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. 

Click here to meet the 2024 Calgary International Film Festival juries. 

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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.

GRAND JURY PRIZE: UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, dir. Matthew Rankkin

HONOURABLE MENTION: WE FORGOT TO BREAK UP, dir. K Knox

$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.

GRAND JURY PRIZE: WILFRED BUCK, dir. Lisa Jackson

HONOURABLE MENTION: SINGING BACK THE BUFFALO, dir. Tasha Hubbard

$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).

GRAND JURY PRIZE: MY FAVOURITE CAKE, dir. Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha

HONOURABLE MENTION: BOB TREVINO LIKES IT, dir. Tracie Laymon

$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).

GRAND JURY PRIZE: BLACK BOX DIARIES, dir. Shiori Ito

HONOURABLE MENTION: DAHOMEY, dir. Mati Diop

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ARTISTIC SUBVERSION: SECRET MALL APARTMENT, dir. Jeremy Workmen

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.

GRAND JURY PRIZE: THE ASSISTANT, dir. Pierre Llanos

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR SOCIAL RELEVANCE: CAMPING, dir. Sacha Michaud, Alyssa Ashmore, Nicole Calfchild

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ACTING: Kosar Ali in MUNA, dir. Warda Mohamed

$1,000 CAD Live Action Short Film

International competition for Live-Action narrative films under 40 minutes. 

GRAND JURY PRIZE: SOME KIND OF PARADISE by Nicholas Finegan

$1,000 CAD Animated Short Film

International competition for Animated films under 40 minutes. 

 GRAND JURY PRIZE: THE MIRACLE, dir. Neinke Deutz

$1,000 CAD Documentary Short Film

International competition for Documentary films under 40 minutes.

GRAND JURY PRIZE: HELLO STRANGER, dir. Amélie Hardy

$1,000 CAD Experimental Short Film

GRAND JURY PRIZE: CORPUS AND THE WANDERING, dir. Jo Roy

$1,000 CAD Alberta Short Film Devon Bolton Memorial Award + $10,000 Gift Card from SUNBELT RENTALS toward the winner's next project

Provincial competition for films under 40 minutes.

WINNER: LAST SUMMER, dir. Barry Bilinsky

$1,000 CAD Student Short Film Award, presented by IndigeKin Productions

Post-Secondary Student competition for films under 40 minutes. 

GRAND JURY PRIZE: BUG DINER, dir. Phoebe Jane Hart

$1,000 CAD NBCUniversal Youth by Youth Canada Short Film + up to $18,000 scholarship to Vancouver Film School + $2,500 Gift Card from SUNBELT RENTALS toward the winner's next project

High-school or under-18 student competition for films under 30 minutes.

WINNER: NIX'S SYMPHONY, dir. Karina Loerchner

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR DIRECTING: LIFE CO., dir. Zoe Elizabeth Maier, Edie Louise Sawyer

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR EMERGING TALENT: BEHIND THE DOOR, dir. Una Roulston

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR EDITING: THUNDERBIRD AND KILLER WHALE: S-hwuhwa’us & Qul-lhanumutsun, dir. Jason Cheng

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

LUCKY STAR, dir. Gillian McKercher

Canadian Narrative Feature

DRIVE BACK HOME, dir. Michael Clowater

Canadian Documentary Feature

SINGING BACK THE BUFFALO, dir. Tasha Hubbard

NEW american cinema feature

BOB TREVINO LIKES IT, dir. Tracie Laymon

International Narrative Feature

MY FAVOURITE CAKE, dir. Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha

International Documentary Feature

SECRET MALL APARTMENT, dir. Jeremy Workman

Late Shift feature

DARK MATCH, dir. Lowell Dean

Music on Screen feature

GODDESS OF SLIDE: THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF ELLEN MCILWAINE, dir. Alfonso Maiorana

Special Presentations feature

ROAD DIARY: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND, dir. Thom Zimny

Alberta Short

INISKIM - RETURN OF THE BUFFALO, dir. Leanne Allison, Pete Balkwill

Narrative Short

PALESTINE ISLANDS, dir. Nour Ben Salem, Julien Menanteau

Animated Short

THE SUN IS BAD, dir. Rachel Mow

Documentary Short

A SWIM LESSON, dir. Rashida Jones, Will McCormack

25th Anniversary audience award for top overall score

THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL, dir. Mike Downie

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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.