Hot Docs News
Hot Docs Awards $65,000 to Canadian and International Filmmakers
On May 6, 13 awards, including nine for Festival films in competition—of which seven were won by female filmmakers—and $65,000 CDN in cash and prizes was awarded to Canadian and international filmmakers. The winners were revealed at the 2022 Awards Presentation hosted by arts journalist and co-founder of Media Girlfriends Garvia Bailey.
The Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary will be announced on the last day of the Festival at a special encore screening at 7:00 pm at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The top three Canadian features in the audience poll will share a $50,000 cash prize, courtesy of Rogers Group of Funds. The overall Audience Award winner will be announced on May 9.
Best Canadian Feature Documentary Award
Geographies of Solitude (D: Jacquelyn Mills | P: Rosalie Chicoine Perreault, Jacquelyn Mills | Canada
Sponsored by DOC and Telefilm Canada, the award includes a $10,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "For its deft ability to reveal the complex intersections between the natural world and humanity’s excesses on a singular isolated island through strongly crafted and arresting visual and aural storytelling, the Canadian Features Jury presents the Best Canadian Feature Documentary Award to Geographies of Solitude."
Best International Feature Documentary Award
Blue Island (D: Chan Tze Woon | P: Peter Yam | Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan)
The award includes a $10,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "For its evocative use of re-enactments interwoven with traditional documentary forms to create a rich, socially-grounded cinematic tapestry, the jury is honoured to present the Best International Feature Documentary Award to Blue Island, directed by Chan Tze Woon."
Hot Docs is an Academy Award qualifying festival for feature documentaries and, as winner of the Best International Feature Documentary Award, Blue Island will qualify for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided they comply with Academy rules.
DGC Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary
Rojek (D: Zaynê Akyol | P: Zaynê Akyol, Sylvain Corbeil, Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre | Canada
Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "For its sensitive curiosity about its subjects' lived experiences and internal lives, self-reflexive interrogation of the documentary filmmaking process, and unique contextualization of the fragile state of peace, the Canadian Features Jury presents the DGC Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature Documentary to Rojek."
In the DGC Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary category, the jury also acknowledged Batata (D: Noura Kevorkian | P: Paul Scherzer, Noura Kevorkian | Canada, Lebanon, Qatar) with an honourable mention.
Special Jury Prize – International Feature Documentary
The Wind Blows the Border (D: Laura Faerman, Marina Weis | P: Rodrigo Díaz Díaz, Luís Ludmer | Brazil)
Sponsored by A&E, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "The jury was very taken with this film and the ways–both subtle and bold–that it documents an unfolding natural crisis rooted in human social conflict. The jury awards The Wind Blows the Border the Special Jury Prize for International Feature Documentary."
The Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award
Jacquelyn Mills for Geographies of Solitude (D: Jacquelyn Mills | P: Rosalie Chicoine Perreault, Jacquelyn Mills | Canada)
Given to a Canadian filmmaker whose film in competition is their first or second feature-length film, the award includes a $3,000 cash prize courtesy of the Earl A. Glick Family.
Jury statement: "For her remarkable ability to capture a sense of place, textural approach to cinematography, and unique sound design, the Canadian Features Jury presents the Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award to Jacquelyn Mills for Geographies of Solitude."
Emerging International Filmmaker Award
Bogna Kowalczyk for Boylesque (D: Bogna Kowalczyk | P: Tomasz Morawski, Katarzyna Kuczyńska, Vratislav Šlajer, Hanka Kastelicova | Poland, Czech Republic)
Given to an international filmmaker whose film in competition is their first or second feature-length film, the award is supported by the Donner Canadian Foundation and includes a $3,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "The jury was struck by the balance between this filmmaker’s aptitude for the craft of filmmaking, and the interest and tenderness they have for their subject, both which came through in this film."
Best Mid-Length Documentary Award
Rewind & Play (D: Alain Gomis | P: Anouk Khélifa, Arnaud Dommerc | France, Germany)
Sponsored by British Pathé, the award includes a $3,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "The jury was impressed by the innovative use of archival, the rigorous cutting, and the relentless quest for intimacy with a subject on the brink of alienation."
Best International Short Documentary Award
More Than I Remember (D: Amy Bench | P: Amy Bench, Carolyn Merriman | USA)
The award includes a $3,000 cash prize.
Jury statement: "The Best International Short Documentary Award goes to a film that uses the most vivid and unique animation to tell a story of resilience that is both personal, and increasingly universal. The jury was impressed with the beautiful balance of all the creative elements in this film and the way it takes the documentary form beyond the expected."
In the Best International Short Documentary Award category, the jury also acknowledged My Disability Roadmap (D: Dan Habib, Samuel Habib | P: Dan Habib | USA) with an honourable mention.
Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary
Perfecting the Art of Longing (D: Kitra Cahana | P: Kat Baulu, Ariel Nasr | Canada)
The award includes a $3,000 cash prize courtesy of John and Betty Youson.
Jury statement: "For the skillful crafting of a complex and robust film that celebrates the human spirit with lightness during a dark time, the jury awards the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary Award to Perfecting the Art of Longing, directed by Kitra Cahana."
In the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary category, the jury also acknowledged The Benevolents (D: Sarah Baril Gaudet | P: Sarah Baril Gaudet | Canada) with an honourable mention.
Hot Docs is an Academy Award qualifying festival for short documentaries and, as winners of the Best International Short Documentary Award and the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary Award respectively, More Than I Remember and Perfecting the Art of Longing will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided they comply with Academy rules.
Scotiabank Docs For Schools Student’s Choice Award
Navalny (D: Daniel Roher | P: Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris | USA)
The award is given to the Festival film in the Docs For Schools education program that receives the highest rating as determined by student poll and comes with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of Scotiabank.
2022 Outstanding Achievement Award
Award-winning Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, whose seminal work was featured in the Outstanding Achievement Award retrospective program at this year’s Festival.
Lindalee Tracey Award
Iranian Canadian filmmaker Avazeh Shahnavaz
Honouring an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humour, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Lindalee Tracey Fund, $5,000 in post-production services from SIM, and a hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz, specially commissioned to honour Lindalee.
Don Haig Award
Toronto-based producer Mila Aung-Thwin, producer of Midwives and co-founder of Montreal-based production company EyeSteelFilm
The award is given to an outstanding independent Canadian producer with a film in the Festival in recognition of his/her creative vision, entrepreneurship and track record for nurturing emerging talent and comes with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.
The 2022 awards for films in competition were determined by four juries.
Canadian Feature Documentary Jury
Abby Sun (Director of Artist Programs at IDA, graduate researcher at the MIT Open Documentary Lab, and editor of Immerse), Basil Tsiokos (senior programmer for the Sundance Film Festival), Yasmine Mathurin (award-winning writer, director, and podcast producer).
International Feature Documentary Jury
Chloé Trayner (Artistic Director of Ragtag Film Society), Alex Rivera (filmmaker), Diana Sanchez (film programmer).
Mid-Length Documentary Jury
Connor Jessup (actor and filmmaker), Shameela Seedat (filmmaker), Chase Joynt (director and writer)
Short Documentary Jury
Joanne LaFrenière (filmmaker and photographer), Ricardo Acosta (film editor and script consultant), Sarra El Abed (filmmaker)