DOXA 2024 Award Winners
With still another full day of screenings ahead, DOXA Documentary Film Festival is pleased to announce the winners of its 2024 competitions.
Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge’s Red Fever is this year’s winner of the Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming. Jurors Olivia Moore, Anna Hetherington, Emily Ash Cutajar and Darius Darabi share that Red Fever “is a witty and dynamic film that highlights the deep and profound roots of Indigenous influence on western media, culture, and identity. The engaging and cohesive structure of the film, representing mind, body, soul, and heart has something to offer to everyone, examining the topics of fashion, sports, politics, and the environment… [firmly] grounding indigeneity in the present and pushing back against the persistent narrative of Indigenous peoples’ [only] existing in the past, this film is a captivating and necessary watch that will resonate with all audiences.”
As well, the jurors would like to acknowledge another film that deserves special mention, and that is Singing Back the Buffalo directed by Tasha Hubbard: “With its rich visuals and uplifting message, Singing Back the Buffalo is a vital film during this moment as we strive for reconciliation, sustainability, and climate justice. Highlighting survivance and revitalization through the movement to restore the buffalo, Hubbard’s film provides a message of hope that will resonate and inspire youth audiences and generations to come.”
Jurors Gianluca Matarrese, Éléonore Goldberg and Kimberly Ho are delighted to present this year’s Short Documentary Award to Hao Zhou’s Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way. “Deploying a broad corpus of emotions, Wouldn’t Make it Any Other Way deliciously combines elements of belonging, identity and hope, expertly highlighted by Hao Zhou’s cinematography and editing. We fell under the spell of budding costume designer Marc Marcos, passionate, wholehearted and determined to be happy.”
A special jury mention was given to Ibrahim Handal’s A Short Film About a Chair. Jurors shared: “It is quite an art to be able to give life to simple objects, seemingly of no particular interest. A Short Film About a Chair proves that we can make a documentary about anything, with the art of noticing it. Like a closed session, through humor, the multiplicity of languages, a state of confinement and wandering, the film invites us to reflect on patience and change.”
Presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, the recipient of the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director is Pablo Alvarez-Mesa for La Laguna del Soldado. Jurors Florence Lamothe, Ryan Ermacora and Hind Saïh recognize “his skillful layering of Colombian history and the specifics of place through an ecological perspective. A film that is as sensitive as it is critical, La Laguna del Soldado probes a lineage of colonial violence even as it continues into the present. Through its inventive and sensorial construction, distinctions between form and content dissolve into the fog. Pablo Alvarez-Mesa’s work has produced a singular grammar of cinema, providing access to the Páramo through a geological strata of image and sound. The film’s immersive use of offscreen audio and superimposition reflects upon environmental and Indigenous justice, blending the poetic and the political.”
A special jury mention is given to Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell and Michael Toledano of Yintah for “[the film’s] uncompromising commitment to Indigenous sovereignty and justice in the face of collusion between state violence and the resource extraction industry; for the enduring strength of all those involved in both the film’s production and greater struggle. Yintah is a film of historical importance and a testimony for generations to come.”
Another special jury mention is also given to Lisa Jackson for Wilfred Buck, for “its brilliant threading of archival material, re-creations and contemporary scenes to tell a story of displacement while offering paths towards communal healing. Bridging astral scales with microscopic imagery, Wilfred Buck brings us into a rich tapestry of Indigenous cosmology.”
Jurors Liz Marshall, Sara Wylie and Hejer Charf are delighted to select Lina Soualem’s Bye Bye Tiberias as the winner of this year’s DOXA Feature Documentary Award. “This urgent personal documentary of longing, displacement and connection illuminates Palestinian family archives at a time when these documents and stories are being erased in the ongoing genocide. Cinematically weaving generations of matrilineal history with that of her motherland, we honour filmmaker Lina Soualem for her courage and artistry.”
The jurors would also like to give two special mentions: “Made by a collective of neuro-diverse people, [The Neurocultures Collective and Steven Eastwood’s] The Stimming Pool is a unique and formally innovative example of participatory cinema, showcasing new ways of seeing and being seen.” The second special mention goes to Kamay by Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaraan: “This hauntingly powerful and poetic film masterfully uses cinematic language to contemplate love, loss and perseverance, while honouring the Hazara people and the women of Afghanistan.”
Finally, jurors Aya Garcia, Damien Eagle Bear and Brandon Wint are proud to present the Elevate Award, presented by Elevate Inclusion Strategies, to Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaraan for Kamay. The jurors say that “while many of the films nominated for this year's award possessed a compelling, heart-wrenching level of cinematic intimacy, Kamay, more than perhaps any film, conveyed the relationship between resistance and familial love. We were both impressed and moved by the poetic cinematic language of the film, as Kamay immersed the viewer in a unique portrayal of resistance through unconditional family love.”
A special jury mention is given to Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell and Michael Toledano’s Yintah, for its “powerful story of resistance and resilience against colonial and imperial powers. It was very inspiring to see the Wet’suwet’en peoples’ devotion and commitment to fighting against the occupation of their lands. The film provides a strong example of community-led activism that we should all aspire to.”
