Prix Iris (Quebec Cinema Awards)

Overview

The Prix Iris are Quebec's annual national film prizes, presented by Quebec Cinema in Montreal. The 27th ceremony took place on December 7, 2025, at Grande Studios in Montreal, hosted by Phil Roy for a second consecutive year. The ceremony was broadcast on Noovo and Crave, and produced by Sphere Media in collaboration with Bell Media and Quebec Cinema.

The awards are split across two events: the Gala Artisans, which honors below-the-line craft categories, and the main televised Gala Quebec Cinema. In 2025, 31 Prix Iris were awarded across both events, recognizing 43 competing films.

Universal Language (Une langue universelle), directed by Matthew Rankin, dominated the 27th ceremony with 8 awards from 17 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The film also received the Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards for Danielle Fichaud and Mani Soleymanlou.

Eligibility and Submission Rules

Films must have been distributed theatrically in Quebec between September 1 of the prior year and August 31 of the awards year to be eligible. For the 2025 ceremony, the eligibility window ran from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025. In 2024, 35 feature films (including two minority coproductions) were eligible across 18 fiction categories.

Quebec cinema operates as a distinct cultural entity within Canada. Most films made in the province are French-language, but English-language films produced in Quebec are also fully eligible for nomination in all categories. International coproductions are treated differently depending on their classification: a coproduction that surpasses the organization's criteria for "majority Quebecois" involvement is eligible in all categories, same as a Quebec film. A "minority Quebecois" coproduction is eligible only in categories where a resident of Quebec is the nominee, and cannot be submitted for Best Film.

Funding Context: SODEC and Telefilm Canada

Quebec's film industry is funded primarily through SODEC (Societe de developpement des entreprises culturelles) and Telefilm Canada. SODEC's Production Program provides funding to Quebec production companies for feature-length fiction films, documentaries, and short films.

For feature-length fiction films with a total production budget under $3,500,000 CAD, the production company and producer must have produced and brought to screen in Quebec at least one prior feature fiction film or equivalent fiction work within the preceding eight years. For budgets of $3,500,000 or more, the requirement increases to at least two prior productions.

SODEC also administers the refundable tax credit for Quebec cinematographic and television production. To qualify, a film must be certified by SODEC as a Quebec production, with at least 75% of production costs (excluding financing costs) paid to Quebec residents or Quebec-based companies for films of 75 minutes or more. Quebec productions must meet content criteria including Quebec-resident screenwriters, performers, and technical crew.

Key Categories

The 31 Prix Iris categories span fiction, documentary, short film, and craft categories. The main televised categories include:

• Best Film
• Best Director
• Best Screenplay
• Best Actress and Best Actor (leading role)
• Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor
• Revelation of the Year (breakthrough performance)
• Best First Feature (debut filmmakers)
• Best Documentary Feature
• Prix Michel-Cote (formerly the Audience Award, awarded to the most popular film by box office admissions among five finalists)
• Iris Hommage (career achievement award)

The Gala Artisans covers below-the-line categories including cinematography, editing, art direction, costume design, makeup, sound, original score, visual effects, and short film categories. A new category introduced at the 27th ceremony rewards the Most Successful Short Film Outside Quebec.

History

The awards were established in 1999 as the Jutra Awards, named after Claude Jutra, a pioneering Quebec filmmaker known for Mon oncle Antoine (1971). The ceremony was renamed Prix Iris in 2018 following revelations about Jutra's personal conduct. The name "Iris" references the Greek word for rainbow.

The record for most awards at a single ceremony is held by C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), which won 16 awards. Quebec filmmakers who received early Prix Iris or Jutra recognition before achieving international prominence include Denis Villeneuve, Jean-Marc Vallee, Xavier Dolan, and Philippe Falardeau.

The Iris Hommage was awarded to director Lea Pool at the 27th ceremony, recognizing a career spanning over 45 years and approximately 20 feature films.

