List of Vancouver International Film Festival award winners
# List of Vancouver International Film Festival award winners

The following is a list of Vancouver International Film Festival award winners.

## Award winners by year

### 2002

* Most Popular International Film: Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore
* Most Popular Canadian Film: Expecting by Deborah Day and FIX: The Story of an Addicted City by Nettie Wild
* National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: Gambling, Gods and LSD by Peter Mettler

### 2003

* Most Popular International Film: Kamchatka by Marcelo Piñeyro
* Most Popular Canadian Film: The Corporation by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott
* National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: Los Angeles Plays Itself by Thom Andersen

### 2004

* Most Popular International Film: Machuca by Andrés Wood
* Most Popular Canadian Film: What Remains of Us by François Prévost and Hugo Latulippe and Being Caribou by Leanne Allison and Diana Wilson
* National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: In the Realms of the Unreal by Jessica Yu
* Best Young Canadian Director of a Short Film: Jennifer Calvert for Riverburn

### 2005

* Most Popular International Film: Go, See, and Become by Radu Mihăileanu
* Most Popular Canadian Film: Eve and the Fire Horse by Julia Kwan
* National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: A Particular Silence by Stefano Rulli

### 2006

* Most Popular International Film: The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
* Most Popular Canadian Film: Mystic Ball by Greg Hamilton
* National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: Have You Heard From Johannesburg? by Connie Field
* Special Jury Prize: Radiant City by Gary Burns and Jim Brown

### 2007

* Vancity People's Choice Award for Most Popular Canadian Film: She's a Boy I Knew directed by Gwen Haworth
* Rogers People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Film: Persepolis directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
* People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Nonfiction Film: Garbage Warrior directed by Oliver Hodge
* Kyoto Planet "Climate for Change" Award: The Planet directed by Johan Söderberg, Michael Stenberg, and Linus Torell
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema: shared by Fujian Blue directed by Weng Shouming (Robin Weng) and Mid-Afternoon Barks directed by Zhang Yuedong
* Citytv Western Canadian Feature Film Award: Normal directed by Carl Bessai
* National Film Board of Canada Best Canadian Documentary Feature Award: Up the Yangtze directed by Yung Chang
* Women In Film and Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: She's a Boy I Knew directed by Gwen Haworth
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: The Windfisherman directed by Anna McRoberts

### 2008

* Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award: Fifty Dead Men Walking directed by Kari Skogland
* VIFF Nonfiction Feature Award: Born Without directed by Eva Norvind
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: The Valet directed by Drew McCreadie
* Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: Mothers & Daughters awarded to Tantoo Cardinal
* International Film Guide Inspiration Award: Control Alt Delete directed by Cameron Labine
* Rogers People's Choice Award: I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) directed by Philippe Claudel
* documentary Audience Award: Throw Down Your Heart directed by Sascha Paladino
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award: Mothers & Daughters directed by Carl Bessai
* National Film Board's Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award: Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action directed by Velcrow Ripper
* VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award: Blue Gold: World Water Wars directed by Sam Bozzo
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema: Perfect Life directed by Emily Tang

### 2009

* Canwest Award for Best Canadian Feature Film I Killed My Mother (J'ai tué ma mère) directed by Xavier Dolan
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: The Last Act directed by Jan Binsse and David Tougas
* Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: 65 Redroses directed and produced by Nimisha Mukerji and Gillian Lowry
* Rogers People's Choice Award: Soundtrack for a Revolution directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman
* documentary Audience Award for Most Popular Nonfiction Film: Facing Ali directed by Pete McCormack
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award: 65 Redroses by Nimisha Mukerji & Philip Lyall
* National Film Board's Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award: 65 Redroses by Nimisha Mukerji & Philip Lyall
* VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award: At the Edge of the World directed by Dan Stone
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema: Eighteen directed by Jang Kun-jae

