The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal is currently underway, captivating audiences from July 20th to August 9th. Over the weekend, the festival unveiled its impressive roster of award-winning films, with two standout productions, “Red Rooms” and “Stay Online,” receiving major accolades.

“Red Rooms,” which garnered a remarkable 9/10 review from our own critic Tyler Nichols, proved its mettle by claiming multiple awards, including Best Feature, Best Screenplay for Pascal Plante, Best Score for Dominique Plante, and an Outstanding Performance recognition for Juliette Gariépy. The film delves into the aftermath of a case involving a serial killer who live-streamed his heinous crimes in the Dark Web’s infamous “red rooms,” with Kelly-Anne (Gariépy) becoming entangled in the investigation, leading her down a dark and obsessive path.

As for “Stay Online,” it earned the prestigious Best First Feature award for director Yeva Strelnikova. The gripping Screenlife film follows a young woman in Kyiv, who, while volunteering, is entrusted with delivering a laptop, donated to support the war effort, to her brother serving on the frontline. Her journey takes an unexpected turn when she receives a mysterious video call from a young boy searching for his missing father, the laptop’s previous owner, who disappeared during a brutal Russian army massacre in Bucha. Reluctantly, she agrees to assist in finding his missing parents, a decision that puts her own loved ones’ lives at risk.

Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping claimed the Best Director award for their film “Femme,” centered around drag artist Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), who seeks revenge against his closeted assailant (George Mackay) after encountering him at a gay sauna and eventually dating him. Stewart-Jarrett’s outstanding performance in the film also earned him the Outstanding Performance award.

Here is the complete list of Fantasia Film Festival Awards winners, courtesy of Deadline:

Cheval Noir Competition – Feature Films

• Best Feature: “Red Rooms” (Québec, directed by Pascal Plante)
• Best Director: Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping for “Femme” (United Kingdom)
• Best Screenplay: Pascal Plante for “Red Rooms” (Québec, directed by Pascal Plante)
• Best Score (The Sandro Forte Award): Dominique Plante for “Red Rooms” (Québec, directed by Pascal Plante)
• Best Cinematography: Zelda Adams & John Adams for “Where the Devil Roams” (United States, directed by Zelda Adams, John Adams, and Toby Poser)
• Outstanding Performance Award: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett for “Femme” (United Kingdom, directed by Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping) and Juliette Gariépy for “Red Rooms” (Québec, directed by Pascal Plante)
• Special Mention: “Vincent Doit Mourir” (France, directed by Stéphan Castang)

New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature – Debut Films

• Best First Feature: “Stay Online” (Ukraine, directed by Yeva Strelnikova)
• Special Jury Mention: “Tiger Stripes” (Malaysia, Taiwan, France, Germany, directed by Amanda Nell Eu) and “The Abandoned” (Taiwan, directed by Tseng Ying-Ting)

International Short Film Competition

• Best Short Film: “Bold Eagle” (Philippines, directed by Whammy Alcazaren)
• Best Director: Jacob Chase for “Mr. Blur” (USA)
• Best Screenplay: David Winstone for “The Nolbelto Method” (UK, directed by David Winstone)
• Outstanding Performance: Silvana Mihai for “The Taster” (Germany, directed by Sophia Bierend) and Lim Hyojin for “Shoulder” (South Korea, directed by Kim Jaehyung)
• Special Mention: “Sweet Juices” (Australia, directed by Im Sejon, Will Suen)
• Best Score: Matthias Dewilde for “Poppy’s Saturn” (Belgium, directed by Nicole Tegelaar)
• Best Cinematography: Julien Ramirez Hernan for “Translyvanie” (France, directed by Rodrigue Huart)

Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation

• Best Feature Film: “The First Slam Dunk” (Japan, directed by Takehiko Inoue)
• Special Jury Mention: “Sand Land” (Japan, directed by Toshihisa Yokoshima)

Best Short Film – Gold

• “A Kind of Testament” (France, directed by Stephen Vuillemin)

Best Short Film – Silver

• “Architect A” (South Korea, directed by Lee Jonghoon)

Best Short Film – Bronze

• “Record. Play. Stop.” (India, directed by Neeraj Bhattacharjee)

AQCC-Camera Lucida

• “Irl and Cahier Bleu” (Québec, directed by Olivier Godin)
• Special Jury Mention: “Home Invasion” (United Kingdom, directed by Graeme Arnfield)

The Fantasia Film Festival Awards jury released the following statement: “The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. The jury was unanimously convinced that [Red Rooms] masterfully accomplished that goal.“

Are you intrigued by the Fantasia Film Festival Awards winners? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.