TOSketchFestBlog

A graphic in blue, purple and dark blue with white diagonal lines. On the far right is a stylized arm holding a laurel wreath. The text reads “The Best of The Fest Award Show.” In the bottom left corner is an illustrated TV set with the words “The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival” on the screen.

The Best of the Fest Award Show 2021 – Winners

The 2021 Best of the Fest Award recipients are:

 

~

On May 26, The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival will broadcast the Best of the Fest Award Show – an online spectacle, celebrating the best of TOSketchFest21 – Screen Time Edition.

Hosted by 2020 Outstanding Comedy Short winner Darrell Faria, the Best of the Fest Award Show will feature award presentations, and appearances from Festival favourites. Join us May 26 at 7pmET on YouTube!

Throughout the show, we will announce the winners of the Festival’s five awards: The Outstanding Comedy Short Award presented by CBC, The Steam Whistle Producers’ Pick Award, The Audience Choice Awards presented by THINGS, The Sketchiest Sketch Troupe Award, and The Best of the Fest Award presented by Church + State.

Today we are proud to announce the nominees for the The Outstanding Comedy Short Award presented by CBC, and The Best of the Fest Award presented by Church + State.

 

2021 Nominees for OUTSTANDING COMEDY SHORT presented by CBC


The Outstanding Comedy Short Award traditionally honours one standout festival entry from the TOSketchFest Film Festival. The 2021 Award will honour the standout selected work from TOSketchFest21 – Screen Time Edition.

A photo grid featuring the six nominees for Outstanding Comedy Short. Top three: Folk Lordz, Drawn Up Comedy, and Connor Ferrara & Tim Blair. Bottom Three: Dejen Tesfagiorgis, Fog and Lasers, and Wishful Genies.

A photo grid featuring the six nominees for Outstanding Comedy Short. Top row: Folk Lordz, Drawn Up Comedy, and Connor Ferrara & Tim Blair. Bottom row: Dejen Tesfagiorgis, Fog and Lasers, and Wishful Genies.


Anti-Racism Healing Circle FAIL by Folk Lordz (Edmonton)
Directed by Mike Robertson
Written by Ben Gorodetsky & Todd Houseman

An incendiary look at the racism and exploitation at the heart of the Canadian arts sector. In this absurdist mockumentary, Canadian theatre legend Robert Lepage reveals his secret to new play development and his voracious appetite for retelling Indigenous stories in his signature (white) style.

I Gained Weight During COVID by Drawn Up Comedy
Animation/Music: Luba Magnus

Cast: Meg Mackay

For everyone who’s gained some weight during the pandemic, this song’s for you! Drawn Up is a cartoon variety show that is funny, quirky, surreal, and sure to delight! Created by comedian/animator Luba Magnus, and featuring some of Canada’s best comics as voices, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy.

Mr. Beautiful by Tim Blair and Connor Ferrara
Written By Connor Ferrara & Tim Blair

An unlikely candidate for a talent agency turns the tables (and even some other furniture) on his interviewer. Tim Blair co-created the multi-award winning sketch troupe TallBoyz II Men, who wrote and star in the sketch comedy series TallBoyz on CBC. Connor Ferrara has written for CBC Comedy and has performed at the Woodstock Laughs Comedy Festival, the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, and the Big City Improv Festival.

N’dly: Free Workplace Codeswitching app for Black Employees, Commercial 1 by Dejen Tesfagiorgis 
Written by: Dejen Tesfagiorgis (New York)

“Niggardly” is the new and revolutionary software app that softens truthful Black language, and whitens it up for the workplace. Dejen Tesfagiorgis wrote this sketch after a decade of separating his emotions from various day jobs. Niggardly started out as a 5-person sketch, but after pitching it to several friends he had too many people that had something to add to the conversation. Tesfagiorgis mostly writes sketches about the Startup tech industry, Black music and drinking. He loves commercial parodies and uses sketch as an avenue to address new normals that are completely messed up.

