Fantasia International Film Festival brought its 25th edition to a close with the award ceremony, and the South Korean film Voice of Silence directed by Hong Eui-jeong won the top prize – Best Film along with Best Actor for Yoo Ah-in. In the thriller film, two anonymous crime-scene cleaners working for different gangs are assigned an unprecedented task that thrusts them both on a descent into hell: they must kidnap a child.

The jury commented, “We gave the award for best film to Voice of Silence, for the quality of its craft as well as its unparalleled ability to surprise. In a film festival that’s known as a melting pot of genres, Voice of Silence feels like an excellent representative for the top prize in the Cheval Noir section. It’s earnest and sincere in tone but also unpredictable and experimental, impossible to pin down, and truly idiosyncratic. Put simply, it’s unlike anything we’d seen before.”

CHEVAL NOIR AWARD FOR FEATURE FILMS

BEST FILM: VOICE OF SILENCE (South Korea, d. Hong Eui-jeong)

BEST DIRECTOR: Igor Legarreta (ALL THE MOONS, Spain/France)

BEST SCREENPLAY: Mark O’Brien (THE RIGHTEOUS, Canada)

BEST SCORE: John Adams (HELLBENDER, USA)

BEST ACTOR: Yoo Ah-in (VOICE OF SILENCE, South Korea)

BEST ACTRESS: Zelda Adams (HELLBENDER, USA)

JURY SPECIAL MENTION – CINEMATOGRAPHY: Imanol Nabea (ALL THE MOONS, Spain/France)

JURY SPECIAL MENTION – RISING STAR: Sienna Sayer (MARTYRS LANE, UK)

JURY SPECIAL MENTION – SOUND DESIGN: Stef Lernous (HOTEL POSEIDON, Belgium)

NEW FLESH AWARD FOR DEBUT FILM

BEST FILM: THE SADNESS (Taiwan, d. Rob Jabbaz)

SPECIAL JURY MENTION: BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES (Japan, d. Junta Yamaguchi)

SPECIAL JURY MENTION: OFFICE ROYALE (Japan, d. Kazuaki Seki)

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

BEST FILM: VULNERABILITY (Japan, d. Eiji Tanigawa)

BEST DIRECTOR: Cory Williamson (SILLY HUMAN, USA)

BEST SCREENPLAY: Steph Kwiatkowski (RACHELS DON’T RUN, USA/France)

BEST ACTRESS: Victoria Villier (INHERITANCE, USA)

BEST ACTOR: Ian Cramer (OTHER BODIES, USA)

SPECIAL JURY MENTION: THE TENANT (Spain, d. Lucas Paulino & Ángel Torres)

SPECIAL JURY MENTION: HENCHMEN (Singapore, d. Alistair Quak)

JURY AQCC – CAMERA LUCIDA AWARD

AQCC-CAMERA LUCIDA PRIZE: THE STORY OF SOUTHERN ISLET (Malaysia, d. Chong Keat Aun)

SPECIAL JURY MENTION: MIDNIGHT IN A PERFECT WORLD (Philippines, d. Dodo Dayao)

AXIS: SATOSHI KON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION

BEST FEATURE: CRYPTOZOO (USA, d. Dash Shaw)

SPECIAL JURY MENTION: FORTUNE FAVORS LADY NIKUKO (Japan, d. Ayumu Watanabe)

BEST SHORT FILM – GOLD: SEEN IT (India, d. Adithi Krishnadas)

BEST SHORT FILM – SILVER: GHOST DOGS (USA, d. Joe Cappa)

BEST SHORT FILM – BRONZE: MONDO DOMINO (France, d. Suki)

L’ÉCRAN FANTASTIQUE AWARD

Since 2005, the L’Écran Fantastique Award has been awarded to a standout genre film as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival.

The magazine L’Écran Fantastique, which has been published for 52 years, is distributed throughout Europe and in Quebec. Yves Rivard, who presents the annual award, has been the Canadian correspondent since 2001.

“The 2021 Prix L’Écran Fantastique is awarded to Phil Tippett’s animated feature MAD GOD. In addition to being an uncompromising work, the film seduces with its waking-nightmare qualities. Delirious, baroque, cruel, inventive, this film, visibly influenced by creators such as Lovecraft, Bosch, Jules Verne, Svankmajer and Kubrick (!), perfectly embodies the spirit of Heavy Metal, so dear to a large segment of fantasticophiles. We’re betting that with each viewing, new answers will be given to the many mysteries of its narrative.”

AUDIENCE AWARDS

BEST ASIAN FEATURE – GOLD: BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES (Japan, d. Junta Yamaguchi)

BEST ASIAN FEATURE – SILVER: MIDNIGHT (South Korea, d. Kwon Oh-seung)

BEST ASIAN FEATURE – BRONZE: THE SADNESS (Taiwan, d. Rob Jabbaz)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE – GOLD: ALL THE MOONS (Spain/France, d. Igor Legarreta)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE – SILVER: ULTRASOUND (USA, d. Rob Schroeder)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE – BRONZE: KING KNIGHT (USA, d. Richard Bates, Jr.)

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE – GOLD: DREAMS ON FIRE (Canada/Japan, d. Philippe McKie)

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE – SILVER: THE RIGHTEOUS (Canada, d. Mark O’Brien)

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE – BRONZE: BRAIN FREEZE (Canada, d. Julien Knafo)

BEST DOCUMENTARY – GOLD: WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR (USA, d. Kier-La Janisse)

BEST DOCUMENTARY – SILVER: ALIEN ON STAGE (UK, d. Lucy Harvey & Danielle Kummer)

BEST DOCUMENTARY – BRONZE: SATOSHI KON, THE ILLUSIONIST (France/Japan, d. Pascal-Alex Vincent)

BEST ANIMATED FILM – GOLD: MAD GOD (USA, d. Phil Tippett)

BEST ANIMATED FILM – SILVER: HAYOP KA! THE NIMFA DIMAANO STORY (Philippines, d. Avid Liongoren)

BEST ANIMATED FILM – BRONZE: THE DEER KING (Japan, d. Masashi Ando & Miyaji Masayuki)

MOST GROUNDBREAKING FILM OF THE FESTIVAL: MAD GOD (USA, d. Phil Tippett)

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – GOLD: DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING WITH ADOBE PREMIERE PRO: THE REAL-WORLD GUIDE TO SET UP AND WORKFLOW (South Korea, d. Hong Seong-yoon)

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – SILVER (TIED): DANA (Spain, d. Lucía Forner Segarra)

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – SILVER (TIED): VIEWERS:1 (Japan, d. Daigo Hariya & Yosuke Kobayashi)

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – BRONZE: DEATH AND THE WINEMAKER (Switzerland, d. Victor Jaquier)

BEST CANADIAN SHORT – GOLD: FREYA (Canada, d. Camille Hollett-French)

BEST CANADIAN SHORT – SILVER: FRUIT (Canada, d. Ivan Li)

BEST CANADIAN SHORT – BRONZE: KWÊSKOSÎW (SHE WHISTLES) (Canada, d. Thirza Cuthand)