Canadian Animation 'After Us' Wins SSFF & ASIA 2026 Environmental Minister Award

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA) 2026, the Academy Award-qualifying and Asia's largest international short film festival, announced the 'Save the Earth! Environmental Minister Award' on June 5, 2026 — World Environment Day. The winning film is the Canadian animation 'After Us' (directed by Wahid Ibn Reza, 5:05, 2025), produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Set in a world after humanity's disappearance, the film follows a wolf and a wolverine journeying together to learn trust and seek coexistence with nature amid human ruins. Environment Minister Hiroki Ishihara praised the film for depicting nature's resilience and potential for new harmony after destruction, calling it a work that transcends generations and languages to inspire concrete action toward a sustainable society. Director Wahid Ibn Reza, based in Vancouver, BC, has Bangladeshi-Canadian roots and over 10 years of VFX and animation experience, with credits on Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated productions. SSFF & ASIA established its environmental section in 2008 and rebranded it as 'Save the Earth!' in 2013. The festival runs in Tokyo through June 9 and online through June 30, 2026.