### 2010

* ET Canada Award for Best Canadian Feature Film Incendies directed by Denis Villeneuve
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Mokhtar, directed by Halima Ouardiri
* Rogers People's Choice Award Waste Land (UK, Brazil), directed by Lucy Walker
* VIFF Most Popular Nonfiction Film Award, Kinshasa Symphony (Germany), directed by Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award, Two Indians Talking, directed by Sara McIntyre
* NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award, Leave Them Laughing, directed by John Zaritsky
* VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (Canada), directed by Sturla Gunnarsson
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, Good Morning To The World (Japan), directed by Hirohara Satoru

### 2011

* Shaw Media Award for Best Canadian Feature Film ($20,000 prize) – Nuit #1, Anne Émond (Canada)
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, presented by Brad Birarda & Robert Sali ($10,000 prize) – The Sun Beaten Path, Sonthar Gyal (China)
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award ($2,000 prize) – We Ate the Children Last, Andrew Cividino (Canada)
* Rogers People's Choice Award – A Separation, Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
* VIFF Most Popular Nonfiction Film Award – Sing Your Song, Susanne Rostock (USA)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Starbuck, Ken Scott (Canada)
* NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – Peace Out, Charles Wilkinson (Canada)
* VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award – People of a Feather, Joel Heath (Canada)

### 2012

* Award for Best Canadian Feature Film ($10,000 prize) – Blackbird, Jason Buxton (Canada)
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, presented by Brad Birarda ($5,000 prize) – Emperor Visits The Hell (Tang Huang You Difu), Li Luo (China)
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award ($2,000 prize) – Float, Juan Riedinger (Canada)
* Rogers People's Choice Award – The Hunt, Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Becoming Redwood, Jesse James Miller (Canada)
* NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – Blood Relative, Nimisha Mukerji (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular International Documentary Film Award – Nuala, Patrick Farrelly and Kate O'Callaghan (Ireland)
* VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award – Revolution, Rob Stewart (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular International First Feature Award – I, Anna, Barnaby Southcombe (UK)
* Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: Liverpool directed and written by Manon Briand

### 2013

* Award for Best Canadian Feature Film ($5,000 prize each) – Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Jeff Barnaby (Canada) and That Burning Feeling, Jason James (Canada)
* Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, presented by Brad Birarda ($5,000 prize) – Anatomy of a Paperclip, Ikeda Akira (Japan)
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award ($2,000 prize) – Nathan, Mathieu Arsenault (Canada)
* Rogers People's Choice Award – Like Father, Like Son, Koreeda Hirokazu (Japan)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Down River, Benjamin Ratner (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – When I Walk, Jason DaSilva (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular International Documentary Film Award – Desert Runners, Jennifer Steinman (USA)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Environmental Documentary Award – Salmon Confidential, Twyla Roscovich (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular International First Feature Award – Wadjda, Haifaa al-Mansour (Germany, Saudi Arabia)
* Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: Sarah Prefers to Run directed and written by Chloé Robichaud

### 2014

* Award for Best Canadian Film ($8,000 prize) – Violent, Andrew Huculiak (Canada)
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award – The Cut, Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (Canada)
* Rogers People's Choice Award – The Vancouver Asahi, Ishii Yuya (Japan)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Preggoland, Jacob Tierney (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – All the Time in the World, Suzanne Crocker (Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular International Documentary Film Award – Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, James Keach (USA)
* VIFF BC Emerging Filmmaker Award – Sitting on the Edge of Marlene, Ana Valine (Canada)
* VIFF Best BC Film Award – Violent, Andrew Huculiak (Canada)
* VIFF Impact Award – Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, Grant Baldwin (Canada)
* VIFF Best New Director (international) – Miss and the Doctors, Axelle Ropert (France) and Rekorder, Mikhail Red (Philippines)
* Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award – Sitting on the Edge of Marlene, Ana Valine

### 2015

The 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from September 24 to October 9, 2015. The VIFF Industry Conference – the premier media conference in Western Canada – runs from September 30 to October 3, 2015.

