Allá (Isabella Breton) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Confessions (Stephanie Kaznocha) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Katalin Egely – For the consistently beautiful short animations and dedication to the artist craft. In the 9 years of the Femme Filmmakers Festival Egely has had 7 films showcased, winning more prizes than any other individual. |
| Female Performance | Agathe Ledoux (Heat Spell) |
| Male Performance | Emmanuel Bilodeau (Gaby’s Hills) |
| Directing | Edith Jorisch (Mothers & Monsters) |
| Writing | Stephanie Kaznocha (Confessions) |
| Music | El Búho & Nita (Cenizas de Agua) |
| Cinematography | Claire Sanford (Twig) |
| Editing | Amelie Hardy (Hello Stranger) |
| Sound | Samuel Gagnon-Thibodeau, Victor Hayeur, Laurent Ouellette, Joey Simas (Mothers & Monsters) |
| Mixed Media | The Romantix (Brown Brit) |
| Visual Design | Frédérique B. Ste-Marie, Guillaume Laflamme, Anaïs Côté, Camille Sabbagh (Mothers & Monsters) |
| Special Contribution Prize | Lara Haciosmanoglu – For achieving a high standard of story-telling and film-making with the self-made student film, Hands. |
2025
| Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) | Sister Wives (Louisa Connolly-Burnham) |
| Silver Sword (Second Prize) | Francie (Zoe Ellender) Let It Flow (Galina Chakarova) |
| Bronze Bell (Third Prize) | Happy Snaps (Tyro Heath) |
| Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize | Louisa Connolly-Burnham – For not only submitting several of her own short films, but also encouraging and introducing many other filmmakers for the 10th edition. |
| Female Performance | Molly Keogh (Mole) |
| Male Performance | Osian Pirotte (Happy Snaps) |
| Directing | Morgan Gruer (Fire At Will) |
| Writing | Georgia Michalidi (Boo!) |
| Music | Jacob Masters (Mole) |
| Cinematography | Angela Zoe Neil (Sister Wives) |
| Editing | Galina Chakarova (Let It Flow) |
| Sound | Annabelle Howell, Kirsten Kidwell, Ruth Knight, Thayna McLaughlin (Francie) |
| Mixed Media | Matilda Irving de Andres (Eventually, Empathy) – *first time this prize given outside of a Competition Selection short films |
| Visual Design | Lili Eastell-Adams, Charlotte Cairns, Alice Gegere, Sabrina Theodoro, Summer Janahi, Kelsey Cooke (Nice Package) |
| Special Contribution Prize | Issabella Orlando (Topos) and Lea Anderson (It’s A Family Thing) – For their personal and poignant documentary work. |
| Audience Prize | Laura Lee Daly – For the positive discussions that followed from audiences responding to both films, Not All Men and MAM. |
| Student Inspiration Prize | Roxana Stroe – For bringing 3 highly rated and wonderfully made short films (2 of which were student projects) to the 10th edition with such variation in style and content. |
BY CATEGORY
Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize)
| 2017 | Hot Seat (Anna Kerrigan) |
| 2018 | Land Without Evil (Katalin Egely) |
| 2019 | Salam (Claire Fowler) |
| 2020 | Long Time Listener, First Time Caller (Nora Kirkpatrick) |
| 2021 | L’heure de l’ours (Agnès Patron) |
| 2022 | Freedom Swimmer (Olivia Martin-McGuire) |
| 2023 | A Nice Little Film About A Nice Little Death (Julia Mendoza Friedman) Apart, Together (Olivia Hang Zhou) |
| 2024 | Heat Spell (Marie-Pier Dupuis) |
| 2025 | Sister Wives (Louisa Connolly-Burnham) |
Silver Sword (Second Prize)
| 2017 | Hala (Minhal Baig) |
| 2018 | Creswick (Natalie Erika James) |
| 2019 | Control (Kimmy Gatewood, Alison Becker) |
| 2020 | Foyer (Sophie B Jacques) |
| 2021 | The Walking Fish (Thessa Meijer) Hysterical Girl (Kate Novack) |
| 2022 | August Sky (Jasmin Tenucci) |
| 2023 | Clare (Lauren Minnerath) |
| 2024 | Brown Brit (The Romantix) Aquí y Allá (Isabella Breton) |
| 2025 | Francie (Zoe Ellender) Let It Flow (Galina Chakarova) |
Bronze Bell (Third prize)
| 2017 | Strange Beasts (Magali Barbe) |
| 2018 | Aria (Myrsini Aristidou) |
