YORKTON — As the longest-running film festival in North America prepares for its 79th year, the Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) has officially unveiled its final round of nominees.
With more than 300 entries submitted for the prestigious Golden Sheaf Awards, this year’s festival promises to be a major showcase of both local and international talent. The 2026 festival will run from May 20 to May 24, maintaining its expanded five-day schedule to accommodate high demand from broadcasters and industry organizations across the country.
All festival screenings will be completely free of charge to the public.
New categories and Oscar-calibre talent
Festival executive director Randy Goulden announced the final nominees for several key categories, including best director of fiction and non-fiction, research, and the newly introduced craft category, best performance. Juries composed of film industry professionals from across Canada volunteered their time to adjudicate the submissions.
Goulden noted that the quality of entries this year is a testament to the strength of the Canadian film and television industry. Among the notable entries is the National Film Board’s 15-minute animated short, The Woman Who Cried Pearls, which recently captured an Academy Award.
"We're honoured to have an award-winning, like an Academy Award-winning film entered into the Yorkton Film Festival," Goulden said.
Celebrating Saskatchewan talent
A major highlight of the YFF is the Ruth Shaw Award for Best of Saskatchewan. The award honours the late Ruth Shaw, a Yorkton businesswoman and community advocate who was an original founding member of the Yorkton Film Council in 1947. She remained a tireless volunteer and promoter for the festival, the city and the province for more than half a century.
Saskatchewan filmmakers are well represented this year. The feature Die Alone, directed by Lowell Dean, has secured nominations for both best director (fiction) and the Ruth Shaw Award.
The 2026 Ruth Shaw Award nominees include:
Die Alone
La Colle Falls — Directed by Mike Rollo
Sideways — Directed by Lori Kuffner
Inuusivut Sapirnaqtuq – Our Life is Very Tough — Directed by Kaitlyn Van De Woestyne and Angus Cockney
Thahyu:ni: akaowa:tsi Ksliye:tánhaks (wolf blood: the threads that bind) — Directed by Dianne Ouellette
Goulden emphasized the importance of highlighting local creators.
"Sometimes we let that go by, because we're a smaller province, smaller population, but the talent here is incredible," she said.
Free community screenings
The festival will host community viewing experiences throughout the week. On May 20, the Yorkton Fire Hall will host a screening of two episodes of Searchers. The series, produced by Saskatoon’s Angel Entertainment, highlights the work of the Yorkton area Search and Rescue. The event will also feature tours of the fire station.
On May 21, the opening night screening will take place at the Painted Hand Casino. The free event will feature Tasha Hubbard’s feature film, Meadowlarks.
The Best of Festival winner is kept closely guarded and will not be announced in advance; it will be revealed at the conclusion of the awards night. A complete list of all nominees can be found on the festival’s website.