Business Impact for Filmmakers

For Quebec filmmakers, a Prix Iris is the highest recognition within their specific industry. The awards directly influence future funding decisions from SODEC, which evaluates a filmmaker's track record and critical reception when allocating production grants. A Prix Iris win or nomination strengthens a filmmaker's position for co-production partnerships with France and other francophone countries.

Quebec's co-production treaty with France is one of the most active bilateral film agreements in the world. Prix Iris recognition signals quality to French co-production partners evaluating collaboration opportunities. The Prix Michel-Cote (audience award) is based on actual box office performance: the five finalists are the films with the highest admission counts in Quebec cinemas during the eligibility period, and the winner is determined by public vote among those five.

Recent Results (27th Prix Iris, December 2025)

• Best Film: Universal Language (Une langue universelle) (8 awards total from 17 nominations)
• Best Director: Matthew Rankin, Universal Language
• Best Screenplay: Matthew Rankin, Ila Firouzabadi, Pirouz Nemati, Universal Language
• Best Actor: Patrick Hivon, Amour apocalypse
• Best Actress: Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Deux femmes en or
• Best Supporting Actor: Mani Soleymanlou, Universal Language
• Best Supporting Actress: Danielle Fichaud, Universal Language
• Revelation of the Year: Marguerite Laurence, Mlle Bottine
• Best First Feature: Vil and Misirable (Jean-Francois Leblanc, Samuel Cantin)
• Best Documentary: Intercepted (Interceptes) (directed by Oksana Karpovych)
• Prix Michel-Cote: Le Cyclone de Noel
• Iris Hommage: Lea Pool

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

• Mistake: Assuming a minority Quebecois co-production can compete for Best Film. Correct rule: A minority Quebecois co-production is eligible only in categories where a resident of Quebec is the nominee. It cannot be submitted for Best Film.
• Mistake: Entering a film that had its theatrical run outside the eligibility window. Correct rule: Films must have been distributed theatrically in Quebec between September 1 of the prior year and August 31 of the awards year. No exceptions are made for films released outside this window.
• Mistake: Assuming an English-language film produced in Quebec is ineligible. Correct rule: English-language films produced in Quebec are fully eligible for nomination in all categories, same as French-language films.
• Mistake: Expecting a film that premiered on streaming to qualify. Correct rule: The film must have had a theatrical release in Quebec during the eligibility window. Streaming-only releases do not qualify for the main categories.

Prestige Tier

The Prix Iris sits at the top of Quebec's film industry, comparable to the Canadian Screen Awards at the national level but with deeper cultural specificity. Within Canada, the Prix Iris carries more weight for Quebec filmmakers than the Canadian Screen Awards because it recognizes work within the distinct Quebecois cultural and linguistic context. The awards rank alongside the Cesars (France) and the Goya Awards (Spain) as a regional academy prize with real industry impact. Quebec's active co-production treaty with France gives the Prix Iris cross-border relevance that most regional awards lack. Filmmakers who won early Prix Iris or Jutra recognition before achieving international prominence include Denis Villeneuve, Jean-Marc Vallee, Xavier Dolan, and Philippe Falardeau, placing the awards in a talent-development tier above most regional critics prizes.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Prix Iris rewards films that resonate with Quebec's film industry voters across 31 categories. To qualify, your film needs a theatrical release in Quebec between September 1 and August 31 of the eligibility year. The key trade-off: the strict theatrical requirement means streaming-only releases cannot compete, limiting access for digital-first filmmakers. For co-productions, the distinction between majority and minority Quebecois involvement determines eligibility: majority co-productions compete in all categories, while minority co-productions face restrictions. SODEC production grants (ranging up to $3,500,000 CAD for qualifying projects) and the refundable Quebec tax credit (requiring 75% of production costs paid to Quebec residents) form the funding backbone. A Prix Iris win strengthens your position for both SODEC grants and French co-production partnerships. The Prix Michel-Cote audience award, based on actual box office admissions, offers a separate recognition track for commercially successful films.

Watch

See Also

For understanding how co-production networks support independent filmmaking, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across francophone markets, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the cost of an awards campaign against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.