**Audience Awards**

* Rogers People's Choice Award – Brooklyn, John Crowley (UK, Ireland, Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular International Documentary – Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (Jag är Ingrid), Stig Björkman (Sweden)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Feature – Room, Lenny Abrahamson (Ireland, Canada)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary – Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World, Charles Wilkinson (Canada)
* VIFF Impact: International Audience Award – Landfill Harmonic, Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley (USA, Paraguay)
* VIFF Impact: Canadian Audience Award – Fractured Land, Damien Gillis and Fiona Rayher (Canada)
* Women in Film+Television Artistic Merit Award – Ninth Floor, Mina Shum (Canada)

**Juried Awards**

* Best Canadian Film: Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino
* Best British Columbia Film: Fractured Land, Damien Gillis and Fiona Rayher
* British Columbia Emerging Filmmaker: The Devout, Connor Gaston
* Emerging Canadian Director: The Sound of Trees (Le Bruit des arbres), François Péloquin
* Best Canadian Short Film: Blue-Eyed Blonde, Pascal Plante
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: Never Steady, Never Still, Kathleen Hepburn

### 2016

The 35th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from September 29 to October 14, 2016.

* Ignite Award – Cabbie, Jessica Parsons and Jennifer Chiu (Canada)
* Best BC Short Film Award – Here Nor There, Julia Hutchings (Canada)
* Best BC Film Award – Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming), Ann Marie Fleming (Canada)
* BC Emerging Filmmaker Award – Hello Destroyer, Kevan Funk (Canada)
* Best Canadian Film – Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming), Ann Marie Fleming (Canada)
* Best Canadian Short Film – Those Who Remain (Ceux qui restent), Mathieu Vachon (Canada)
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film – Parent, Teacher, Roman Tchjen (Canada)
* Emerging Canadian Director – Never Eat Alone, Sofia Bohdanowicz (Canada)
* Best Canadian Documentary – Living With Giants (Chez les géants), Sebastien Rist and Aude Leroux-Lévesque (Canada)
* VIFF IMPACT Award – Power to Change: The Energy Rebellion (Power to Change – Die Energie Rebellion), Carl-A. Fechner (Germany)
* VIFF Super Channel People's Choice Award – Maudie, Aisling Walsh (Canada, Ireland)
* Most Popular International Feature – I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach (United Kingdom, France, Belgium)
* Most Popular International Documentary – Human, Yann Arthus-Bertrand (France)
* Most Popular Canadian Documentary – Spirit Unforgettable, Pete McCormack (Canada)

### 2017

The 36th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from September 28 to October 13, 2017

BC Spotlight Awards

* Sea to Sky Award – Never Steady, Never Still, Kathleen Hepburn
* Best BC Film Award – Luk'Luk'I, Wayne Wapeemukwa
* BC Emerging Filmmaker Award – Kathleen Hepburn (Never Steady, Never Still)

Canadian Awards

* Best Canadian Film – Black Cop, Cory Bowles
* Emerging Canadian Director – Kathleen Hepburn (Never Steady, Never Still)
* Best Canadian Documentary – Unarmed Verses, Charles Officer
* Best BC Short Film – Rupture, Yassmina Karajah
* Best Canadian Short Film – Shadow Nettes, Phillip Barker
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film – Vincent Toi (The Crying Conch)

Impact Awards

* VIFF Impact Award – BLUE, Karina Holden

Audience Awards

* Super Channel People's Choice Award – Indian Horse, Stephen Campanelli
* VIFF Most Popular International Feature – Loving Vincent, Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman (Poland, UK)
* VIFF Most Popular International Documentary – Faces Places, Agnès Varda, JR (France)
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary – Shut Up and Say Something, Melanie Wood
* #mustseebc – Shut Up and Say Something, Melanie Wood

### 2018

The 37th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from September 27 to October 12, 2018.