Relatable Porn by Wishful Genies
Written by: Rob Michaels
Directed by: Rob Michaels and Kenzie Yango

Porn is just so unrealistic. But does making it too relatable defeat the purpose?
Wishful Genies is a sketch comedy channel created by Rob Michaels and Fady Ghali that has had its shorts screened at numerous festivals across North America and amassed millions of views online via features on platforms such as Funny Or Die and 9GAG.

So Wretch by Fog and Lasers
Directed by – Graham Beasley

The music video for “So Wretch” from the album Fog and Lasers 2, available now on Comedy Records. So Wretch features vocals and lyrics by Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Chris Robinson, Dan Beirne, and Gwynne Phillips, with music by Chris Reineck, Anh Phung, Dave Dalrymple, and Morgan Waters.

 

2021 Nominees for BEST OF THE FEST AWARD presented by CHURCH + STATE

This juried award is the most prestigious accolade at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival.

A photo grid featuring the nominees for Best of the Fest. Top row: Now More Than Ever, Tom Hearn, Night Snack. Bottom row: Skinny KooKoo, Untitled Black Sketch Project, and the Best of the Fest nominee laurels.

A photo grid featuring the nominees for Best of the Fest. Top row: Now More Than Ever, Tom Hearn, Night Snack. Bottom row: Skinny KooKoo, Untitled Black Sketch Project, and the Best of the Fest nominee laurels.

 

Now More Than Ever 2021 by Jon Blair
Written, filmed and performed by Jon Blair

Now More Than Ever is a solo sketch show I’ve been shooting in my apartment during the lockdown. In this episode, it gets harder to ignore the Archie problem, skeletal plans are once again mucked up, the forest teaches a harsh lesson, the apple business proves not to be very relaxing, and more!

To What End. by Tom Hearn
Written and performed by Tom Hearn

A comedy show during the PANDY?! To What End. Canadian Comedy Award Winner Tom Hearn had been locked at home for an entire year since his show at Toronto Sketchfest 2020 SHUT DOWN THE FESTIVAL. The days are running together and the lines of Sketch Comedy and Reality have blurred. Original Characters, Impression, Musical Comedy, ZERO COVID CONTENT AND ALL NEW… TO WHAT END.

Say Hi and Night Snack
by Martin Sofiedal (Norway)

Martin Sofiedal is an award winning filmmaker from Oslo, Norway. Say Hi screened during the Cinematic Shorts showcase at TOSketchFest21 – Screen Time Edition, and Night Snack screened during the Drawn Up Comedy showcase.

Say Hi: Norwegians take greeting very seriously. This is what happens when you don’t.
Night Snack: Maggie wakes up to some ominous sounds coming from the kitchen. Tensions rise as she gets ready to confront her burglar…The truth, however, is something else entirely.

The Skinny KooKoo Comedy Sketch Show 
Written and Directed by: Joyce Delaronde (Winnipeg)

Indigenous Comedy Sketch Show at the helm of inexperienced filmmaker and self-proclaimed sensation: Skinny Kookoo. Skinny Kookoo’s cast and crew quickly realize that she doesn’t have a clue of how a film set works, let alone be in control of her very own television show. No matter how ridiculous it gets, there is a core of love and true concern in everything Skinny Kookoo does.

Untitled Black Sketch Project
Written and Performed by: Phatt Al, Aba Amuquandoh, Ajahnis Charley, Coko Galore, Brandon Hackett, Alan Shane Lewis, Brandon Ash Mohammed, and Nkasi Ogbonnah

Untitled Black Sketch Project, the premiere all-Black ensemble sketch troupe 400 years in the making, performed a live 60 minute table read as part of the Closing Night Gala.

 

Join us Wednesday, May 26 at 7pmET on YouTube. In addition to award presentations, viewers can enjoy the award winning comedy shorts, plus more surprise appearances.

Click the blue button below to subscribe to our YouTube channel for the Best of theFest show updates, and monthly curated lists of the latest sketch comedy videos from across North America.

Light blue Subscribe button