Congratulations to directors Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson, and producer Felicity Justrabo whose short documentary Finding Fukue is the latest winner of the $1,250 A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film in the NSI Online Short Film Festival, run by the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI).

The team also receives a complimentary Friend membership to the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

In Finding Fukue, a woman who spent part of her childhood in Japan, returns to the country to try and solve the mystery of her long-lost friend with whom she lost contact almost 30 years ago.

The NSI Online Short Film Festival is a year-round Canadian short film showcase with new films added every week. Since launching in 2008, the festival has programmed hundreds of films and awarded over $125K to Canadian media artists. Many of the films are available to watch in the festival archives.

The latest award selection was made by an independent jury: filmmaker and programmer Trudy Stewart, Calgary International Film Festival and Calgary Underground Film Festival programmer Brennan Tilley, and recent A&E Short Filmmakers Award winner Dylan Rhys Howard.

Our jurors had this to say about Finding Fukue:

Trudy Stewart: “A well told, captivating story about the unbreakable bonds of friendship. Heartfelt, touching and impactful, this short documentary follows the reunification of two long-lost childhood friends in Japan.”

Brennan Tilley: “A moving documentary about the importance of childhood friendships and the meaningful bonds that remain. It’s a film that will resonate with anyone who has had a short but deeply-felt connection with someone.”

Dylan Rhys Howard: “An expertly crafted short documentary that highlights a simple-yet-powerful story of lost connection and friendship. It’s guaranteed to leave you feeling uplifted – a poignant reminder of humanity’s most endearing traits.”

Finding Fukue producer Felicity Justrabo said, “We were so honoured to hear that our film was chosen to receive the A&E Short Filmmakers Award. It has been incredibly moving to see the different ways this film has resonated with audiences around the globe. We are thankful to everyone who contributed to the film and gave us the support to share this story.”

About the jury

Trudy Stewart is a Cree writer, director, producer and film programmer based in Regina, Saskatchewan. She is currently writing her first feature film, The Women of Julia House.

Brennan Tilley is shorts programmer for Calgary International Film Festival and lead programmer for Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) and CUFF.Docs. When not watching films, he’s probably just grabbing chips and will be right back.

Dylan Rhys Howard is a Canadian filmmaker whose work has been described as “quiet and upfront, honest, real, rich, fertile, built on characters with depth and complexity.” He lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta.