‘Out Standing’ and ‘John Candy: I Like Me’ Capture Audience Awards at Cinéfest Sudbury
SUDBURY, ON – Mélanie Charbonneau’s Out Standing and Colin Hanks’ John Candy: I Like me were the top vote-getters at the 37th annual Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, organizers announced following the event’s conclusion on September 21. The festival, which ran from September 13-21, showcased a curated selection of films chosen from over 10,000 submissions.
The audience awards highlight the public’s favorites within Cinéfest’s diverse programming, offering a unique perspective alongside the festival’s juried awards. Out Standing earned the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature,while John Candy: I Like me resonated with documentary fans,securing the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary. These awards recognize films that deeply connected with viewers, demonstrating the power of cinema to engage and inspire.
Beyond the audience awards, Cinéfest Sudbury presented a range of accolades. Ken Scott’s Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan received the Outstanding canadian Feature Film award, and Georgi M. Unkovski’s DJ Ahmet was named Outstanding International Feature Film. Other notable winners included Gagne ton ciel (French Language Feature Film), Free Leonard Peltier (Cinema indigenized Outstanding Talent), and Clear sky (Inspiring Voices & Perspectives Feature Film).
Isak Vaillancourt’s Can You Feel it Now? won the Outstanding Northern Ontario Short Film Award, while Nathanael Draper’s Made for U took the Outstanding Short film prize. Bouchera Tahraoui’s Dolly Baby – Rhythm & Flesh was recognized as the Outstanding Animated Short Film.
Cinéfest also honored local talent and volunteers. Nation North (garson) received the CTV Best in Shorts - Scholarship for Behind the Screen, while Felice Guo and Dawn Cranston were recognized with the Agilis Networks Youth Volunteer Award and Bill clement Outstanding Volunteer Award, respectively.