| 2019 | Little Pyongyang (Roxy Rezvany) Once Upon a Line (Alicja Jasina) |
| 2020 | The Pregnant Ground (Haolu Wang) |
| 2021 | Normal (Julie Caty) |
| 2022 | Frimas (Marianne Farley) |
| 2023 | Astonishing Little Feet (Maegan A Houang) La Traversée (Ève Saint-Louis) |
| 2024 | Confessions (Stephanie Kaznocha) |
| 2025 | Happy Snaps (Tyro Heath) |
The Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize
| 2017 | Minhal Baig – for writing and directing two outstanding short films, Hala and After Sophie, with Pretext coming next. An extremely talented filmmaker on this evidence, we look forward to more. |
| 2018 | Morgan Gruer – For excellent, emotive hand-drawn animation with Reflections, and incorporating her vibrant talent to live action work including music videos. |
| 2019 | Maegan Houang – For a fantastic, refreshing blend of cinematography, sounds, production design, and mixed media in her short film In Full Bloom. |
| 2020 | Kelsie Moore – With three excellent submissions, the filmmakers has demonstrated top-end artistry across mixed genres and styles with The Get, The Gray Area, and Shelter in Place. |
| 2021 | Ragini Bhasin – For consistency in excellence making culturally relevant and moving short films Ghazaal and Hide and Seek. |
| 2022 | Dayna Reggero – For her insightful, essential documentaries but also her human spirit to make the world more aware of itself through her various projects. |
| 2023 | Lauren Minnerath – for stirring performances of strong female characters in two beautifully relevant short films, Clare and The Morning After |
| 2024 | Katalin Egely – For the consistently beautiful short animations and dedication to the artist craft. In the 9 years of the Femme Filmmakers Festival Egely has had 7 films showcased, winning more prizes than any other individual. |
| 2025 | Louisa Connolly-Burnham – For not only submitting several of her own short films, but also encouraging and introducing many other filmmakers for the 10th edition. |
Female Performance
| 2017 | Tess Granfield (Hala) |
| 2018 | Chryssa Platsatoura (Aria) |
| 2019 | Taylor Hess (The Morning After) |
| 2020 | Lu Huang (The Pregnant Ground) Breeda Wool (Long Time Listener, First Time Caller) |
| 2021 | Sophia Di Martino (End-O) |
| 2022 | Salomé Dewaels (Plaque) |
| 2023 | Shavvon LinLeann, Michele Panu (Apart, Together) |
| 2024 | Agathe Ledoux (Heat Spell) |
| 2025 | Molly Keogh (Mole) |
Male Performance
| 2017 | Byron Quiros (Hot Seat) |
| 2018 | Hervé Laudière (Listening Eyes) |
| 2019 | David Ebert (It’s Been Too Long) |
| 2020 | Ptolemy Slocum (Uproot) |
| 2021 | Cian Hughes (Paddy) |
| 2022 | Steve Laplante (Like the Ones I Used to Know) |
| 2023 | Claude Laroche (La Traversée) |
| 2024 | Emmanuel Bilodeau (Gaby’s Hills) |
| 2025 | Osian Pirotte (Happy Snaps) |
Directing
| 2017 | Minhal Baig (Hala) |
| 2018 | Myrsini Aristidou (Aria) |
| 2019 | Courtney Hope Thérond (The Dress You Have On) |
| 2020 | Sophie B Jacques (Foyer) |
| 2021 | Thessa Meijer (The Walking Fish) |
| 2022 | Paule Beaudoin (Neige) Cansu Boğuşlu (Down From the Clouds) |
| 2023 | Maegan A Houang (Astonishing Little Feet) |
| 2024 | Edith Jorisch (Mothers & Monsters) |
| 2025 | Morgan Gruer (Fire At Will) |
Writing
| 2017 | Anna Kerrigan (Hot Seat) |
| 2018 | Joosje Duk (Night) |
| 2019 | Elizabeth Rose (The Law of Averages) |
| 2020 | Armita Keyani (Welcome Home) |
| 2021 | Katherine Tolentino (Parachute) Elaine Grace (End-O) |
| 2022 | Zoé Pelchat (Lune) |
| 2023 | Ève Saint-Louis (La Traversée) |
| 2024 | Stephanie Kaznocha (Confessions) |
| 2025 | Georgia Michalidi (Boo!) |
Music
| 2017 | Ali Helnwein (After Sophie) |
| 2018 | Tonolec (Land Without Evil) |
| 2019 | Monica Lyrae (Hyphen) |
| 2020 | Satyaki Banerjee (The Story of Painted Songs) Chancha Vía Circuito, El Búho (El Mago Georges) |
| 2021 | Yeiner Alexander Sinisterra Montaño, Victor Manual Angulo Huila, Hilario Vallecilla Hurtado, Miller Valencia Caidedo (Pacifico Oscuro) Pierre Oberkampf (L’heure de l’ours) |
