Following each round of programming, an independent jury meets to judge the selected films.
A&E Short Filmmakers Award* ($1,250)
Presented to the best film
All films* programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival are eligible for this award recognizing outstanding works in the festival. Presented four times a year. Read more.
Recipients
- Just Another Beautiful Family directed by Katherine and Nick North
- Game directed by Joy Webster
- You Will Survive Doomsday directed by Kyle McDougall
- Touch directed by Noel Harris
- Arlo Alone directed by Nicole Dorsey
- Finding Fukue directed by Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson
- Peak Oil directed by Dylan Rhys Howard
- Emmy directed by Hannah Cheesman and Four Eyes directed by Michael Clowater
- She Came Knocking directed by John Ainslie and PYOTR495 directed by Blake Mawson
- Fish directed by Heather Young
- Winter directed by Lina Roessler
- The Suitcase directed by Philip Leung
- Bound directed by Daniel Boos
- She Stoops To Conquer directed by Zachary Russell
- 90 Days directed by Timothy Yeung
- Bosco’s Guitar directed by Matt Handy
- Bat Boy directed by Kheaven Lewandowski
- Flankers directed by Justin Oakey
- Just As I Remember directed by Andrew Moir
- Home directed by Athena Han
- We Are Not Here directed by Aaron Mirkin
- Animal Control directed by Kire Paputts
- They Wore Pink directed by Terry Miles
- The Island directed by Trevor Anderson
- The Sandwich Nazi directed by Lewis Bennett
- Clear Blue directed by Lindsay MacKay
- Margo Lily directed by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart
- The Wake of Calum MacLeod directed by Marc Almon
- Rhonda’s Party directed by Ashley McKenzie
- Tommy directed by Theodore Bezaire
- Long Branch directed by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart
- Not Over Easy directed by Jordan Canning
- The Quarry directed by Ryan Hansen
- Shark Out of Water directed by Juan Riedinger
- Tsi Tkahehtayen (The Garden) directed by Zoe Hopkins
- Remote directed by Marc Roussel
- Birth Day directed by Juan Riedinger
- Pawnshop directed by Andrew Bush
- Bee Man directed by Robert Lendrum, Morris Lum, Drew Ferguson
- I’m That Fool directed by Patrick Carroll
- Three Mothers directed by Daniel I. Schachter
- Glimpse directed by Kryshan Randel
- Prom Night directed by Anthony Bortolussi
- -40°C directed by Paul Davis
Directors Guild of Canada Award* ($500)
Presented to the best director
All films* programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival are eligible for this award recognizing outstanding direction. Presented twice a year.
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television membership
All NSI Online Short Film Festival winners receive a complimentary Friend membership for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Academy) – this membership can be upgraded to voting for $50 (if eligible).
Canadian Screen Award eligibility
The National Screen Institute and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Academy) have a partnership for our NSI Online Short Film Festival winners.
NSI Online Short Film Festival award winners* selected from the first call for submissions each year (usually February with winners announced in summer) will be eligible to submit to the following year’s Canadian Screen Awards in the live action short drama, short documentary or animated shorts categories, if they meet the CSA criteria.**
All NSI Online Short Film Festival winners throughout the year will receive a complimentary Friend membership for the Academy – this membership can be upgraded to voting for $50 (if eligible).
Winning any non-acting awards does not guarantee a nomination for the Canadian Screen Awards. It is a qualifier only.
Submitting a Canadian Screen Award nomination is the sole responsibility of the winning filmmaker and/or their supporters. NSI is not responsible for making the nomination. Please check the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television website for official nomination info and deadline dates.
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*Films from Quebec are not eligible for these awards.
**If your film is programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival and (1) wins any non-acting award and (2) was produced between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019, then it will be eligible to be nominated for a 2020 Canadian Screen Award in the live action short drama, short documentary or animated shorts categories.
Past awards and recipients
Brian Linehan Actors Award
Lead actors starring in films programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival were eligible for this award.
Past recipients
- Kimberly-Sue Murray for She Came Knocking
- Eric Peterson for Static
- John Fray for Becoming Wigglesworth
- Grace Glowicki for Her Friend Adam
- Mandy May Cheetham for Companionship
- Kayla Lorette for She Stoops To Conquer
- Yinuo Wang for 90 Days
- Johntae Lipscomb for Bosco’s Guitar
- Hiraku Ando for River
- Hayley Carmichael for Phone Box
- Kwak Ji-Min for 북쪽 바람 (and the sun)
- Ambrose Liao for Home
- Oliver Becker for Bridges
- Patti Allan for Mimi and Me
- Sarah Deakins and Ben Cotton for Late
Blue Ant Media Documentary Award
Documentary films, programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival, were eligible for this award.
Past recipients
- Princess Jack directed by Lesley Johnson
- Babe, I Hate To Go directed by Andrew Moir
- Trapline directed by Dustin Chok
- I Thought I Told You To Shut Up!! directed by Charlie Tyrell
- Glass Eyes of Locust Bayou directed by Simon Mercer
- Just As I Remember directed by Andrew Moir
Corus Fearless Female Director Award
Films by a female director (male/female co-directors are not eligible), programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival, were eligible for this award.
Past recipients
- Maisie Jacobson for Billsville
- Gloria Ui Young Kim for Flamenco
- Kristina Mileska for Asteroid
- Molly McGlynn for Given Your History
- Leah Johnston for Some Things Won’t Sleep
- Kate Yorga for When It Is Dark
- Ashley McKenzie for Stray
- Athena Han for Home
- Ashley McKenzie for When You Sleep
- Emily Jenkins for The Path
- Lindsay MacKay for Clear Blue
- Jordan Canning for Seconds
- Juliette Gosselin and Florence Pelletier for My Black-Capped Angels
- Ashley McKenzie for Rhonda’s Party
- Brianne Nord-Stewart for The Provider
- June Chua and Christine Alexiou for Travels With My Brother
- Jordan Canning for Not Over Easy
Bite Comedy Award
Comedy films, programmed in the NSI Online Short Film Festival, were eligible for this award.
Past recipients
- Cheese directed by Hannah Cheesman
- Job Interview directed by Tim Moore and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll
- Foam Drive Renegades directed by Adam DeViller
- Pop Switch directed by Jason R. Goode
- The Last Video Store directed by Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford
- The Last Supper directed by Jonathan Eagan
- The Seder directed by Justin Kelly
- Cat vs. Man directed by Zia Marashi
- Cattle Call directed by Matthew Rankin and Mike Maryniuk
- Mimespeak directed by Tracy D. Smith
- The Dance directed by Pardis Parker
- Long Branch directed by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart
- Not Over Easy directed by Jordan Canning