BC Spotlight Awards

* Sea to Sky Award – Broken Bunny by Meredith Hama-Brown
* Best BC Film Award – Edge of the Knife, Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown
* BC Emerging Filmmaker Award – Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, Freaks
* Best BC Short Film – Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes), Amanda Strong

Canadian Awards

* Best Canadian Film – Edge of the Knife by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown
* Emerging Canadian Director – Seán Devlin for When the Storm Fades
* Best Canadian Documentary – The Museum of Forgotten Triumphs by Bojan Bodružić
* Best Canadian Short Film – Fauve by Jérémy Comte
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film – Claire Edmondson for EXIT

Impact Awards

* VIFF Impact Award – The Devil We Know by Stephanie Soechtig

Audience Awards

* Super Channel People's Choice Award – Finding Big Country by Kathleen Jayme
* VIFF Most Popular International Feature – Shoplifters by Kore-eda Hirokazu
* VIFF Most Popular International Documentary – Bathtubs Over Broadway by Dava Whisenant
* VIFF Most Popular Canadian Feature – Edge of the Knife by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown
* #mustseebc – Finding Big Country, Kathleen Jayme

Sustainable Production Excellence Awards

* Sustainable Production Impact - X-Files, season 11
* Sustainable Production Champion - Keep it Green Recycling (Kelsey Evans); Portable Electric (Mark Rabin); Clara George; Ronny Fritsch

### 2019

The 38th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from September 26 to October 11, 2019.

BC Spotlight Awards

* Sea to Sky Award – Ying Wang for The World Is Bright
* Best BC Film Award – The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn
* BC Emerging Filmmaker Award – Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers for The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

Canadian Awards

* Best Canadian Film – One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk by Zacharias Kunuk
   * Special Mention: Blood Quantum by Jeff Barnaby
* Emerging Canadian Director – Heather Young for Murmur
   * Special Mention: Myriam Verreault for Kuessipan
* Best Canadian Documentary – Jordan River Anderson, the Messenger by Alanis Obomsawin
   * Special Mention: My Dads, My Moms and Me by Julia Ivanova
* Best Canadian Short Film – At the Bottom of the Sea by Caroline So Jung Lee
   * Special Mention: The Physics of Sorrow by Theodore Ushev
* Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: Guillaume Fournier, Samuel Matteau and Yannick Nolin for Acadiana
   * Special Mention: Jessica Johnson, Ryan Ermacora for Labour/Leisure

Impact Awards

* VIFF Impact Award: Resistance Fighters by Michael Wech
* Rob Stewart Eco Warrior Award: The Pollinators by Peter Nelson

Audience Awards

* People's Choice — Parasite by Bong Joon-ho
* Most Popular Canadian Film — Red Snow by Marie Clements
* Most Popular Canadian Documentary — Haida Modern by Charles Wilkinson
* Most Popular International Documentary — Coup 53 by Taghi Amirani

### 2020

The 39th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from September 24 to October 7, 2020.

BC Spotlight Awards

* Sea to Sky Award — Banchi Hanuse for Nuxalk Radio
* Best BC Film Award — The Curse of Willow Song by Karen Lam
* BC Emerging Filmmaker Award — Jessie Anthony for Brother, I Cry
* Best BC Short Film — Cake Day by Phillip Thomas

Canadian Awards

* Best Canadian Film — Beans by Tracey Deer
   * Special Mention — Nadia, Butterfly by Pascal Plante
* Emerging Canadian Director — Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli for Violation
* Best Canadian Documentary — Call Me Human by Kim O'Bomsawin
   * Special Mention — Prayer for a Lost Mitten by Jean-François Lesage
* Best Canadian Short Film — Bad Omen by Salar Pashtoonyar
   * Special Mention — Moon by Zoé Pelchat

International Awards

* VIFF Impact Award — The Reason I Jump by Jerry Rothwell
* Rob Stewart Eco Warrior Award — Peter Wohlleben, subject of The Hidden Life of Trees

VIFF Immersed Awards

* Best in Cinematic Live-Action — Kowloon Forest by Alexey Marfin
* Best in Documentary — By the Waters of Babylon by Kristen Lauth Shaeffer and Andrew Halasz
* Best in Animation — The Book of Distance by Randall Okita
* Honorable Mention in Animation — In the Land of Flabby Schnook by Francis Gélinas
* Audience Award — Ecosphere: Raja Ampat by Joseph Purdam

VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market (Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture Studios Special Prize)

* A Vocal Landscape by Omid Zarei and Anne Jeppesen
* Uninterrupted by Nettie Wild and Rae Hull

### 2021

The 40th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held from October 1 to October 11, 2021.

