The 2023 edition of the Atlantic International Film Festival, the 43rd edition in the event's history, took place from September 14 to 21, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada."Atlantic International Film Festival returns to Halifax Sept. 14-21". SaltWire Network, August 16, 2023.
Some screenings at the festival were disrupted by Tropical Storm Lee, but the festival was not cancelled and all affected screenings were rescheduled for another time."Atlantic International Film Festival shares a love of film". CBC News, September 12, 2023. Following the conclusion of the official in-person festival, the Atlantic Canadian films from the program were also made available on a dedicated streaming platform for three additional days to help publicize the films in the rest of the region.
Awards Award Film Recipient Gordon Parsons Award for Best Atlantic Canadian Feature The King Tide Christian Sparkes Best Atlantic Canadian Director Sweetland Joan Orenstein & David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting Mother's Skin Briar Ainslie Who's Yer Father? Susan Kent Best Atlantic Documentary Celestial Queer: The Life, Work and Wonder of James MacSwain Erin Foster, Sue Johnson Best Atlantic Short Documentary Songs of Unama'ki Dawn Wells, Jeff Miller Best Atlantic Short Film Mother's Skin Leah Johnston Best Atlantic Short Film, Honorable Mention Father Archie Todd Fraser Michael Weir Award for Best Atlantic Screenwriting Sweetland Christian Sparkes Best Atlantic Cinematographer Mitata (Grandfather) Desmond Simon Best Atlantic Editor The King Tide Justin Oakey Best Atlantic Original Score Evelyn Devon Ross
Official selections Gala Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country Flora and Son John Carney United States, Ireland The Queen of My Dreams Fawzia Mirza Canada Sweetland Christian Sparkes Canada
Reel East Coast Shorts English title Original title Director(s) Province Escape the Usual Colby Conrad Nova Scotia Evelyn Millefiore Clarkes Prince Edward Island Father Archie Todd Fraser New Brunswick The Healing Jar Andreas Cass Newfoundland and Labrador Hebron Relocation Holly Anderson Newfoundland and Labrador Mother's Skin Leah Johnston Nova Scotia Slay Kevin Hartford Nova Scotia
Narrative New Waves English title Original title Director(s) Production country Backspot D. W. Waterson Canada Banel & Adama Banel et Adama Ramata-Toulaye Sy France, Senegal, Mali Boca Chica Gabriella Athena Moses Dominican Republic Doubles Ian Harnarine Canada Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant Ariane Louis-Seize Canada I Used to Be Funny Ally Pankiw Canada In Flames Zarrar Kahn Canada Richelieu Pier-Philippe Chevigny Canada Seagrass Meredith Hama-Brown Canada The Settlers Los Colonos Felipe Gálvez Haberle Chile, Argentina, France, Denmark, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Sweden, Germany With Love and a Major Organ Kim Albright Canada
World Cinema English title Original title Director(s) Production country About Dry Grasses Kuru Otlar Üstüne Nuri Bilge Ceylan Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden Anatomy of a Fall Anatomie d'une chute Justine Triet France La Chimera Alice Rohrwacher Italy, France, Switzerland Close to You Dominic Savage Canada, United Kingdom Days of Happiness Les Jours heureux Chloé Robichaud Canada The Delinquents Los delincuentes Rodrigo Moreno Argentina, Brazil, Luxembourg, Chile Fallen Leaves Kuolleet lehdet Aki Kaurismäki Finland, Germany Fitting In Molly McGlynn Canada The King Tide Christian Sparkes Canada Monster 怪物 Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan The Old Oak Ken Loach United Kingdom, France, Belgium Perfect Days Wim Wenders Japan The Promised Land Bastarden Nikolaj Arcel Denmark Red, White & Brass Damon Fepulea'i New Zealand Seven Veils Atom Egoyan Canada Suze Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart Canada Tautuktavuk (What We See) Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk Canada Tótem Lila Avilés Mexico, Denmark, France Who's Yer Father? Jeremy Larter Canada