| 2022 | Ruth Hillar, Sebastián Cúneo (When It Comes From the Earth) |
| 2023 | Masami Tomihisa, Electric Foley & Music, Robert Mayson (Pigeon) |
| 2024 | El Búho & Nita (Cenizas de Agua) |
| 2025 | Jacob Masters (Mole) |
Cinematography
| 2017 | Benji Dell (Hala) |
| 2018 | Darrell Martin (Somersault Pike) |
| 2019 | Nicholas Bupp (Salam) |
| 2020 | Jeff Leeds Cohn (Long Time Listener, First Time Caller) |
| 2021 | Elvis Urbae (Back In The Island) |
| 2022 | Szymon Kuriata (Down From the Clouds) Vincent Gonneville (Neige) |
| 2023 | Jessica Dowse, Oscar Partridge (My Condolences To Your Future Lovers) |
| 2024 | Claire Sanford (Twig) |
| 2025 | Angela Zoe Neil (Sister Wives) |
Editing
| 2017 | Jarrah Gurrie (Hot Seat) |
| 2018 | Kate Lefoe (Somersault Pike) |
| 2019 | Kimmy Gatewood (Control) |
| 2020 | Richard Comeau (Foyer) |
| 2021 | Joanne Nerenberg, Steven Ross (Hysterical Girl) |
| 2022 | Federica Intelisano, Daniele Peloni (The Mirror) |
| 2023 | Julia Mendoza Friedman (A Nice Little Film About A Nice Little Death) |
| 2024 | Amelie Hardy (Hello Stranger) |
| 2025 | Galina Chakarova (Let It Flow) |
Sound Design
| 2019 | Katie Gately (Once Upon a Line) |
| 2020 | Ines Adriana (The Pregnant Ground) |
| 2021 | Jules Valeur, Agathe Poche, Clément Laforce (Gone Youth) |
| 2022 | respectively anonymous (Freedom Swimmer) |
| 2023 | Josh Gerson, Rolando Nadal, Laura Beckner (Willing To Go There) |
| 2024 | Samuel Gagnon-Thibodeau, Victor Hayeur, Laurent Ouellette, Joey Simas (Mothers & Monsters) |
| 2025 | Annabelle Howell, Kirsten Kidwell, Ruth Knight, Thayna McLaughlin (Francie) |
Visual Design
| 2017* | Neil Easton, Dean Frater, Peregrine McCafferty, Philippe Medina, Maïckel Pasta, Ricardo Thiele, Mario Ucci (Strange Beasts) *Mixed Media & Visual Design combined |
| 2018 | Katalin Egely (Land Without Evil) |
| 2019 | Lindi Wright, Gwendolyn Basala, Madeleine Drewell, Danniella Hay (Family Portrait) |
| 2020 | Anita Bruvere (Home) |
| 2021 | Julie Caty (Normal) |
| 2022 | Lynn Tomlinson (Ten Degrees of Strange) |
| 2023 | Terry Watson, Jay Dizon, Anne Valliant (Astonishing Little Feet) |
| 2024 | Frédérique B. Ste-Marie, Guillaume Laflamme, Anaïs Côté, Camille Sabbagh (Mothers & Monsters) |
| 2025 | Lili Eastell-Adams, Charlotte Cairns, Alice Gegere, Sabrina Theodoro, Summer Janahi, Kelsey Cooke (Nice Package) |
Mixed Media
| 2017* | Neil Easton, Dean Frater, Peregrine McCafferty, Philippe Medina, Maïckel Pasta, Ricardo Thiele, Mario Ucci (Strange Beasts) *Mixed Media & Visual Design combined |
| 2018 | Katalin Egely (Land Without Evil) |
| 2019 | Mélody Boulissière (Ailleurs) |
| 2020 | Valerie Barnhart (Girl in the Hallway) |
| 2021 | Meghann Artes (Oh Baby!) |
| 2022 | Lynn Tomlinson (Ten Degrees of Strange) Katalin Egely (When It Comes From the Earth) |
| 2023 | Mileidy Fernandez, Angie White (Bloom) |
| 2024 | The Romantix (Brown Brit) |
| 2025 | Matilda Irving de Andres (Eventually, Empathy) – *first time this prize given outside of a Competition Selection short films |
Special Contribution Prize
| 2019 | Alison Becker’s dog, Digne (Control) |
| 2020 | Dalia Binzari (Juste Moi et Toi) |
| 2021 | Sacrebleu Productions |
| 2022 | H264 Distribution |
| 2023 | The child cast from Lucia (Victoria Rivera) |
| 2024 | Lara Haciosmanoglu – For achieving a high standard of story-telling and film-making with the self-made student film, Hands. |
| 2025 | Issabella Orlando (Topos) and Lea Anderson (It’s A Family Thing) – For their personal and poignant documentary work. |
Audience Prize
| 2025 | Laura Lee Daly – For the positive discussions that followed from audiences responding to both films, Not All Men and MAM. |
Student Inspiration Prize
| 2025 | Roxana Stroe – For bringing 3 highly rated and wonderfully made short films (2 of which were student projects) to the 10th edition with such variation in style and content. |
