The Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film, formerly also known as the NFB John Spotton Award, is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to a film judged to be the best Canadian short film of the festival. As of 2017, the award is sponsored by International Watch Company and known as the "IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film".
Winners YearFilmDirectorACCT honoursRef1989 Stealing Images Alan Zweig"Quirky film `most popular' at Toronto festival". Ottawa Citizen, September 18, 1989. Justine's Film (Le film de Justine) Jeanne Crépeau 1990 Shaggie: Letters from Prison Janis Cole"Cyrano festival's most popular film". Ottawa Citizen, September 17, 1990. New Shoes Ann Marie Fleming 1991 The Making of Monsters John Greyson"Festival of Festivals: Toronto director embraces honor, but not the spoils". Windsor Star, September 16, 1991. The Learning Path Loretta Todd Unknown Soldiers Veronika Soul 1992 Letters of Transit (Les Sauf-conduits) Manon Briand Jay Scott, "Festival focus firmly on first features". The Globe and Mail, September 21, 1992. Blue Don McKellar The Fairy Who Didn't Want to Be a Fairy Anymore Laurie Lynd Best Live Action Short Drama winner Moose Jaw: There's a Future in Our Past Rick Hancox My Niagara Helen Lee 1993 Save My Lost Nigga Soul Clement Virgo Best Theatrical Short Film nomineeCraig MacInnis, "$25,000 Toronto-City prize goes to native filmmaker". Toronto Star, September 20, 1993. Me, Mom and Mona Mina Shum 1994 Frank's Cock Mike Hoolboom "Egoyan's film fest win sweet". Windsor Star, September 19, 1994. Technilogic Ordering Philip Hoffman Make Some Noise Andrew Munger 1995 Reconstruction Laurence Green"Surprise winner for best Canadian film at Toronto Film Festival is Live Bait". Canadian Press, September 17, 1995. Odilon Redon, or The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity Guy Maddin Use Once and Destroy John L'Écuyer 1996 Letters from Home Mike Hoolboom Sid Adilman, "Journey gets top filmfest award". Toronto Star, September 16, 1996. Sin Cycle Jack Cocker, Ben Famiglietti Lodela Philippe Baylaucq 1997 Cotton Candy Roshell Bissett Craig MacInnis, "Pair splits top prize; Verteran [sic] Egoyan and rookie Fitzgerald win". Edmonton Journal, September 15, 1997. bp: pushing the boundaries Brian Nash Best Short Documentary nominee 1998 When Ponds Freeze Over Mary Lewis Best Live Action Short Drama winner "Prestigious award for Newfoundlander". The Telegram, September 21, 1998. 1999 Discharge (Décharge) Patrick Demers John McKay, "American Beauty favoured by fans". Welland Tribune, September 20, 1999. Karaoke Stéphane Lafleur 2000 The Hat (Le Chapeau) Michèle Cournoyer "Asian and Alberta filmmakers big winners at Toronto film festival awards". Canadian Press, September 17, 2000. Ernest Keith Behrman 2001 FILM(dzama) Deco Dawson "Films from Nunavut and Manitoba big winners at subdued festival". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, September 17, 2001. 2002 Blue Skies Ann Marie Fleming "Cronenberg the big winner". Guelph Mercury, September 17, 2002. 2003 Aspiration Constant Mentzas "Barbarian Invasions a winner". Hamilton Spectator, September 16, 2003. 2004 Man. Feel. Pain. Dylan Akio Smith Liam Lacey, "Hotel Rwanda wins top festival prize". The Globe and Mail, September 20, 2004. 2005 Big Girl Renuka Jeyapalan Best Live Action Short Drama nominee "Toronto film fest deemed a hit". Peterborough Examiner, September 19, 2005. There's a Flower in My Pedal Andrea Dorfman 2006 The Days (Les Jours) Maxime Giroux "Surprise! Bella takes top prize at TIFF". Toronto Star, September 17, 2006. 2007 Pool Chris Chong Chan Fui Mark Medley, "Cronenberg film wins top TIFF prize". National Post, September 17, 2007. 