Awards

Blurry photo of a flame against black, abstract lines, white box and white text reads Awards and Juries. Photo by Fandy Much

The DOXA award winners are selected on the basis of three major criteria: success and innovation in the realization of the project’s concept; originality and relevance of subject matter and approach; and overall artistic and technical proficiency.

DOXA is very happy to welcome an outstanding group of filmmakers, film critics and industry professionals to the Award Juries this year. Jury members meet during the course of the festival to choose the winning films, as well as award honourable mentions to selected films.

Feature Documentary Award

$1500 Award 

Films In Competition

Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director

$5000 Award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC)

Director's Guild of Canada

In Competition

DOXA Short Documentary Award

$500 Award 

Films In Competition

Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming

$1500 Award 

DOXA is extremely proud to present the Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming, first launched in 2013. Named in memory of Nigel Moore, a young man whose passion for knowledge, exploration and advocacy found a home in his love for documentary film.

For younger audiences, documentary has particular relevance. The world in which they’re growing up is an increasingly complex place. Documentary not only captures this complexity, but also has the capacity to act as a catalyst for social change, and fundamentally alter people’s behaviour.

Nigel Moore

Films in Competition

The award will be adjudicated by a youth jury, who will choose the film that best exemplifies the qualities of compassion, social engagement and spirit in which Nigel lived.

 

Elevate Award

$2,500 award presented by Elevate Inclusion Strategies

 

Elevate Inclusion Strategies

The Elevate Award celebrates outstanding work by a filmmaker from an equity-deserving community. Filmmakers with lived experience outside the white, cis-hetero, neurotypical and able-bodied “norm” face barriers to success in the documentary industry—the Elevate Award amplifies their excellence.

In competition:

Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming Jury

Olivia Moore

Olivia Moore

Olivia Moore is a student at UBC, majoring in International Relations. Olivia is passionate about social justice, environmental politics, and learning about other people’s life experiences. As Nigel’s younger sister, she is very proud to follow in his footsteps, with a love of documentary film and storytelling.

Anna Hetherington, a woman with long brownish-blonde hair wearing a navy blue dress, stands against a grey stone backdrop and smiles at the camera.

Anna Hetherington

Anna Hetherington is a Chartered Professional Accountant who currently works in the commercial real estate industry. She has been a juror for the Nigel Moore Award since its inception and grew up with Nigel from the time they were born. Anna is an avid traveller and has volunteered and studied all over the world. She enjoys spending time on the ocean, reading memoirs and watching documentary films.

Emily Ash Cutajar is photographed walking towards the camera atop sandy ground, with brush and sparse trees behind. She wears blue jeans and a grey sweater with a red and blue checkered vest overtop.

Emily Ash Cutajar

Emily Ash Cutajar is a fifth year geography and urban studies student at the University of British Columbia. Emily is passionate about community organizing, sustainability, and urban politics. In her free time she enjoys cooking and baking, watching films, and playing hockey. Emily also runs a free meal program at UBC as part of a larger volunteer-run food security initiative. This will be the first year that Emily will join the jury.

Darius, a man with dark hair wearing a cream hoodie and white jacket, stands smiling in front of a blossoming cherry tree.

Darius Darabi

Darius Darabi is a kinesiologist who recently graduated from UBC with a major in Kinesiology and a minor in Commerce. As a lifelong film fan, Darius is thrilled to join the jury this year and to watch the nominated documentaries. In his spare time, Darius enjoys fishing, playing sports, and learning new things.

Feature Documentary Award Jurors

Liz Marshall, a person with short brown hair wearing an all-black outfit and red boots, is looking at the camera and crouching atop a large rock, with lush trees behind.

Liz Marshall

Born and raised in Toronto, Liz Marshall found her passion for storytelling at 16, behind the lens of her first camera. Fresh out of the Media Arts program at Ryerson (Metropolitan University) in the 1990s, she documented the lives of musicians, artists and activists, and worked extensively in TV before being swept into the realm of international documentary filmmaking. With a focus on social justice, environmental and animal ethics, Liz Marshall has co-created multiple award winning projects filmed around the world. Working with diverse teams and communities, global funders and changemakers, her body of work is recognized for its intimate access, visually emotive storytelling, and consciousness raising impact. In the late 2010s, Liz received her Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Cinema Production at York University. Liz is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada – BC Chapter, and serves on the board of directors for Cinema Politica. As a longtime member of DOC (Documentary Organization of Canada,) Liz was an elected board member for six years of the Toronto chapter which formed the DOC Institute. Liz is a founding member of the Canadian chapter of Film Fatales, a global community of experienced women and non-binary feature film and television directors dedicated to expanding the landscape of representation in storytelling.

