Now in its 25th year, the 11-day Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) has grown to be the biggest film festival in Alberta. CIFF showcases 200+ short and feature-length multi-genre films from Canada and around the world.
With Academy Award® accreditation and juried cash prizes, CIFF is a world-class celebration of cinema’s best and brightest.
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2024 AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS
$10,000 CAD RBC Emerging Canadian Artist
This juried award is given to the Canadian director who creates the best first or second narrative feature film. Presented by RBC.
$1,000 CAD International Narrative Feature
This juried award is given to the international director who creates the best narrative cinema from around the globe (U.S. & International).
$5,000 CAD DGC Canadian Documentary Feature
This juried award is given to the Canadian director who creates the best documentary in the section. Presented by Directors Guild of Canada.
$1,000 CAD International Documentary Feature
This juried award is given to the international director who creates the most compelling non-fiction cinema from around the globe (U.S. & International).
Shorts in Competition
$2,500 CAD Short Film Grand Jury Prize
This juried award is given to the best overall short film at the festival and also qualifies the winner for consideration in the appropriate category of the Academy Awards®, without the standard theatrical run that a film typically needs to qualify for an Oscar® nomination.
$1,000 CAD Live Action Short Film
International competition for Live-Action narrative films under 40 minutes.
$1,000 CAD Animated Short Film
International competition for Animated films under 40 minutes.
$1,000 CAD Documentary Short Film
International competition for Documentary films under 40 minutes.
$1,000 CAD Experimental Short Film
$1,000 CAD Alberta Short Film Devon Bolton Memorial Award + $10,000 Gift Card from William F. White International, Inc. toward the winner's next project
Provincial competition for films under 40 minutes.
$1,000 CAD Student Short Film Award, presented by IndigeKin Productions
Post-Secondary Student competition for films under 40 minutes.
$1,000 CAD NBCUniversal Youth by Youth Canada Short Film + up to $18,000 scholarship to Vancouver Film School + $2,500 Gift Card from William F. White International, Inc. toward the winner's next project
High-school or under-18 student competition for films under 30 minutes.
2024 CIFF AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - PRESENTED BY TELUS
The best of the fest as decided by the fans themselves! Most films at the festival are eligible for our Audience Awards and are based on the collective score of the audience ballots collected at each screening online and in-cinema in the following categories:
Alberta FeaturE
Canadian Narrative Feature
Canadian Documentary Feature
International Narrative Feature
International Documentary Feature
Late Shift
GENERATION NEXT
Music on Screen
Special Presentations
Alberta Short
Narrative Short
Animated Short
Documentary Short
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Alberta Short Film Devon Bolton Memorial Award
Devon Bolton, along with his filmmaking and business partner sibling Kirsten, won Best Alberta Short at CIFF 15 years ago this year for their short film Shipwrecked. After CIFF, Shipwrecked would go on to be an official selection at over 25 international film festivals around the world, winning Best Short at five, including a BAFTA. It was also screened at MOMA in New York and The National Gallery in Washington D.C.
The siblings went on to another award-winning short and were in development on four feature films in addition to their careers in commercials, videos, and branding. Devon was a self-taught filmmaker, respected creative marketing lead, and director who was also skilled in cinematography, editing, visual effects, and colour grading. He was known and admired by colleagues, crew, and partners as a visionary talent and would often attract the same crews, agencies, and clients to work with him time and again. He was also known, however, to give newcomers some of their first opportunities in the industry – from actors to composers to animators. He loved to mentor.
In December 2019, after a long battle with mental health issues, Devon took his own life at the age of 47. It caught many by surprise. This award is being founded in his honour to help motivate local filmmakers to continue to pursue their dreams, shine a light on mental health in the creative communities, and celebrate the importance of mentorship.
