September 10 - 17, 2025
Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane | Halifax, Nova Scotia
2025 AIFF Atlantic Awards
The 45th edition of the Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) is pleased to announce its 2025 award winners.
Best Atlantic Short Documentary
Presented by 902 Post and Doug Woods. The winner of this award will receive $1,500 in-kind support from 902 Post.
Best Atlantic Short
Presented by Sunbelt Rentals and Doug Woods. The winner of this award will receive $10,000 credit at Sunbelt Rentals and $1,500 of in-kind services from 902 Post.
Joan Orenstein Award for Outstanding Performance
Presented by Sky Talent Group, the winner of this award will receive a $1,000 cash prize.
David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance
Presented by Sky Talent Group, the winner of this award will receive a $1,000 cash prize.
Best Atlantic Editor
Presented by Canadian Cinema Editors, the winner of this award will receive a $500 Cash and a one year membership to the Canadian Editors Association.
Best Atlantic Original Score
Best Atlantic Cinematographer
The Michael Weir Award for Best Atlantic Screenwriter
Award for Best Atlantic Director
The Gordon Parsons Award for Best Atlantic Feature
2025 Atlantic Jury
All AIFF Atlantic Award winners were selected by Atlantic Short Film jury members Claire Peace-McConnell, Stewart Young, and Desmond Simon, and Atlantic Feature Film jury members Deanne Foley, Noah Pink, and Victoria Dabbs.
Atlantic Features Jury
Ann Bernier | The president of Auguste Content Inc., a production company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is an accomplished independent, with extensive experience in film and television production. She is currently in post production on the feature film 111, written and directed by Mauro Mueller, in coproduction with Switzerland’s C-Films. She is an active member of professional organizations such as the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Screen Nova Scotia and Women in Film & Television – Atlantic Chapter.
Steve Gravestock | As a Senior Programmer at TIFF, Steve oversaw the organization’s Canadian programming initiatives, including the Canada’s Top Ten film selection and the year-round See the North programme, a free showcase of homegrown classics. As a programmer for the Festival, he has selected Canadian feature films since 2004 and was responsible for selections from the Nordic Region. Gravestock has written extensively on cinema for many publications, including the Toronto Star, POV Magazine, NOW Magazine, and Cinema Scope, having interviewed over 100 directors ranging from Abel Ferrara to Krzysztof Kieślowski.
Siljá Somby | An indigenous Sámi writer/director who graduated from INN University in Norway. She has been directing short fiction as well as educational documentaries and documentaries for NRK. She is currently working on various projects, including a fiction film for children, along with other short film/feature film projects, as well as other XR projects.
Atlantic Shorts Jury
Inga Diev | The General Manager at Ouat Media, a Toronto-based short film distribution and sales company celebrating its 20th anniversary next year. Recognized internationally as one of the leading destinations for work by the industry’s rising stars, Ouat Media boasts an award-winning catalogue, including 12 Oscar nominees and three Oscar winners to date. In her role, Inga is responsible for the company’s business operations and oversees all film sales and acquisitions.
Lindsay Blair Goeldner | A Canadian producer based between Toronto and New York, specializing in bold, genre-driven storytelling with global resonance. Her work spans features, series, shorts, and commercials, with credits including I Like Movies (TIFF Top Ten, Netflix 2022), In Flames (Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2023), Streams Flow from a River (Canneseries, Prime Video 2023), as well as the shorts The Curfew (Venice Orizzonti 2025) and Scaring Women at Night (Iris Prize Winner 2023). Lindsay’s slate is fueled by the same passion that once drew her to the horror section of a local video store, combined with a drive to champion stories that blend distinctive voices with social relevance. Her projects have screened at major festivals worldwide and earned critical acclaim. She is an alum of the Canadian Film Centre’s Producers Lab, Berlinale Co-Production Market, and the Rotterdam Lab.
Martina Kelades | a professional storyteller and a multi-passionate artist – an actor, public speaker and podcast host dedicated to dismantling mental and emotional health stigma. Martina founded “Life Out Loud Mental Health Consulting & Creatives,” a mental health promotion company and a platform that shares unfiltered stories supporting those experiencing mental health challenges and those who dare to live a life on purpose.