The 2026 edition of the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the 38th edition in the event's history, was held from September 19 to 27, 2026 in Sudbury, Ontario."Sudbury graphic artist Tony Jurgilas creates new image for Cinéfest". Sudbury.com, August 3, 2026. The festival included a new program, Desjardins After Dark, to highlight edgier genre films comparable to the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness lineup.Andrew Mack, "STARSUCKERS: Satirical Thriller to Have Canadian Premiere at Cinéfest". Screen Anarchy, August 19, 2026.
The festival poster, based on the theme of "For thinkers and feelers", was designed by Sudbury artist Tony Jurgilas, and released on August 3.
The first programming announcements were released on August 18,"Cinéfest Sudbury gives sneak peek into programming for September festival". Sudbury.com, August 20, 2026. with short film programs announced on August 25. The full schedule was announced on August 26."Cinefest Sudbury unveils complete 2026 film lineup". Sudbury Star, August 26, 2026.
Awards Awards in the festival's Best in Shorts competition for local filmmakers were announced on September 26. Audience award winners were announced on September 29,Darren MacDonald, "Cinéfest announces 2026 Audience Choice, CTV Best in Shorts winners". CTV Northern Ontario, September 29, 2026. while awards in juried categories were announced on October 1.
Award Film Filmmaker Audience Choice, Feature Film I Play Rocky Peter Farrelly Audience Choice, Feature Film Runner-Up Women on Trial (L'Affaire Marie-Claire) Lauriane Escaffre, Yvo Muller Audience Choice, Documentary Run Terry Run Sean Menard Audience Choice, Documentary Runner Up Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been Barry Avrich Audience Choice, Short Film A Wolf in the Suburbs Amélie Hardy Audience Choice, Short Film Runner Up Stewards of the North Diego Rojas Garcia Outstanding Canadian Feature Run Terry Run Sean Menard Outstanding International Feature The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Noah Segan Outstanding Female-Led Feature Film Rehearsals for a Revolution (خاطرات ایران) Pegah Ahangarani Cinema Indigenized Outstanding Talent In Alaska Jaap van Heusden, Vinnie Karetak In the Heart of the South Nyla Innuksuk French-Language Feature Film The Money Maker (L'Affaire Bojarski) Jean-Paul Salomé Inspiring Voices and Perspectives Women on Trial (L'Affaire Marie-Claire) Lauriane Escaffre, Yvo Muller Outstanding Short Film Living Grounds (Sol vivant) Émile Lavoie Outstanding Animated Short Film To Our Future Ancestors (À nos futurs ancêtres) Bogdan Anifrani-Fedach, Ian Keteku Outstanding Northern Ontario Short Film The Pomegranate Theory Eliza Goodwin CTV Best in Shorts, Open Category First Place Happy Kato Alexander, Renjie Li CTV Best in Shorts, Open Category Second Place The Fire Spirit Jake Savard CTV Best in Shorts, Scholarship Stick: School Days Michael Loranger CTV Best in Shorts, Special Merit Western Days Gold Donna Bowles
Official selections Gala Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country Club Kid Jordan Firstman United States Coward Lukas Dhont Belgium The Debut Jesse Eisenberg United States Fjord Cristian Mungiu Romania, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark I Play Rocky Peter Farrelly United States Last Moon Brandon D. Cox Canada The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Noah Segan United States Run Terry Run Sean Menard Canada The Stunt Driver Michael Dowse Canada
Special Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country The American Dream Le Rêve américain Anthony Marciano France Back in Black Ron Murphy Canada Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been Barry Avrich Canada Foreign Tongue Boris Mojsovski Canada Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! Josef Kubota Wladyka United States In Alaska Jaap van Heusden, Vinnie Karetak Netherlands, Canada In the Heart of the South Nyla Innuksuk Canada Ithaqua Casey Walker Canada Just an Illusion Juste une illusion Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache France A Long Winter Andrew Haigh United States, Canada, United Kingdom Look Back ルックバック Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan Love of Your Life Rachel Morrison United States Minotaur Минотавр Andrey Zvyagintsev France, Germany, Latvia The Money Maker L'Affaire Bojarski Jean-Paul Salomé France Nina Roza Geneviève Dulude-De Celles Canada Parallel Tales Asghar Farhadi France, United States, Italy, Belgium So Long Pluto Au revoir Pluton Sarianne Cormier Canada The Soundman Radioman Frank Van Passel Belgium Tender Loving Care Mike Leigh United Kingdom Women on Trial Lauriane Escaffre, Yvo Muller France Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother Bassam Tariq United States