BC Spotlight Awards

* Best BC Film — Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew by Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux, Kirk Thomas
* BC Emerging Filmmaker Award — Portraits From a Fire by Trevor Mack
* Best BC Short Film — The Horses (Liz Cairns)

Canadian Awards

* Best Canadian Film — Without Havana (Sin la Habana) by Kaveh Nabatian
* Emerging Canadian Director — Caroline Monnet for Bootlegger
* Best Canadian Documentary — Returning Home by Sean Stiller
* Best Canadian Short Film — Together by Albert Shin

International Awards

* Impact Award — Blue Box (Michal Weits)
* Rob Steward Eco Warrior Award — Coextinction (Gloria Pancrazi, Elena Jean)

VIFF Immersed Awards

* Cinematic Live Action — Symphony (Igor Cortadellas)
* Documentary — Inside COVID19 (Gary Yost, Adam Loften)
* Augmented Reality — Mission to Mars AR (Piotr Baczyński, Bartosz Rosłoński)
* Animation — Beat (Keisuke Itoh)
* VeeR Audience Award — Red Eyes (Sngmoo Lee)
* XR Market Grant — Memory Place (Zeynep Abes)

## Award winners by award

### Most Popular Canadian Film

Most Popular Canadian Film

* 2002 — Expecting directed by Deborah Day and FIX: The Story of an Addicted City by Nettie Wild
* 2003 — The Corporation by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott
* 2004 — What Remains of Us by François Prévost and Hugo Latulippe and Being Caribou by Leanne Allison and Diana Wilson
* 2005 — Eve and the Fire Horse by Julia Kwan
* 2006 — Mystic Ball by Greg Hamilton

Vancity People's Choice Award for Most Popular Canadian Film

* 2007 — She's a Boy I Knew by Gwen Haworth

VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award

* 2008 — Mothers & Daughters by Carl Bessai
* 2009 — 65 Redroses by Nimisha Mukerji and Philip Lyall
* 2010 — Two Indians Talking by Sara McIntyre
* 2011 — Starbuck by Ken Scott
* 2012 — Becoming Redwood by Jesse James Miller
* 2013 — Down River by Benjamin Ratner
* 2014 — Preggoland by Jacob Tierney
* 2015 — Room by Lenny Abrahamson (Ireland, Canada)
* 2016 — Maudie by Aisling Walsh
* 2017 — Indian Horse by Stephen Campanelli
* 2018 (VIFF Most Popular Canadian Feature) — Edge of the Knife by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown
* 2019 (Most Popular Canadian Film) — Red Snow by Marie Clements
* 2020 — Beans by Tracey Deer
* 2021 — Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew by Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux and Kirk Thomas
* 2022 — TBA

### Most Popular International Film

Most Popular International Film

* 2002 — Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore
* 2003 — Kamchatka by Marcelo Piñeyro
* 2004 — Machuca by Andrés Wood
* 2005 — Go, See, and Become by Radu Mihăileanu
* 2006 — The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Rogers People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Film

* 2007 — Persepolis directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

VIFF Most Popular International First Feature Award

* 2012 — I, Anna by Barnaby Southcombe (UK)
* 2013 — Wadjda by Haifaa al-Mansour (Germany, Saudi Arabia)
* 2016 (Most Popular International Feature) — I, Daniel Blake by Ken Loach (United Kingdom, France, Belgium)
* 2017 — Loving Vincent by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman (Poland, UK)
* 2018 — Shoplifters by Kore-eda Hirokazu