2008 Block B Chris Chong Chan FuiLinda Barnard, "Slumdog takes the people's prize; LeBron James documentary tapped as runner-up". Toronto Star, September 14, 2008. Next Floor Denis Villeneuve Best Live Action Short Drama winner 2009 Danse Macabre Pedro Pires Best Live Action Short Drama winner"It's a wrap for TIFF; Film 'Precious' nabs audience prize at festival, stoking Oscar predictions". Telegraph-Journal, September 21, 2009. The Armoire Jamie Travis 2010 Little Flowers (Les Fleurs de l'âge) Vincent Biron "Quebec dominates TIFF awards". Playback, September 20, 2010. 2011 Doubles with Slight Pepper Ian Harnarine Best Live Action Short Drama winner Chris Knight, "Lebanese film wins TIFF's top prize; Starbuck is People's Choice runner-up". National Post, September 19, 2011. No Words Came Down Ryan Flowers, Lisa Pham Of Events (D'aléas) Mathieu Tremblay 2012 Keep a Modest Head (Ne crâne pas sois modeste) Deco Dawson "A different kind of Playbook for TIFF ending". Toronto Star, September 16, 2012. Crackin' Down Hard Mike Clattenburg 2013 Noah Walter Woodman, Patrick Cederberg Best Live Action Short Drama winner The Chaperone 3D Fraser Munden Best Short Documentary nominee Yellowhead Kevan Funk 2014 The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer Randall Okita 2015 Overpass Patrice Laliberté Best Live Action Short Drama nominee Bacon and God's Wrath Sol Friedman Best Short Documentary winner 2016 Mutants Alexandre Dostie Best Live Action Short Drama winner 2017 Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire Best Live Action Short Drama nominee "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri takes home TIFF's top honour". CBC News, September 17, 2017. The Tesla World Light Matthew Rankin Best Animated Short nominee 2018 Brotherhood (Ikhwène) Meryam Joobeur "'Green Book' boosts awards season prospects with TIFF audience award win". Screen Daily, September 16, 2018. Fauve Jérémy Comte Best Live Action Short Drama winner 2019 Delphine Chloé Robichaud Etan Vlessing, "Toronto: Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit' Wins Audience Award". The Hollywood Reporter, September 15, 2019. The Physics of Sorrow Theodore Ushev 2020 Benjamin, Benny, Ben Paul Shkordoff Best Live Action Short Drama nominee Etan Vlessing, "Toronto: Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' Wins Audience Award". The Hollywood Reporter, September 20, 2020. 2021 Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice Zacharias Kunuk Best Animated Short winner Steve Pond, "‘Belfast’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, September 18, 2021. Nuisance Bear Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden Best Short Documentary nominee 2022 Simo Aziz Zoromba Best Live Action Short Drama winner Christian Zilko, "‘The Fabelmans’ Wins TIFF 2022 People’s Choice Award". IndieWire, September 18, 2022. Same Old Lloyd Lee Choi 2023 Motherland Jasmin Mozaffari Best Live Action Short Drama winner Steve Pond, "‘American Fiction’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s Audience Award". TheWrap, September 17, 2023. 2024 Are You Scared to Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail? Bec Pecaut Best Live Action Short Drama nominee Harrison Richlin, "Who Will Win the TIFF People’s Choice Award? Live Updates from the Ceremony". IndieWire, September 15, 2024. 2025 The Girl Who Cried Pearls (La jeune fille qui pleurait des perles) Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski Best Animated Short nominee A Soft Touch Heather Young 2026 Fight Kid Michael Del Monte Pete Hammond, "‘La Bola Negra’ Wins Oscar Predictive Toronto Film Festival People’s Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood, September 20, 2026. Almost Pink Justine Prince
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