Film wins at Canadian Film Fest!
Some Things Won’t Sleep’s design team took home the award for Best Production Design (Alan MacLeod) at the Canadian Film Fest this weekend. Very proud of Alan MacLeod and our entire production team. Official release below:
TORONTO, March 30, 2015 – The 2015 Canadian Film Fest wrapped up another successful festival and announced this year’s award recipients at the Closing Night film on Saturday night. Ben’s At Home was the recipient of the Best Feature award while Shooting: The Musical received the William F. White Reel Canadian Indie award. Eight feature films and 16 short films by some of Canada’s most-talented filmmakers screened at the Fest. Barn Wedding, The Cocksure Lads Movie, and Pretend We’re Kissing, screened to sold-out audiences, while the three industry panels on distribution, writing, and acting, and the VFX & Editing Master Class were also sold out.
“This festival is propelled by the desire to highlight and celebrate the exceptional work of our country’s filmmakers on the big screen. We showcased the works of an incredible group of Canadian filmmakers, and as with past years, eager Torontonians joined us in celebrating these accomplishments,” said Bern Euler, Executive Director of the Canadian Film Fest. “We are delighted to recognize this year’s deserving award recipients and continue to celebrate the diverse talent present and emerging in our own backyard.”
Several films presented at this year’s festival were picked up for distribution during the festival’s run. The festival’s opening night feature film, The Cocksure Lads Movie, had its Canadian rights picked up by North American-based production company A71 Entertainment, and received a TV licensing deal from Super Channel. In addition, feature-film Ben’s At Home was picked up for distribution by Pacific Northwest Pictures.
The Canadian Film Fest awards were handed out to the following:
2015 Canadian Film Fest Awards
BEST FEATURE
The winning film receives a $1,000 gift certificate to RedLab Digital.
Ben’s At Home
Director: Mars Horodyski
Cast: Dan Abramovici, Jess Embro, Jim Annan, Inessa Frantowski, Craig Brown, David Reale, Rob Baker, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Emma Fleury, Ruth Goodwin, Sarah Booth
BEST SHORT
The winning film receives a $500 gift certificate to RedLab Digital.
The Time Traveler
Director: RT!
Cast: Huse Madhavji, Emmanuel Kabongo
HMV’s PEOPLE’S PICK FOR BEST FLICK
As voted by the audience, the winning film receives a $500 gift certificate to HMV.
Barn Wedding
Director: Shaun Benson
Cast: Emily Coutts, Kelly McCormack, Brett Donahue, Shaun Benson, Kate Corbett, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Kaleb Alexander, Christopher Hayes
WILLIAM F WHITE REEL CANADIAN INDIE
The winning film receives a $5000 gift certificate to William F. White.
Shooting: The Musical
Director: Joel Ashton McCarthy
Cast: Bruce Novakowski, Chris Walters, Rebecca Strom, Lisa Ovies, Rory W. Tucker, Casey Margolis, & Gigi Saul Guerrero
2015 Canadian Film Fest Special Jury Prizes
Jury members included Lucy DeCoutere, Jeremy LaLonde, and Casey Walker.
BEST NEW VOICE IN FILM
Director Joel Ashton McCarthy for Shooting: The Musical
BEST ACTOR
Bruce Novakowski for Shooting: The Musical
BEST ACTOR IN A SHORT
Atticus Dean Mitchel for Iris
BEST ACTRESS
Melissa Bergland for Relative Happiness
BEST ACTRESS IN A SHORT
Sarah Davis for Lunchbox Loser
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Barn Wedding
Director: Shaun Benson
Cast: Emily Coutts, Kelly McCormack, Brett Donahue, Shaun Benson, Kate Corbett, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Kaleb Alexander, Christopher Hayes
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Some Things Won’t Sleep
Director: Leah Johnston
Cast: Alexis Milligan, David Christoffel, Alyssa Cross, Jordan Poole
BEST OFFENSIVE JOKE
‘Swasticock Tattoo’ from Job Interview
BEST AWKWARD SEX SCENE
Pretend We’re Kissing
Director: Matt Sadowski
Cast: Dov Tiefenbach, Tommie-Amber Pirie, Zoë Kravitz
2015 Canadian Film Fest Harold Greenberg Screenplay Contest
Grand Prize Winner:
Us In Nine Months, Nicholas Carella & Dave Deveau
Runner Up:
In Dios, Eric Johnson & Andrew Genaille
Rest of the Top Five:
The Orange Bathing Suit, James Wallen
Martin Mapes and the Misfits of the Otherworld, Daniel J. Pike
Eden Ridge, Caitlyn Fryers
The Canadian Film Fest and The Harold Greenberg Fund proudly partnered on a unique opportunity for screenwriters. Open to Canadian screenwriters who’ve written a feature-length screenplay, the CFF’s Harold Greenberg Screenwriting Competition provides a unique opportunity for screenwriters to win $10,000 in financial support. In addition to the development funding, a Harold Greenberg executive involved in the selection of the winning script will provide feedback on the script as well as guidance throughout one development round. The grand-prize winner and the runner-up also receive passes to the Toronto Screenwriting Conference taking place in April 2015. In addition, all ten scripts and the honorable mentions will be added to Canadian Film Fest/Harold Greenberg Fund It List, which is a list of the best-unproduced scripts in Canada – a great resource for producers.
The Canadian Film Fest is a non-profit organization devoted to the celebration, promotion and advancement of Canadian filmmaking talent. For more information, please visit http://canfilmfest.ca/