The Montreal International Black Film Festival unveils its 2026 winners and celebrates powerful works that uphold black voices, memories and imaginations
The Montreal International Black Film Festival (FIFBM) closed its 22nd edition last night at the Cinéma du Musée, with the screening of DIYA, by Achille Ronaimou.
With its 70 films from 21 countries, #FIFBM26 offered programming that reflects the plurality of Black experiences around the world. Beyond the screenings, the Festival also offered spaces for meetings and reflection with its Black Market, its professional panels and workshops, the Being Black in Canada program, the MIFBM in the Neighborhoods as well as its Pop-Up market, continuing its commitment to filmmakers, industry professionals and the next generation.
After five days of screenings and meetings bringing together filmmakers and audiences from all backgrounds, the juries rewarded works that stand out for their narrative strength, their formal audacity and their ability to resonate cultural and human realities too often absent from the screens.
This year, top honors go to:
BEST FEATURE FICTION FILM: SE EU FOSSE VIVO… VIVIA (If I Were Alive) by André Novais Oliveira (Brazil)
BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: ESPWA HAITI: AGAINST ALL EXPECTATIONS (Espwa Haiti: Against All Odds) by Isabelle Depelteau and Noémie Ferron (Québec, Canada)
BEST SHORT/MEDIUM FILM: DON’T WAKE UP THE SLEEPING CHILD by Kevin Aubert (Senegal, France, Morocco)
HONORABLE MENTION (Fiction): DIYA by Achille Ronaimou (Chad, Germany, France, Ivory Coast)
SPECIAL MENTION SHORT/MEDIUM FILM: A ÚLTIMA COLHEITA (The Last Harvest) by Nuno Boaventura Miranda (Cape Verde, Portugal)
JURY MEMBERS
Fiction feature films: President – Will Prosper, Nadia Zouaoui, Penande Estime
Feature documentaries: President – Michèle Stephenson, Justine Smith, Phyllis Gooden
Short and medium-length fiction and documentary films: President – Mylène Augustin, Zainab Rabbaa, Samuel Sufren
The 23rd Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIFBM) will take place from September 29 to October 3, 2027.
About the Montreal International Black Film Festival
Created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (FIFBM) is celebrating its 22nd edition this year. The festival’s mission is to promote the development of independent cinema and to highlight works relating to the realities of black people around the world. Its programming offers a platform to filmmakers whose works allow us to discover new perspectives, spark conversations and highlight voices that are often less visible.