Toronto Introduces Best Animated Short Award, Unveils 10-Title Slate

The Toronto International Film Festival has placed animation in a brighter spotlight for its 50th edition, announcing yesterday a dedicated competition for short-form animation alongside a diverse slate of world and North American premieres.

For the first time in TIFF history, animated shorts will contend for the new best animated short film award within the festival’s Short Cuts program. The honor will be decided by a three-member jury comprising cinematographer Ashley Iris Gill, Annecy Festival Artistic Director Marcel Jean, and actor-filmmaker Connor Jessup.

The 2025 lineup features 10 animated shorts:

• The Girl Who Cried Pearls — Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski (Canada) — North American Premiere
• Water Girl — Sandra Desmazières (France / Netherlands / Portugal) — North American Premiere
• What We Leave Behind — Jean-Sébastien Hamel & Alexandra Myotte (Canada) — North American Premiere
• More Than Happy — Wei Keong Tan (Singapore) — World Premiere
• To the Woods — Agnès Patron (France) — North American Premiere
• Arguments in Favor of Love — Gabriel Abrantes (Portugal) — North American Premiere
• Once in a Body — María Cristina Pérez González (Colombia / USA) — North American Premiere
• The Death of the Fish — Eva Lusbaronian (France) — North American Premiere
• Praying Mantis — Joe Hsieh (Taiwan / Hong Kong) — North American Premiere
• UM — Nieto (France) — World Premiere

The selection showcases a balance of established auteurs and emerging voices, with stories spanning intimate character dramas, surrealist fables, and experimental visual narratives.

Animation will also have a presence beyond the shorts program. Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s highly anticipated fantasy feature Scarlet will screen in the Special Presentations section as a North American premiere, while Takahide Hori’s dystopian stop-motion feature Junk World will make its international debut in the Midnight Madness lineup.

TIFF’s increased focus on animation aligns with a broader trend in major festivals embracing the form as a vehicle for boundary-pushing storytelling. The addition of a standalone animation award positions Toronto as a significant platform for animated shorts, complementing the recognition such works receive at festivals like Annecy, Venice, and Berlinale.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4–14.