The 30th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival (16 July – 2 August) unveiled the winners of its juried awards on 25 July. Finnish director Hanna Bergholm's psychological body horror Nightborn emerged as the festival's biggest winner, taking home the Cheval Noir Award for Best Film.

The international jury - headed up by Youngjoo Suh, founder and CEO of Finecut Co., Ltd., and further comprising actor, writer, producer and festival programmer Catherine Corcoran, cinematographer, director and screenwriter Karim Hussain, Oscar-winning film editor and Grindhouse Releasing co-founder Bob Murawski, and Variety journalist, producer and Musicworks Magazine editor Jennie Punter - praised the film as a "psychological thriller [that] explores the destruction of a woman's daily life - where everything around her could just as easily be reality as an illusion. Ultimately, when she gives everything up and steps into a ‘child's’ world, we finally discover the "most adorable" child in the world. The suspense kept us glued to the screen for every single second, and the emotion at the end is bittersweet, making us smile despite feeling incredibly sad. This film will stay with us for a long time.”

The film also earned lead actress Seidi Haarla the Outstanding Performance Award, with the jury commending her "transcendent portrayal" of a determined mother, highlighting her "dark humour, astonishing physicality, and heart-wrenching body horror" as she unravels under the weight of family expectations.

Another major winner was Kasper Kalle's Faroe Island-set period vampire drama No Rest for the Wicked, which received the Cheval Noir Award for Best Director. The jury praised Kalle's "skilful helming of a beautifully dark period piece" which explores "the discovery and acceptance of identity by way of a love story". The film also earned Pilou Asbæk the Outstanding Performance Award, with the jury praising his "effortless magnetism" and "extraordinary emotional precision" in portraying a character "shaped by freedom, isolation, and the courage to embrace his own identity."

Italian filmmaker Andrea Corsini's debut thriller Ferine also claimed two Cheval Noir prizes, with Fabrizio La Palombara winning Best Cinematography for the film's "carefully measured use of the anamorphic format" and for its visual style which pays tribute to Italian horror whilst also forging its own identity. Veteran Italian composer Pino Donaggio, meanwhile, received the Best Score Award thanks to his work on Ferine, with the jury lauding his "dramatic music" and celebrating the return of this legendary composer, who can also lay claim to scores from classic films such as Don't Look Now and Carrie.

The Cheval Noir Jury also honoured Sleep No More - directed by Edwin - with the Best Screenplay Award, recognising Edwin, Eka Kurniawan and Daishi Matsunaga’s writing prowess, while Soichi Ueno won the newly introduced Best Editing prize for Hideo Jojo's Beasts Clutching at Straws. The jury additionally handed Special Mentions to the ensemble cast of Agnieszka Smoczyńska's Hot Spot and to the practical effects team behind Sleep No More.

The festival's New Flesh Competition, meanwhile, dedicated to first feature films, crowned New Zealand directing duo THUNDERLIPS' sci-fi comedy Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant its champion, while Dilnaz Kurmangali and Ayan Utepburgen received a Special Mention for their performances in Aitore Zholdaskali's Sicko.

Lastly, among the short film winners, Fredrik S Hana's Norwegian thriller Mancave won Best Film and, in the animation section, French feature Blaise - directed by Jean-Paul Guigue and Dimitri Planchon - became the first French production ever to win the Satoshi Kon Award for Best Animated Feature.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Cheval Noir Awards

Best Film
Nightborn - Hanna Bergholm (Finland/Lithuania/France/UK)

Best Director
Kasper Kalle - No Rest for the Wicked (Denmark/Faroe Islands/Iceland)

Best Screenplay
Edwin, Eka Kurniawan, Daishi Matsunaga - Sleep No More (Indonesia/Singapore/Japan/Germany/France)

Best Cinematography
Fabrizio La Palombara – Ferine (Italy)

Best Editing
Soichi Ueno - Beasts Clutching at Straws (Japan)

Best Score
Pino Donaggio – Ferine

Outstanding Performance
Seidi Haarla - Nightborn

Outstanding Performance
Pilou Asbæk - No Rest for the Wicked

Special Mention of the Jury – Full Ensemble
Hot Spot - Agnieszka Smoczyńska (Sweden/Greece/Norway/Poland)

Special Mention of the Jury – Special Practical Effects
Sleep No More - Edwin

New Flesh Competition

New Flesh Award for Best First Feature
Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant - THUNDERLIPS (New Zealand)

Special Mention of the Jury – Best Performance
Dilnaz Kurmangali and Ayan Utepburgen - Sicko (Kazakhstan)

International Short Film Competition

Best Film
Mancave - Fredrik S Hana (Norway)

Best Director
Yu Chih Chieh - The Last Jiangshi (China/Hong Kong/Taiwan)

Best Screenplay
Kyu-eun Park and Min-hyuk Lee - Wish You Were Dead (South Korea)

Best Cinematography
Jung Da Bin - Tropic (South Korea)

Best Editing
Dirtmouths - Breehn Burns (USA)

Best Score
The Last Jiangshi - Yu Chih Chieh (China/Hong Kong/Taiwan)

Outstanding Performance
Ensemble - Pile On (China)

Outstanding Performance
Jon Jon Briones - Veterano (USA)

Special Mention of the Jury
Manhole - Jake Low (Singapore)

Satoshi Kon Awards

Best Animated Feature
Blaise - Jean-Paul Guigue, Dimitri Planchon (France)

Special Mention of the Jury
Cherry and Virgin - Masanao Kawajiri (Japan)

Best Animated Short Film – Gold
Jeem 1983 - Jorj Abou Mhaya (Lebanon)

Best Animated Short Film – Silver
Fingerbang - Kim Yeon-woo (South Korea)

Best Animated Short Film – Bronze
The End of the End - Junar Kim (USA/South Korea)

Poulain Noir Awards

Best Short Film – Gold
When The Tide Comes - Fêt-Nat Bailly (UK)

Best Short Film – Silver
Il n'y a qu'un poisson dans l'eau - Hector de Ghaisne de Bourmont, Florent Delay, Ilona Laouchez, Gabrielle Montané, Julia Ragot and André Yu (France)

Best Short Film – Bronze
Esquisses sur glace - Marion Auvin (France/Belgium)

Special Mention of the Jury
Foools - Seo Kim and Steve Manale (USA/Canada)

Special Mention of the Jury
Poisson nuage - Noé Garcia (Belgium/France)

Other awards

Northern Excellence Award for Canadian Filmmaking
Black Zombie - Maya Annik Bedward (Canada/Haiti)
Special Mention
Insectasy - Angus Silver (Canada)

Quebec Association of Film Critics (AQCC) Award
Bowels of Hell - Gurcius Gewdner and Gustavo Vinagre (Brazil)
Special Mention
Levitating - Wregas Bhanuteja (Indonesia/Singapore/France/Taiwan)