Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm’s psychological body horror Nightborn emerged as the biggest winner at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival, taking home the prestigious Cheval Noir Award for Best Film along with an Outstanding Performance Award for lead actress Seidi Haarla. The juried awards were announced on July 25, as the Montreal-based festival continues through August 2, celebrating three decades as one of the world’s premier showcases for genre cinema.
The international jury, chaired by Youngjoo Suh, founder and CEO of Finecut Co. Ltd., praised Nightborn for its psychological intensity and its ability to blur the line between reality and illusion, while describing its bittersweet ending as both emotionally affecting and unforgettable. Haarla was recognised for her transformative performance, with the jury highlighting her blend of dark humour, physical commitment and emotionally charged body horror.
The victory marks another major milestone for Bergholm, whose debut feature Hatching premiered at Sundance in 2022 and established her as one of the most promising new voices in contemporary horror cinema. With Nightborn, the Finnish filmmaker further strengthens her reputation as one of Europe’s leading genre directors.
The second major winner of the evening was No Rest for the Wicked, a period vampire drama directed by Kasper Kalle and set in the Faroe Islands. Kalle received the Cheval Noir Award for Best Director, with the jury commending his confident direction of a visually rich period drama exploring identity and love. Lead actor Pilou Asbæk, known internationally for Game of Thrones and Lucy, also received an Outstanding Performance Award for his emotionally nuanced portrayal of a man navigating freedom, isolation and self-discovery.
Italian filmmaker Andrea Corsini’s debut feature Ferine claimed two Cheval Noir honours. Fabrizio La Palombara won Best Cinematography for his striking use of the anamorphic format and imagery inspired by classic Italian horror cinema, while legendary composer Pino Donaggio, whose career includes scores for films such as Don’t Look Now and Carrie, received Best Score. The jury described Donaggio’s work as a welcome return by one of cinema’s great composers to a genre that helped define his career.
The Best Screenplay Award went to Edwin, Eka Kurniawan and Daishi Matsunaga for Sleep No More, an Indonesian-Singapore-Japan co-production directed by Edwin. Fantasia also introduced a new Best Editing category this year, with the inaugural award going to Soichi Ueno for Hideo Jojo’s Beasts Clutching at Straws. The Cheval Noir jury also presented Special Mentions to the ensemble cast of Hot Spot and the practical effects team behind Sleep No More.
Beyond the main competition, the festival’s New Flesh Competition, dedicated to debut features, awarded its top prize to New Zealand sci-fi comedy Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, directed by filmmaking duo THUNDERLIPS. In the animation section, French feature Blaise, directed by Jean-Paul Guigue and Dimitri Planchon, made festival history by becoming the first French production to win the Satoshi Kon Award for Best Animated Feature.
Now celebrating its 30th edition, the Fantasia International Film Festival has evolved into one of the world’s leading destinations for genre cinema. Held annually in Montreal, the festival attracts filmmakers, producers, distributors, studio executives and festival programmers from around the globe, while also hosting the Frontières International Co-Production Market, one of the industry’s leading financing and networking platforms for genre filmmaking. Over the years, Fantasia has built a reputation as a launchpad for emerging talent and future cult classics, helping introduce filmmakers such as Adam Wingard and championing films including CAM, Perfect Blue, Ring and Unfriended before they reached wider international audiences.
This year’s winners reflected Fantasia’s enduring commitment to championing distinctive voices in genre filmmaking, with major honours spanning Finland, the Faroe Islands, Italy, Indonesia, New Zealand and France. As the festival marks its 30th anniversary, the 2026 edition once again reinforces Fantasia’s status as one of the most influential launchpads for horror, fantasy, science fiction and animation on the international festival circuit.
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