A black and white photograph of Sara Wylie, a white woman with short brown hair wearing a scarf, knit sweater and coat and holding a to-go coffee cup. Sarah looks at the camera with a small smile, and appears to be sitting in a cafe.

Sara Wylie

Sara Wylie (she/they) is a filmmaker, producer and researcher from the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (aka Vancouver, BC). She has directed films (A More Radiant Sphere, 2022 & The Garden Collective, 2020) and produced award-winning  documentaries, as well as story-produced several documentary series for VICELAND, Telus Optik and the Travel Channel. Sara graduated with distinction from Toronto Metropolitan (formerly Ryerson) University’s Documentary Media MFA Program in 2019, and is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and SSHRC. Sara's films have screened at Vancouver International Film Festival, DOXA Documentary Film Festival, RIDM Documentary Festival, the Canadian Labour International Film Festival, South Western International Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, Workers Unite Film Festival and more.

Hejer Charf, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing large sunglasses and a black jacket, smiles at the camera against a bright blue sky.

Hejer Charf

Hejer Charf is a Canadian director, screenwriter and producer of Tunisian origin. She founded Nadja Productions in Montreal in 1996. She has made several short, medium and feature-length documentaries, as well as visual installations. She has produced Victoria, a drama written, directed and performed by Anna Karina. She also produced the concerts of Anna Karina and Philippe Katerine in Québec. Hejer Charf regularly publishes articles on art and politics. Her film Années en parenthèses 2020-2022 is an official selection at the 2024 DOXA Documentary Film Festival.

Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director Jurors

A black and white photograph of Florence, a woman wearing a dark turtleneck shirt, long necklace and a lip ring, with her dark hair pinned up. She stares at the camera with a calm expression.

Florence Lamothe

Florence Lamothe is co-director and co-founder of Tënk Canada, a cooperative streaming service dedicated entirely to independent documentary films. After completing her studies in political science and communication, she travelled for years while developing her photography skills. In 2016, she was hired by Tënk France and worked in Lussas, France, as assistant for content acquisition. Convinced of the necessity to build a similar platform for documentaries in Canada, she developed and launched with Naomie Décarie-Daigneault the new and independent branch of Tënk in Quebec, in 2020. The mission of Tënk is to defend and support documentary filmmaking. The coop aims to develop new publics for auteur documentary, to create new knowledge about documentary films, and to be a direct support to the creation of documentary films.

Ryan Ermacora, a white man with facial hair wearing a dark collared shirt, looks intently at the camera with sunlight shining on the left side of his face.

Ryan Ermacora

Ryan Ermacora is an award-winning filmmaker based on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. His films investigate the visible and invisible ways in which humans have engraved themselves into the biosphere. Formally, his work is defined by a structural approach to filmmaking, while depicting labour in dialogue with landscape. His work has screened at festivals and cinemas including Cinéma du réel, The Walker Art Center, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Open City Documentary Festival, DOXA, and VIFF.

A black and white photograph of Hind Saïh smiling at the camera, with a blurry background.

Hind Saïh

Hind Saïh was born and raised in Morocco. She arrived in France after her high school diploma, and earned a PHD Degree in Cinema. She joined Play Film in 1999 and worked for 10 years as a producer and a distributor for the company. In 2009, she founded Bellota Films to produce films experimenting with new aesthetics and new narrative, while sharing a strong vision about contemporary society. Bellota Films is regularly awarded prizes and distinctions at major international festivals. The company was nominated for Best French TV Producer award four times since 2015. Hind is also an expert and a consultant for the audiovisual production and new media for the Europe Creative Program of the European Commission. Since 2013, Hind presides over the International Documentary Festival of Agadir, FIDADOC, and develops the professional activities of the festival (writing residency, co-production platform, etc) with its network of markets and international structures.

DOXA Short Documentary Awards Jurors

Gianluca Matarrese stands smiling at the camera, wearing glasses and a brightly coloured sweatshirt with the Polaroid logo on its front. Behind him is the darkened view of a harbour and sea vista.

Gianluca Matarrese

Gianluca Matarrese was born in Torino and moved to Paris in 2002 to study cinema and theatre. In 2019 his documentary Fuori Tutto won the award for Best Italian Documentary at the Torino Film Festival. His film La dernière séance had its world premiere at the last Venice International Critics' Week, winning the Queer Lion Award. In 2021, he directed the documentary Fashion Babylon which explores the world of fashion through the lives of three artists; the film was selected for about 20 international festivals. In 2022, Matarrese directed Il Posto (ARTE/NDR), which follows unemployed nurses travelling from southern to northern Italy in search of work amidst a country grappling with a health crisis. His short film Pinned Into a Dress, co-directed with Guillaume Thomas, opened the International Critics' Week in Venice in 2022. His film The Zola Experience is an official selection at the 2024 DOXA Documentary Film Festival. He is currently preparing his ninth film, GEN_.

