Diverse storytelling wins big at final night of 2018 Leos
A feature film about life in Afghanistan, a music-driven documentary about the fight for Indigenous rights in Canada, and a short about four Arab teens on a quest to find a public pool in their new city took home the top prizes at the 2018 Leo Awards.
The Leo Awards recognize excellence in the homegrown film and television industry, and Black Kite – a gripping feature-length drama about a father in Kabul who defies the Taliban's ban on kites in order to bring some joy into his daughter's childhood – won Best Screenwriting and Best Direction for Tarique Qayumi, and Best Motion Picture for producer Tajana Prka.
The Road Forward director Marie Clements. Photo by Wendy D Photography
Marie Clements' stirring musical documentary The Road Forward (pictured above) swept the Feature-Length Documentary Category, winning Best Screenwriting and Best Direction for Clements and Best Program for producer Shirley Vercruysse.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, Clements' documentary uses musical reenactments and first-person interviews to tell the interconnected stories of The Native Voice (Canada’s first Indigenous-run newspaper), the Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood of BC, and the Constitution Express, a movement led by George Manuel that culminated in a 3,000-mile trip to Ottawa to impress the case for Indigenous rights on then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Yassmina Karajah's Rupture similarly swept the Short Drama category. The film features a cast of young Syrian refugees and screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival last October. Although Karajah was unable to attend the Leos, several cast members were on hand to accept the awards on her behalf.
In the Television Movie category, Christmas was well represented: Christmas Princess won Best Television Movie, Best Direction (for Allan Harmon), and Best Lead Performance by a Female (for Nicole Muñoz).
Ryan Robbins won two acting awards: Best Performance by a Male in a Short Drama for Yellow, and Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Television Movie for Undercover Wife.
Nancy Robertson and Brent Butt. Photo by Wendy D Photography
Peter Kelamis – who on Saturday night both hosted and won a Leo for Best Voice Performance for Chuck's Choice – added to his collection of Leos when he won Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for Beyond.
Kayak to Klemtu – a coming-of-age feature film inspired by the pipeline crisis – garnered two acting awards: Best Supporting Performance Female for Sonja Bennett, and Best Lead Performance Female for Ta'kaiya Blaney.
Scroll down for full results from the Red Carpet Gala.
The Leo Awards Red Carpet Gala – which took place on June 3 in a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown Vancouver – was the third of three nights for the 2018 Leo Awards. The ceremony was hosted by Brent Butt and Nancy Robertson of Corner Gas (and Corner Gas Animated) fame.
For the full list of winners from Celebration Awards One, click here; for the results from Celebration Awards Two, click here.
MOTION PICTURE
PROGRAM
Black Kite
Tajana Prka - Producer
DIRECTION
Tarique Qayumi
Black Kite
SCREENWRITING
Tarique Qayumi
Black Kite
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE MALE
Maxwell Haynes
Drone
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Sonja Bennett
Kayak to Klemtu
LEAD PERFORMANCE MALE
Daniel Doheny
Adventures in Public School
LEAD PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Ta'kaiya Blaney
Kayak to Klemtu
TELEVISION MOVIE
PROGRAM
Christmas Princess
Cynde Harmon, Jonathan Schwartz, Ronnie Clemmer, Ira Pincus, John Ritchie, Jocelyn Hamilton – Producers
DIRECTION
Allan Harmon
Christmas Princess
SCREENWRITING
James Phillips, Doug Barber
Serialized
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE MALE
Tyler Johnston
Story of a Girl
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Paloma Kwiatkowski
The Christmas Calendar
LEAD PERFORMANCE MALE
Ryan Robbins
Undercover Wife
LEAD PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Nicole Muñoz
Christmas Princess
SHORT DRAMA
PROGRAM
Rupture
David Findlay, Yassmina Karajah - Producers
DIRECTION
Yassmina Karajah
Rupture
SCREENWRITING
Yassmina Karajah
Rupture
PERFORMANCE MALE
Ryan Robbins
Yellow
PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Gabrielle Rose
Call From Josie
DRAMATIC SERIES
PROGRAM
Cardinal: Blackfly
Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny, Jocelyn Hamilton, Armand Leo, Sarah Dodd – Producers
DIRECTION
William Waring
Travelers - 21C
SCREENWRITING
Sarah Dodd
Cardinal: Blackfly – Red
STUNT COORDINATION
Lauro Chartrand
Prison Break - Ogygia
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE MALE
Peter Kelamis
Beyond - Knock, Knock
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Emily Tennant
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - That Is Not Miami
LEAD PERFORMANCE MALE
Christopher Heyerdahl
Van Helsing - Be True
LEAD PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Meghan Rath
Rogue - A Good Leaving Alone
FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
PROGRAM
The Road Forward
Shirley Vercruysse - Producer
DIRECTION
Marie Clements
The Road Forward
SCREENWRITING
Marie Clements
The Road Forward
STUDENT PRODUCTION
PROGRAM
La Mariposa
Andy Alvarez, Mintie Pardoe - Producers
