2026 Long Shorts - Edmonton Short Film Festival
Edmonton Short Film Festival

2026 LONG SHORTS | AWARD WINNERS & OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Celebrating Canadian & International Film

The 2026 Edmonton Short Film Festival Long Shorts showcase, held on October 18 at Landmark Cinemas Edmonton City Centre, brought together outstanding Canadian and international independent films for an afternoon celebrating bold storytelling and fresh perspectives.

Under this year’s theme, Short Films: Big Impact, audiences experienced an incredible range of filmmaking talent, proving that great stories don’t need a feature-length runtime.

2026 LONG SHORTS AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to our 2026 Long Shorts award winners! These exceptional films were recognized for their outstanding storytelling, creativity, and cinematic achievement.

Best Canadian Film

Vital
Directed by Amir Zargara

Best International Film

Ephemera, UT
Directed by JL Topkis

Congratulations to both filmmakers and everyone whose work was featured in this year’s Long Shorts showcase!

HOLLYWOOD COMES HOME: TRAVIS DESLAURIER

Special Presentation & Audience Q&A

Edmonton-born Hollywood actor Travis DesLaurier joined us for a special presentation, The Future of Storytelling Is Vertical, exploring his Hollywood journey and the rapidly growing world of vertical filmmaking.

With appearances in The Rookie, Dexter: Original Sin, and 9-1-1: Lone Star, along with more than 33 leading roles in vertical dramas, Travis shared his experiences and insights during an engaging audience Q&A.

His presentation offered a fascinating look at how mobile-first entertainment is changing the way stories are created and experienced.

2026 LONG SHORTS OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

We proudly recognize the Canadian and international filmmakers whose work was selected for this year’s Long Shorts program.

  • Ephemera, UT | JL Topkis

  • The Tomato | Pauline Tessadri

  • Lateral | Kenneth Tynan

  • Lay Lefty Down | Traven Rice

  • L’homme qui collectionne les élastiques – L’uomo che raccoglie gli elastici | Carlito Ghioni

  • Last Stand at Butte City | Natalie Schwan

  • Please Fix Me | PFM Productions

  • Choice | Naddine Madell

  • Vital | Amir Zargara

  • PLAYBACK | Gabriel Manabo

  • The Lowly Juggler | Landon Kiltz

  • Beautiful Dishes for Beautiful People | Riley Larente

SHORT FILMS: BIG IMPACT

From powerful Canadian dramas to inventive international storytelling, this year’s Long Shorts selections highlighted the creativity and diversity of independent cinema.

A heartfelt thank you to our filmmakers, audiences, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners for making the 2026 Long Shorts showcase a success.

Congratulations to our award winners and Official Selections! We look forward to bringing more incredible stories from Canada and around the world to the big screen in 2027.

Short Films. Big Impact.