Gimli International FilmFestival releases its 2026 award winners

Gimli International Film Festival 2026 was a major success and post-festival, GIFF is proud to announce this year’s award winners.

The GIFF Awards Reception in Johnson Hall Saturday night celebrated filmmakers, actors,

volunteers and sponsors at the festival. The crowd chattered in anticipation for the following

awards announcement:

● The Director Guild of Canada (Manitoba) presented Jeremy Torrie (Many Wounds) with

the Best Manitoba Director award

● ACTRA presented Sera-Lys McArthur (Many Wounds) & Malia Baker (Hair of the Bear)

with the Manitoba Best Performance award

● WIFC, Can Dream Productions Inc., GIFF, Canada Media Fund & Payworks presented

Petra Volpe (Late Shift) with the Audience Choice Award

● GIFF presented Hylnur Palmason (The Love That Remains) with the ALDA

“I’d like to thank you very much for the great honor of receiving the ALDA Award. I’m just one in

a big group of fellow artists, filmmakers that are doing this together,” said Palmason in his

acceptance speech.

● GIFF presented Banchi Hanuse (Ceremony) with the Indigenous Spirit Award

● GIFF presented Shervin Kermani (Ramon Who Speaks to Ghosts) with the Best

Canadian Short award

● Manitoba Music and Film presented Quan Luong (Portraits) with the Best MB Film award

● GIFF presented Felipe Bustos Sierra (Everybody to Kenmure Street) with the Grand Jury

Prize

“We’ve worked on this film for five years, pretty much from the day after the protest ended. Part

of it was this sort of cry of relief that the protest ended the way it did, and hoping to cut through

the frustration of the times that we live in, knowing there’s a better way to move forward," said

Bustos Sierra on his film.

● GIFF presented Poh Si Teng (American Doctor) with the New Voices Award

Other awards being presented this year include:

● Manitoba Music and Film presented DianaThorneycroft (Father Alphonse and the Fight

Between Carnival and Lent) with the Best MB Short in Competition award

● John Luke, Sun Shower: RBC pitch award