This year, we are honoured to introduce a new award in memory of a remarkable young filmmaker, Svitlana Chuchkova.
Svitlana participated in KCFF’s inaugural 18 MM Program in 2023. In the spring of 2025, her life was tragically cut short. In her honour, we’ve created the Svitlana Cuchkova Award to support new and emerging filmmakers who have taken part in the 18 MM Program. This award is intended to reflect the qualities Svitlana embodied during her time with us; the ideal recipient will be a filmmaker who brings energy, charm, and charisma to their work, and who demonstrates a distinctive creative voice and approach to storytelling.
The Svitlana Chuchkova Award will be presented to a current or former 18 MM Program participant for their submission to the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Svitlana’s adoptive parents, Ryan Randall and Laura Watt, for generously contributing $500 in support of this new award.