And the Winner Is... TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival Announces Its Victors

TIFF is thrilled to announce the winners of the TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival, an international, digital festival. The TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival, which showcases 60-second micro-shorts, had no shortage of diversity and creativity in submissions this year. Entries received were from countries all over the world, including Colombia, Norway, Lebanon and the United States. The TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival is presented by UNIQLO.

"This year's festival attracted an impressively diverse and comprehensive group of entries, including 40 percent from female filmmakers," said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. "We are so glad the TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival is able to provide a unique and inclusive platform for emerging filmmakers from around the world to create and showcase their work."

This year's esteemed jury, including actor Isabelle Huppert, actor Ashton Sanders, music video visionary Director X, actor and director Lake Bell, director and producer Karan Johar and Fast Retailing's President and Head of Global Creative John C. Jay have deliberated and selected their favourite film of the finalists. Natalia Gurkina's Confession will be awarded the Jury's Choice Award. Additionally, Justin Wu's Overtime has been selected as the winner of the Fan Favourite Award by the public, who voted via Instagram likes throughout the festival.

Both winners will be celebrated at the TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival Awards Reception during the Toronto International Film Festival. Hosted by UNIQLO, the reception will be held at TIFF's Varda Filmmakers Lounge Presented by Amazon Video Direct and will offer a chance for special guests, media, and influencers to celebrate and honour the competition's winners and their work. The recipients of the prizes will also receive a trip to Toronto to attend the Toronto International Film Festival and associated industry events and film premieres.

The winner of the Jury's Choice Award Presented by UNIQLO is:

Confession, dir. Natalia Gurkina @madhatterzero
Russia
A love story within a love story, a nod to Russian melodrama and a film within a film shot on iPhone.

Based in Moscow, Gurkina is a 26 year old filmmaker and comics writer. She studied filmmaking at Moscow Film School from 2014-2016. The idea for her short film Confession came to her completely spontaneously, and she shot it on an iPhone 5s days later.

The winner of the Fan Favourite Award Presented by UNIQLO is:

Overtime, dir. Justin Wu @justinwu
France
Overtime contrasts the tender love of a father with the brutal world in which he works.

Justin Wu got his start as an art & fashion photographer, and more recently began his career in filmmaking. His work varies greatly from TV commercials, gallery art installations, and international fashion editorials. His first experimental film, Coup de grâce, was exhibited and screened at the modern art museum, Centre Pompidou, in Paris last fall. Following that, his first narrative short, Le devoir, won the 2014 Grand Prize for Best Emerging Director at an Academy Award qualifying film festival last summer.

For additional information about the winners and finalists please visit tiff.net/shortsfestival.

Social Media:
@TIFF_NET
Facebook.com/TIFF
#TIFFxInstagram

About TIFF TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

Photo Credits: Natalia Gurkina, Justin Wu

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