ANNOUNCEMENTS

A thematically driven festival, the inaugural edition of the Montreal Asian International Film Festival (MAiFF/몬아제) — and the 13th edition in the evolution of the Korean Film Festival of Canada — closed this weekend to an enthusiastic response from local and international audiences alike. 

MAiFF 2026 marked three significant milestones: the launch of its new identity under the motto UNBOUND; the inauguration of the Dancheong Competition and Silk Thread Awards; and a transformation from the KFFC into an inclusive platform for all Asian cinema and media arts. This is the year MAiFF took its place in the international festival community — dedicated to Asian cinema and the Asian diaspora experience, from Canada to the world.

⭐ THE AWARDS ⭐

The Dancheong Competition (단청 / 丹靑) takes its name from the ancient Korean art of painting palaces with vibrant, intricately woven colours. The Dancheong Awards honour emerging filmmakers painting bold new strokes through cinematic narrative, and are open specifically to directors presenting their first or second feature. The Silk Thread Awards are drawn from across all MAiFF categories, recognizing the rarest and most original works as selected by the jury.

⭐ THE PRIZES ⭐

Each award is a handmade art bookmark crafted from saekdong and dancheong colour textiles. Far from a simple craft, the process involved travelling back and forth between Korea and Montreal in search of the right materials. The bookmarks' varied shapes are woven from new and recycled textiles, carrying both time and memory. Inspired by the vivid colours of Korean dancheong and the layered tradition of bojagi, each bookmark is a small artwork in its own right — conceived and designed by multidisciplinary artist Mi-Jeong Lee and brought to life through the hands of Kim Mi-Ja. (© mijeonglees.arts)

Each bookmark is accompanied by two books honouring the authors who led MAiFF's writing workshop: Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park and Annapurna's Bounty by Veena Gokhale, each signed by the author. The Grand Prix of the Dancheong Competition and the Best Director of the Silk Thread Awards also each carry a cash prize, funded by our film submission fees. Together, these prizes honour not only filmmakers, but the wider artistic community that makes cultural exchange possible.

⭐ THE JURY ⭐ 

The Dancheong Competition and Silk Thread Awards were decided by an international jury of filmmakers and artists:

Park Ri-Woong (Korea) — Filmmaker; winner of the 2025 KFFC Best Director Award for Land of Morning Calm

William Dere (Quebec) — Filmmaker and writer; Moving the Mountain

Yiou Wang (China/US) — Media artist and co-founder of Mixanthropy Studio

Sarah-Maude Lemieux (Quebec) — Film student, Université de Montréal

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Thank you to all the filmmakers and artists whose work was featured at MAiFF 2026 — we are honoured to have shared your films and art with our audiences. MAiFF is guided by a single conviction: that quality matters more than quantity. Every work selected represents our commitment to that standard. Congratulations to all our filmmakers and artists.

For more information about the wrap-up of the 13th MAiFF, read our closing press release from the link: https://mailchi.mp/5f36f4b4f15a/maiff-2026-winners. Thank you for supporting our mission and see you again next year!