Features Canada English title Original title Director(s) Production country 125, rue des Malaises Louis Bélanger Canada L'Autre Alexandre Franchi Canada The Banquet Gloria Ui Young Kim Canada The Betrayers David Bezmozgis Canada, Ukraine Extravagant Ways to Say Goodbye Liese Kuhn Canada François.e Jean-François Asselin Canada The Furies Les Furies Mélanie Charbonneau Canada Julián Louise Bagnall Luxembourg, Ireland, Canada, Denmark Lydia and the Mist Rider Lydia et le vaisseau des tempêtes Émilie Rosas, Philippe Arseneau Bussières, Nancy Florence Savard Canada The Mechanics of Borders La Mécanique des frontières Hubert Caron-Guay Canada My Son Came Back to Disappear Mon fils ne revint que sept jours Yan Giroux Canada Neverman Rodrigo Barriuso Canada Paradise Jérémy Comte Canada Plan C Scott Cavalheiro Canada Redemptions Rédemptions Luc Picard Canada Seahorse Aisha Evelyna Canada Someone's Daughter Wiebke von Carolsfeld Canada Sunburn Serville Poblete Canada What We Have Left Sergio Navarretta Canada Whatcha Want Mina Shum Canada
Cana-Doc English title Original title Director(s) Production country Faking Filmation Rob McCallum Canada Gimme Truth Simon Ennis, Brad Abrahams Canada Nuisance Bear Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden Canada, United States The Sandbox Kenya-Jade Pinto Canada Still Night, Burning House Carol Nguyen Canada
World Cinema English title Original title Director(s) Production country Bedford Park Stephanie Ahn United States California Schemin' James McAvoy United Kingdom, United States Double Freedom La libertad doble Lisandro Alonso Chile, Argentina, Luxembourg, Germany, United Kingdom Everytime Sandra Wollner Austria, Germany La Gradiva Marine Atlan France, Italy The Kidnapping of a President Presidentin kyyditys Samuli Valkama Finland Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars Soumsoum, la nuit des astres Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Chad, France The Sun Never Sets Joe Swanberg United States Yellow Letters Gelbe Briefe İlker Çatak Germany, Turkey, France
World Doc English title Original title Director(s) Production country Birds of War Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak United Kingdom, Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon Replica Chouwa Liang Australia, France When a Witness Recants Dawn Porter United States
In Full View: Crisis, Conflict, Conscience English title Original title Director(s) Production country Josephine Beth de Araújo United States Rehearsals for a Revolution خاطرات ایران Pegah Ahangarani Czech Republic, Spain
Cinema Indigenized (Nishnaabek Dbaajmawaat) English title Original title Director(s) Production country Ancestor/Great-Grandparent/Great-Grandchild Aanikoobijigan Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil United States, Denmark How We Stand Marie Clements Canada Nitassinan Joséphine Bacon, Kim O'Bomsawin Canada Turtle Island Rap Alexandra Lazarowich Canada
Desjardins After Dark English title Original title Director(s) Production country Feature films Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass David Wain United States Jim Queen Jim Queen à la recherche de la Chloroqueer Nicolas Athane, Marco Nguyen France Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney Mesdames et Messieurs, Brian Mulroney Matthew Rankin Canada Lumi Jen Walden Canada Starsuckers Brett M. Butler, Jason G. Butler Canada Short films A Bridge Across Tash Baycroft Canada Forward Michael Naphan Canada Halifax Pier Matthew Daniel Herst Canada Haunt Restorer Wil Andrews Canada Hilary's Cover Is Blown MJ Dionne Canada Nightstands Emily Fraser Canada Somnus Matt Paradis Canada The Squirrel Diaries KJ Carter Canada Twenty-Nine Ra'anaa Yaminah Ekundayo Canada Wherever the Wind Blows Mathieu Séguin Canada
Short Circuit English title Original title Director(s) Production country As Long As We Are Immortal Tant que nous sommes immortels Nora Burlet Dhainaut Canada Call to a Restless Sky Tanner Stevens, Robert Scratch Mitchell, Kelly Hammond Canada Combustion Arielle Legault Canada The Flames of Me Je m'appelle Daniel Daniel Léger Canada From Nine to Ten Gus Belford, Steve Belford Canada Full Circle Anna Hopkins Canada Gamophobia Mariah Owen Canada Good Vibes Only Sarah D'Ambrosio Canada Green Fingers Farhad Pakdel Canada Into the Pool Scott Ballard United States Living Grounds Sol vivant Émile Lavoie Canada Paradaïz Matea Radic Canada Piluk Elisapie, Marc Séguin Canada The Pomegranate Theory Eliza Goodwin Canada Rotting/Loving U Pourir/T'aimer Lou Scamble Canada Rumspringa Miia Piironen Canada Sitting Bird Athena Han Canada Stewards of the North Diego Rojas Garcia Canada Swimmers Ryan Nesbitt Canada To Our Future Ancestors À nos futurs ancêtres Bogdan Anifrani-Fedach, Ian Keteku Canada The Undisputed Princess of Brooklyn Derek Shane Garcia United States Wâwâhtew Derrek Visentin Canada A Wolf in the Suburbs Amélie Hardy Canada
CTV Best in Shorts The festival's dedicated competition for short films by amateur local filmmakers from Northern Ontario.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Achilles Emerson Geovany Bardales Madrid Canada Elderlemma Nicolas Patrick Robillard Canada The Fire Spirit Jake Savard Canada Emily's House Kat Zhang Canada Happy Kato Alexander, Renjie Li Canada Junk Jackson Brotherton Canada Ms. Mary Alyssa Kostello Canada Off Script Daren Sullivan Canada Rumspringa Miia Piironen Canada Stick: School Days Michael Loranger Canada Western Days Gold Donna Bowles Canada
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