Fantastic Film Festival

The Canadian documentary Kung Fu Elliot, from directors Jaret Belliveau and Matthew Bauckman and producer David Eberts, won the best documentary award at the 2014 edition of Fantastic Fest. The documentary also picked up the Audience Choice Runner-up award at the festival, which ran in Austin, Texas from Sept. 18 to Sept. 25.

The Canadian production The Chaperone, from director Fraser Munden, also won an award at the festival in the animated shorts category. Day 40, a Canadian animated short from director Sol Friedman, was runner-up. 

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

The 15th edition of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will feature the world premiere of Toronto-based filmmaker Terril Calder’s stop-motion feature film The Lodge, the festival announced this week as it unveiled its feature film and documentary lineup. Also with a world premiere is Susan Avingaq’s documentary Sol, which looks at issues surrounding suicide in Canada’s northern communities. The festival will also screen Alanis Obomsawin’s latest film Trick or Treaty?, which bowed at TIFF.

What We Do in the Shadows, a New Zealand/USA feature from directors Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, will open the 2014 edition of the imgaineNATIVE festival. Other international films to be featured include Rachel Perkins’ Black Panther Woman (Australia), Sterlin Harjo’s documentary This May Be The Last Time (USA), Paul-Anders Simma’s Olga – To My Friends (Finland/Sweden/Norway), A White Day by director Michail Lukachevskyi, The Pa Boys from Himiona Grace and Ainsley Gardiner (New Zealand), Randy Redroad’s Among Ravens (USA) and Inuk Silis Hoegh’s documentary Sumé – The Sound of a Revolution (Greenland).

Returning will be The Witching Hour: Late Night Shorts program, which will include the Canadian short The Last Deaths of Joe from director Adonay Guerrero and Curtis Taylor’s Mamu (Australia).

Ottawa International Animation Festival

Luc Chamberland’s Seth’s Dominion took home the 2014 grand prize for best animated feature at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The NFB-produced animated documentary about the life of Toronto-based cartoonist Seth (the pen name of Gregory Gallant) was the only Canadian feature included in this year’s OIAF lineup, which ran from Sept. 17 to Sept. 21. The 2014 Canadian Film Institute Award for best Canadian animation went to 1000 Plateaus, from director Steve Woloshen.