Gender Equity in Media Society (GEMS) announced the award winners of the 20th annual GEMFest, celebrating outstanding achievements in film and television by women and gender-diverse creators. This year’s festival featured an inspiring selection of films and stories from around the world, with awards given in categories spanning screenwriting, short films and features with impactful themes.

GEMFest 2025 Award Winners

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION AWARDS

Best Feature – Poisonous by Jasleen Kaur
Prize provided by: Rephrase Filmworks

Best TV Pilot –  Young Hags by Corina Bizim and Maddy Hillis
Prize provided by: Firecracker Department

SHORT FILM AWARDS

Impact – Short – Karateka (Director: Florence Fauquet)
Presented by: North Shore Studios

Best Performance – Carmen Sylvestre in Lumen
Presented by: Lucas Talent

Best Cinematography – Nina Wells for Vivie
Presented by: ICG 669

Best Editing – Grace Zhang for Lovin’ Her

Best Direction – Geneviève Tremblay & Milla Cummings for Passageways 

Best Short – Is Gay Marriage Next? (Director: Emily Clark)
Presented by: ACFC West

BEST OF BC AWARDS

Best of BC (Award 1) – February Sixteenth Nineteen Forty-Seven (Director: Jessica Miinguuaqtii)
Presented by: Vancouver Film Studios, prize provided by Sparky’s Grip & Lighting

Best of BC (Award 2) – Little Miss Sleepy (Director: Jenny Lee-Gilmore)
Presented by: MBS Equipment Co.

Best of BC (Award 3) – NiiMisSak: Sisters in Film (Director: Jules A Koostachin)
Presented by: Cinelease

FEATURE FILM AWARDS

Impact – Feature – Inay (Mama) (Director: Thea Loo, DP: Jeremiah Reyes)
Presented by: CMPA

Best Performance – Olunike Adeliyi in Village Keeper
Presented by: UBCP/ACTRA

Best Cinematography – Negin Khazaee for One Must Wash Eyes
Presented by: Keslow Camera

Best Musical Score – Melody McKivor for Singing Back the Buffalo

Best Editing – Anna Chiyeko Shannon for Inay (Mama)
Presented by: Canadian Cinema Editors

Best Screenplay (Festival) – Sepideh Yadegar for One Must Wash Eyes
Presented by: Chandler Fogden Lyman Law

Best Documentary – Singing Back the Buffalo (Director: Tasha Hubbard)

Best Direction – Tasha Hubbard for Singing Back the Buffalo
Presented by: The Directors Guild of Canada, BC 

Best Feature –  Village Keeper
Presented by: Telefilm Canada

INDUSTRY AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement in Advancing Equity: Tracey Friesen (posthumous)

Emerging Changemaker Award: Doaa Magdy
Presented by: Creative BC 

Leadership in Education Award: Sharon McGowan

Artistic Achievement Award: Jules A. Koostachin
Presented by: IATSE 891