VIFF 2019 BC Spotlight Gala Awards
byThat feeling when you open your inbox and see that the film you sponsored (The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open) at VIFF won two awards at the VIFF 2019 BC Spotlight Gala Awards!
VIFF 2019 BC Spotlight Gala Awards
On Saturday, the Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”) held its annual BC Spotlight Gala at the Vancouver Playhouse, honouring exceptional BC and Canadian filmmakers with awards as part of the Gala presented by TELUS. These awards across eight categories will help to support and further the careers of recipients, with prizes totalling $110,000 in cash and in-kind-services from industry leaders.
The award winners were announced before the screening of Anthony Shim’s Daughter, this year’s BC Spotlight Gala Film. Starring John Cassini, Teagan Vincze, and a host of Vancouver talent, Daughter tells the story of Jim (Cassini) as he finds solace in the wake of a personal tragedy in the companionship of Nikki (Vincze), a younger escort, casting her as someone who was unjustly taken from him.
List of Winners
BC SPOTLIGHT AWARDS
Sea to Sky Award Presented by TELUS
$20,000 cash prize. This award recognizes the outstanding work of one female key creative on a BC-produced feature or short.
Jury: Daniel Doheny, Ben Popp, Sanja Živković
- Winner: Ying Wang for The World Is Bright
Best BC Film Award Presented by Creative BC and Encore by Deluxe
$10,000 from Creative BC and $15,000 in post-production services credit supplied by Encore by Deluxe.
Jury: Daniel Doheny, Ben Popp, Sanja Živković
- Winner: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn
BC Emerging Filmmaker Award Presented by UBCP/ACTRA, AFBS & William F. White International Inc.
$7,500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA and ACTRA Fraternal Benefits Society, plus a $10,000 equipment credit supplied by William F. White International Inc.
Jury: Daniel Doheny, Ben Popp, Sanja Živković
- Winner: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers for The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
CANADIAN AWARDS
Best Canadian Film Award
$15,000 award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada.
Jury: Jason James, Katherine Jerkovic, Loretta Todd
- Winner: One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk by Zacharias Kunuk
- Special Mention: Blood Quantum by Jeff Barnaby
Emerging Canadian Director Award
$3,000 award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada.
Jury: Sue Biely, Chris Ferguson, Connor Gaston
- Winner: Heather Young for Murmur
- Special Mention: Myriam Verreault for Kuessipan
Best Canadian Documentary Award
$15,000 prize presented by the Rogers Group of Funds.
Jury: Bojan Bodružić, Doreen Manuel, Andrea Warner
- Winner: Jordan River Anderson, the Messenger by Alanis Obomsawin
- Special Mention: My Dads, My Moms and Me by Julia Ivanova
Best Canadian Short Film Award
$15,000 in colour grading and/or VFX services credit supplied by Side Street Post, and $2,000 presented by VIFF.
Jury: Lawrence Garcia, Shaun Inouye, Sophie Jarvis
- Winner: At the Bottom of the Sea by Caroline So Jung Lee
- Special Mention: The Physics of Sorrow by Theodore Ushev
Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award
$2,000 and a Roundtrip Flight anywhere Delta Air Lines flies. Presented by Gary Harvey and Delta Air Lines.
Jury: Lawrence Garcia, Shaun Inouye, Sophie Jarvis
- Winner: Guillaume Fournier, Samuel Matteau and Yannick Nolin for Acadiana
- Special Mention: Jessica Johnson, Ryan Ermacora for Labour/Leisure
Follow VIFF on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about the festival, its events, special guests, and films. I also recommend following The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for information about upcoming encore screenings.
