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Hot Docs 2017: And Some Of The Winners Are …

Hot Docs runs straight through the weekend, but North Americas largest documentary festival held its awards ceremony last night at the Isabel Bader, handing out 12 awards and some $67,000 in cash and prizes.

Charles Officers Unarmed Verses, a study of the upheaval and creativity in Torontos Villaways housing community, won the best Canadian feature documentary award, while Pau Ortizs The Other Side Of The Wall, about a family of Honduran immigrants in Spain, was named best international feature documentary. Both awards are accompanied by a cash prize of $10,000.

(If you missed Radheyan Simonpillais cover story on Officer and Unarmed Verses last week, here you go the film has its final Hot Docs screening today (Saturday May 6) at 3:15 pm at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.)

The special jury prize for Canadian feature documentary, which includes $5,000 cash, went to Carlo Guillermo Protos Resurrecting Hassan, about a family of Montreal buskers grieving the loss of a child.

Francois Jacob, director of the Siberian mining-town study A Moon Of Nickel And Ice, was named this years emerging Canadian filmmaker, while Egil Haskjold Larsen, director of the experiential refugee study 69 Minutes Of 86 Days, was named this years emerging international filmmaker. Both awards carry a $3,000 cash prize.

Asaf Sudry and Tali Shemeshs Death In The Terminal which examines a 2015 shooting at an Israeli bus terminal from multiple perspectives, and remains the best thing Ive seen at this years festival was named best mid-length documentary and awarded $3,000 cash, with an honourable mention going to Sebastien Lifshitzs The Lives Of Therese.

Tamta Gabrichidizes Sovdagari, about a traveling salesman in rural Georgia, was named best short documentary, another award accompanied by a $3,000 cash prize. The jury also acknowledged Monika Kotecka and Karolina Poryzalas Volte.

The festival presented its previously announced honorary awards as well. English filmmaker Tony Palmer received this years outstanding achievement award for his body of work, and Montreal producer Daniel Cross was given the Don Haig award, which is presented annually to a Canadian producer in recognition for his or her creative vision, entrepreneurship and track record for nurturing emerging talent. In addition to receiving a $10,000 cash prize, the recipient gets to gift an emerging female documentary filmmaker with an additional $5,000 prize Cross selected Kalina Bertin, the director of Manic.

And the Lindalee Tracey award (honouring an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humour) went to Thyrone Tommy, director of Mariner. That award comes with $5,000 cash, $5,000 in post-production services from Technicolor and a glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz.

Two major prizes remain unannounced. The winner of the Rogers audience award for best Canadian documentary will be declared tomorrow at 7 pm at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, at which time the film will be screened again for free, while the Hot Docs audience award (and the top 10 audience picks) will be announced on Monday (May 8).

You can find the festival schedule at the Hot Docs website, and dont forget to refer to our own Hot Docs reviews to steer your screening choices.

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