Toronto-based filmmaker Vanessa Sandre’s short film The Pleasure is All Mine led the winners of Women in Film & Television Toronto’s (WIFT+ Toronto) 15th annual Showcase.

The yearly WIFT+ Toronto ceremony honours emerging and established women and non-binary filmmakers. The 15th edition took place on May 8 at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto and featured nine shorts and digital projects.

The Pleasure is All Mine won Best of Showcase and the Audience Choice award, resulting in a combined $4,000 cash prize from the Foundation for WIFT+ Toronto for Sandre (pictured).

The Best of Showcase award also came with a $2,500 certificate for post-production work at Company 3 Toronto and a meeting with Mongrel Media co-president Andrew Frank. Meanwhile, the Audience Choice prize came with a $5,000 equipment rental certificate from Grande Camera.

The other winners of the night were Asis Sethi, winning Best Directing for the short Rock the Cradle, which comes with $2,000 from the Foundation, membership to the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto and a virtual meeting with a Directors Guild of Canada Ontario director; and Shaina Silver-Baird with Best Writing for the digital series Less Than Kosher, earning a $2,000 cash prize, a consultation with story editor Jamie Gaetz and an opportunity to shadow two CBC writers’ rooms.

The Best in Showcase award, as well as the writing and directing honours, were decided by a jury of WIFT+ Toronto members. This year’s jury included Autumn Scott, Cynthia Crofoot, Kari Hollend, Katarzyna Anielak, Katerina Kova, Oksana Sirju, Rachel Faircloth, Sabrina Lorie, Shagun Kanwar, Shantha Roberts and Tonjha Richardson.

Image courtesy of WIFT+ Toronto