Late Night Visions English title Original title Director(s) Production country Deliver Us Cru Ennis, Lee Roy Kunz United States Raging Grace Paris Zarcilla United Kingdom Red Rooms Les Chambres rouges Pascal Plante Canada
Classics Restored & In Focus English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Grand Seduction Don McKellar Canada John and the Missus Gordon Pinsent Canada Life Classes William D. MacGillivray Canada The Mother and the Whore La maman et la putain Jean Eustache France
Documentaries English title Original title Director(s) Production country Against the Tide Sarvnik Kaur India Analogue Revolution: How Feminist Media Changed the World Marusya Bociurkiw Canada Celestial Queer: The Life, Work and Wonder of James MacSwain Sue Johnson, Eryn Foster Canada The Elephant 6 Recording Co, C.B. Stockfleth United States I Lost My Mom J'ai placé ma mère Denys Desjardins Canada In the Quiet and the Dark Nance Ackerman Canada Innocence Guy Davidi Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Israel Invisible Beauty Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng United States Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe Robert McCallum Canada Orlando, My Political Biography Orlando, ma biographie politique Paul B. Preciado France A Quiet Girl Adrian Wills Canada Smoke Sauna Sisterhood Savvusanna sõsarad Anna Hints Estonia, France, Iceland Someone Lives Here Zack Russell Canada Songs of Unama'ki Dawn Wells, Jeff Miller Canada Stolen Time Helene Klodawsky Canada Swan Song Chelsea McMullan Canada Unsyncable Megan Wennberg Canada
Shorts English title Original title Director(s) Production country 6 Minutes per Kilometre 6 minutes/km Catherine Boivin Canada 27 Flóra Anna Buda France, Hungary 48 Hours Azadeh Moussavi Iran All the Days of May Tous les jours de mai Miryam Charles Canada Aphasia Aphasie Marielle Dalpé Canada Atlantis Zoé Pelchat Canada Blueberries for Iris Zoe Cleland Canada Carnaval Justine Martin Canada Daughter of the Sea Nicole Gormley, Nancy Kwon United States Electra Daria Kashcheeva Czech Republic, France, Slovakia Entrée Akshay Shirke Canada Favourite Only Child Juliette Poitras Canada The Gaze Stacy Gardner Canada Gold and Mud Conor Dooley United States Human Resources Ressources humaines Trinidad Plass, Titouan Tillier, Isaac Wenzek France I Have No Tears and I Must Cry Luis Fernando Puente United States I Promise You Paradise Paradis Morad Mostafa France, Egypt, Qatar In Between Clara Prévost Canada In the Garden of Tulips Julia Elihu United States Joie de vivre Dada Canada Klette Michael Abay Belgium A Love Letter to Léopold L. Foulem Lettre d’amour à Léopold L. Foulem Renée Blanchar Canada Madeleine Raquel Sancinetti Canada Mamita Luis Molinié Canada Mickey Stevey Hunter Canada The Miracle Nienke Deutz Belgium Miserable Miracle Ryo Orikas Canada Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher Heather Campbell Canada Mitata (Grandfather) Desmond Simon Canada Modern Goose Karsten Wall Canada Nun or Never! Heta Jäälinoja Finland Payback Jesse Harley Canada The Score 97.9 Violet Shoshana Pask Canada Shallots and Garlic Bawang Merah Bawang Putih Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto Canada Signal and Noise Jess Shane, Katie Matthews Canada The Skates Les Patins Halima Ouardiri Canada Starry-Eyed Emma MacCabe Canada Summer 96 Été 96 Mathilde Bédouet France Summer of 2000 Été 2000 Virginie Nolin, Laurence Olivier Canada Things Unheard Of Ramazan Kilic Turkey Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie Nicole Bazuin Canada Two Apples Bahram Javahery Canada The Vacation Jarreau Carrillo United States The Waves Young Yumi South Korea Wolf Kathleen Dorian Canada
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