Jury statements can be read in full below.
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Click here to read this press release as a PDF
Click here to learn more about the awards and read jury biographies
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Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming Statement
Each film considered for the Nigel Moore Award this year was a joy to watch, showcasing diverse and impactful storytelling that inspired us all.
We are honoured to present the Nigel Moore Award in the Rated Y for Youth category to Red Fever directed by Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge. Red Fever is a witty and dynamic film that highlights the deep and profound roots of Indigenous influence on western media, culture, and identity. The engaging and cohesive structure of the film, representing mind, body, soul, and heart has something to offer to everyone, examining the topics of fashion, sports, politics, and the environment.
Spanning across North America and Europe, Red Fever brings audiences across cultures and historical contexts to explore the myriad of ways indigenous societies have shaped the modern world. Through iconic pop culture references and witty narration, Red Fever unpacks the obsession and appropriation of Indigenous cultures while uncovering their real and profound contributions that have gone widely unrecognized.
Firmly grounding indigeneity in the present and pushing back against the persistent narrative of Indigenous peoples’ [only] existing in the past, this film is a captivating and necessary watch that will resonate with all audiences.
We would also like to acknowledge another film that deserves special recognition, Singing Back the Buffalo, directed by Tasha Hubbard. With its rich visuals and uplifting message, Singing Back the Buffalo is a vital film during this moment as we strive for reconciliation, sustainability, and climate justice. Highlighting survivance and revitalization through the movement to restore the buffalo, Hubbard’s film provides a message of hope that will resonate and inspire youth audiences and generations to come.
Short Documentary Award Jury Statement
Deploying a broad corpus of emotions, Wouldn’t Make it Any Other Way deliciously combines elements of belonging, identity and hope, expertly highlighted by Hao Zhou’s cinematography and editing. We fell under the spell of budding costume designer Marc Marcos, passionate, wholehearted and determined to be happy.
It is quite an art to be able to give life to simple objects, seemingly of no particular interest. A Short Film About a Chair proves that we can make a documentary about anything, with the art of noticing it. Like a closed session, through humor, the multiplicity of languages, a state of confinement and wandering, the film invites us to reflect on patience and change.
Feature Documentary Award Jury Statement
We the jury would firstly like to recognize the exceptional quality of all the films this year. Through a variety of approaches and perspectives, each documentary employs the cinematic form in innovative and thoughtful ways to tell its important story.
We award DOXA’s Best Feature prize to Bye Bye Tiberias. This urgent personal documentary of longing, displacement and connection illuminates Palestinian family archives at a time when these documents and stories are being erased in the ongoing genocide. Cinematically weaving generations of matrilineal history with that of her motherland, we honour filmmaker Lina Soualem for her courage and artistry.
We also extend two Special Mentions, first to The Stimming Pool, directed by Neurocultures Collective and Steven Eastwood. Made by a collective of neuro-diverse people, this film is a unique and formally innovative example of participatory cinema, showcasing new ways of seeing and being seen.
Our second Special Mention goes to Kamay by Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaraan. This hauntingly powerful and poetic film masterfully uses cinematic language to contemplate love, loss and perseverance, while honouring the Hazara people and the women of Afghanistan.
Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director Jury Statement
We award the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director to Pablo Alvarez-Mesa, director of La Laguna del Soldado, for his skillful layering of Colombian history and the specifics of place through an ecological perspective. A film that is as sensitive as it is critical, La Laguna del Soldado probes a lineage of colonial violence even as it continues into the present. Through its inventive and sensorial construction, distinctions between form and content dissolve into the fog. Pablo Alvarez-Mesa’s work has produced a singular grammar of cinema, providing access to the Páramo through a geological strata of image and sound. The film’s immersive use of offscreen audio and superimposition reflects upon environmental and Indigenous justice, blending the poetic and the political.
A special jury mention goes to Yintah for its uncompromising commitment to Indigenous sovereignty and justice in the face of collusion between state violence and the resource extraction industry; for the enduring strength of all those involved in both the film’s production and greater struggle. Yintah is a film of historical importance and a testimony for generations to come.
A special jury mention also goes to Wilfred Buck by Lisa Jackson for its brilliant threading of archival material, re-creations and contemporary scenes to tell a story of displacement while offering paths towards communal healing. Bridging astral scales with microscopic imagery, Wilfred Buck brings us into a rich tapestry or indigenous cosmology.
Elevate Award Jury Statement
After thoughtful and rigorous deliberation, the jury has chosen Kamay as this year's Elevate Award winner. While many of the films nominated for this year's award possessed a compelling, heart-wrenching level of cinematic intimacy, Kamay, more than perhaps any film, conveyed the relationship between resistance and familial love. We were both impressed and moved by the poetic cinematic language of the film, as Kamay immersed the viewer in a unique portrayal of resistance through unconditional family love.
Special mention also to Yintah. The film provided a powerful story of resistance and resilience against colonial and imperial powers. It was very inspiring to see the Wet’suwet’en peoples devotion and commitment to fighting against the occupation of their lands. The film provides a strong example of community-led activism that we should all aspire to.