The time-loop thriller claims the Adam Lopez Audience Award as HALLOWARRIOR takes home the inaugural ScareScore Trophy
TORONTO, October 30, 2026: Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) is thrilled to announce the award winners of its 19th edition, which welcomed 5,000 attendees across 16 screenings and programmes earlier this month. At After Dark, the audience is the jury. Ticket holders are polled following each screening, with their votes determining the festival's audience awards. Additionally, the festival’s 200 passholders are given a ballot to determine their selections in a number of unique categories.
Without further ado…
The 2026 Adam Lopez Audience Award goes to… 5 MORE MINUTES, director Javier Ruiz Caldera’s thrilling reinvention of the time-loop conceit. The silver and bronze runners-up are: THE FOX (d. Dario Russo) and DRAG (d. Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer), respectively.
5 MORE MINUTES is also the recipient of the 2026 Harvey Lalonde Volunteers’ Choice Award for Best Feature Film. For Best Short Film, the volunteers have selected PAPER CUTS (d. Alice Gatland and Ross Ozarka).
director Javier Ruiz Caldera introducing 5 MORE MINUTES at Toronto After Dark
The festival’s Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to… SOMETHING BORROWED (d. Findlay Ironside); with FREQUENCY (d. Lauren Andrews) and MY DINNER WITH VICTOR (d. Andrew Chiu) as the respective silver and bronze runners-up.
For Best International Short Film, the audience has selected IT HELPS (d. J. Zachary Thurman). PAPER CUTS and THE DOGLEG (d. Piotr Szubra) are the audience’s silver and bronze selections.
The festival’s inaugural Audience Choice Award for Best Late-Night Feature signals the crowd’s top choice of After Dark’s new late-night programme. Held at CFMDC’s CineCycle, the programme spotlights esoteric and experimental genre cinema from around the world. This year’s award goes to… director Casey Donahue’s debut feature MY LOVE FOR YOU IS DEEP BUT THE DEVIL LOVES ME DEEPER.
MY LOVE FOR YOU IS DEEP BUT THE DEVIL LOVES ME DEEPER filmmakers, from left to right: Anya Kanevskaya (prod.), Ben Gojer (prod.), Casey Donahue (dir.), Eris Deo (sfx), Ryan Thomas (dp)
After Dark Passholders awarded nine distinct feature films with honours at this year’s festival. 5 MORE MINUTES takes home 6 Passholder Awards, including Best Director, Best Screenplay and Funniest Film; while opening-night feature WHALEFALL earned three Passholder Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design and Best Special Effects.
Acting accolades were given to both I LOVE PARIS’ Aminata Thiboult (Best Performance) and to Dario Russo’s THE FOX (Best Ensemble); while the Vampire Santa of RED SNOW (d. Ilja Rautsi) was selected as After Dark 2026’s Best Monster/Creature. Scariest Film was bestowed upon Marion Le Corroller’s SPECIES, and Passholders acknowledged the “frying pan” kill from DRAG as the festival’s Best Kill.
I LOVE PARIS star Aminata Thiboult discussing her film at Toronto After Dark
TURN IT UP! (d. Sam Scott) and HALLOWARRIOR (d. Ben Sottak) each received two Passholder Awards, with fans clamouring for more HALLOWARRIOR after voting it The Film You Most Want to See a Sequel To.
Toronto After Dark is also proud to announce the winner of its inaugural ScareScore Trophy, presented in partnership with the festival's lead sponsor. ScareScore is the world’s most dynamic biometric engine for entertainment. Measuring the real-time physical responses of participating audience members, the 2026 ScareScore Trophy was earned by… HALLOWARRIOR.
For more information about ScareScore, visit scarescore.com/pulse.
Director Ben Sottak and star Milly Shapiro introducing HALLOWARRIOR at Toronto After Dark
The complete list of 2026 Toronto After Dark award winners can be found below:
Adam Lopez Audience Award for Best Feature Film
5 MORE MINUTES (d. Javier Ruiz Caldera)
Silver: THE FOX (d. Dario Russo)
Bronze: DRAG (d. Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer)
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Harvey Lalonde Volunteers’ Choice Awards
Feature: 5 MORE MINUTES (d. Javier Ruiz Caldera)
Short: PAPER CUTS (d. Alice Gatland and Ross Ozarka)
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Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Short Film
SOMETHING BORROWED (d. Findlay Ironside)
Silver: FREQUENCY (d. Lauren Andrews)
Bronze: MY DINNER WITH VICTOR (d. Andrew Chiu)
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Audience Choice Award for Best International Short Film
IT HELPS (d. J. Zachary Thurman)
Silver: PAPER CUTS (d. Alice Gatland and Ross Ozarka)
Bronze: THE DOGLEG (d. Piotr Szubra)
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Audience Choice Award for Best Late-Night Feature
MY LOVE FOR YOU IS DEEP BUT THE DEVIL LOVES ME DEEPER (d. Casey Donahue)
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ScareScore Trophy
HALLOWARRIOR (d. Ben Sottak)
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Passholder Awards
5 MORE MINUTES (d. Javier Ruiz Caldera) (6 Awards)
Best Director (Javier Ruiz Caldera)
Best Screenplay (Berto Romero)
Funniest Film
Best Editing
Best Choreography
Best Film to Watch with a Crowd
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WHALEFALL (d. Brian Duffield) (3 Awards)
Best Cinematography
Best Sound Design
Best Special Effects
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HALLOWARRIOR (d. Ben Sottak) (2 Awards)
Best Costume Design
The Film You Most Want to See a Sequel To
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TURN IT UP! (d. Sam Scott) (2 Awards)
Best Music
Best Title Sequence
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DRAG (d. Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer)
Best Kill: Frying Pan
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THE FOX (d. Dario Russo)
Best Ensemble
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I LOVE PARIS (d. Nicky Murphy)
Best Performance: Aminata Thiboult
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RED SNOW (d. Ilja Rautsi)
Best Monster/Creature: Vampire Santa
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SPECIES (d. Marion Le Corroller)
Scariest Film
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ABOUT TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL
Founded in 2006 by the late Adam Lopez, Toronto After Dark Film Festival is one of the world’s leading showcases of new horror, thriller, sci-fi, action and cult cinema. Built from Lopez’s lifelong love of genre film and the passionate community he cultivated, the festival has become a beloved annual destination for film fans, filmmakers, press and industry, presenting new features and shorts from Canada and around the world. Toronto After Dark’s 19th edition takes place October 14–18, 2026 at Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Toronto.
Media Contacts:
Angie Power
ROUTE 504 PR