A headshot of Éléonore Goldberg, a white woman with short brown hair, looking straight at the camera against a dark background.

Éléonore Goldberg

Éléonor Goldberg is a Franco-Canadian animation filmmaker, writer, and cartoonist. Born in France, she lived in Montreal for 19 years and lives now in Vancouver. She holds a BFA in Animation Cinema and a MFA in Film Production (Concordia University). Éléonore illustrated the comic book La demoiselle en blanc (2016, Éditions Mécanique générale), wrote the novel Maisons fauves (2019, Éditions Triptyque), and more recently, wrote and illustrated the comic book La fiancée (2023, Éditions Mécanique générale). She directed several animation short films such as Wandering (2013), The Filmmaker (2013), My Yiddish Papi (2017) and Hibiscus Season (2020). Her award-winning animated short films have screened in Canadian and international festivals. Currently, Éléonore is developing a new short animated film, The Tide is Rising. She has been teaching drawing, illustration and animation since 2013. She is currently assistant professor at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in the 2D/Experimental Animation program.

A photograph of Kimberly Ho, a Chinese person with black, blonde and blue hair wearing all black with a red tie, who is looking to the left of the photo frame. They stand against a cream-coloured background.

Kimberly Ho

Kimberly Ho 何文蔚 is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker based on so-called “Vancouver”. In their artistic practice, they seek to explore their Hakka diaspora through the physical body & food culture, framing new media as a dimension of queer futurisms, & immersive art as a site of liberation. They are a guest director and co-producer of season 4 "Pride: The LGBTQ+ History Series" with OUTtv, for which they have been nominated for the Best Web Program or Series, Non-Fiction at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards.

Elevate Award Jurors

Aya Garcia, a woman with long dark hair wearing a white shirt and navy blue cardigan, looks at the camera with a neutral expression on her face, against a sun-dappled blue background.

Aya Garcia

Aya is a director and cinematographer born and raised in Manila, Philippines. Currently she is living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations (Vancouver, BC). Aya's work focuses on sharing the stories of historically marginalized individuals and their profound relationship with their communities. Drawing from her own experiences as an immigrant, she captures authentic moments of connection, and weaving their narratives into a tapestry of shared humanity. Aya's work is collaborative whenever possible. Her work extends a commitment to creating interdependence through art. She enacts her lens in order to create worlds apart from the industries that extract resources from women, people of colour and any historically marginalized groups. Her work has screened in film festivals like VIFF, Tribeca, Disorient Film Festival,  and can be seen on several platforms like NFB, TELUS Originals, the CBC, Hulu and a handful of art galleries.

A colour photograph of Damien Eagle Bear, who is wearing glasses and a burgundy collared shirt, smiling at the camera

Damien Eagle Bear

Niitsitapi. Amateur physicist. Frybread eating machine.

Damien Eagle Bear is a multifaceted filmmaker from the Kainai Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He got his start with the short experimental documentary, Napi, which explored the Blackfoot trickster and the importance of telling Indigenous stories. It premiered at the opening night of the 37th American Indian Film Festival in 2012. Since then Damien's work has progressed from short films (q'sapi times, Big Momma) to web series (The Bannocking) and feature length documentaries (#skoden). Damien continues to expand his horizons with work that explores the themes of belonging and Indigenous resiliency.

A black and white photograph of Brandon Wint, a Black man with facial hair and long locs, looking into the camera with his hands crossed over his chest. He stands amongst tall sunflowers.

Brandon Wint

Brandon Wint is an Ontario-born poet, spoken word artist, educator and multi-disciplinary storyteller based in western Canada. For more than a decade, Brandon has been a sought-after touring performance poet, having shared his work all over Canada, and internationally at festivals and showcases in the United States, Australia, Jamaica, Latvia and Lithuania. Brandon is ever-grateful for the power of poetry as a spiritual technology and social force. He is devoted to using poetry as a tool for refining his sense of justice, love, and intimacy. Brandon Wint's poems and essays have been published in The Ex Puritan, Event Magazine, Arc Poetry Magazine, and Black Writers Matter, among other places. Divine Animal (Write Bloody North, 2020) is his debut collection of poetry. His debut film, My Body Is A Poem/The World Makes With Me screened at DOXA documentary film festival and Reelworld Film Festival in 2023.