Agam Darshi won the Best Direction award for her directorial debut Donkeyhead at the recently concluded 17th annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (VIWFF) last weekend.
Donkeyhead, which was premiered on Netflix on 21 January in the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, is now playing in theatres across Canada. Agam Darshi stars as Mona, a writer who has been caring for her ailing Sikh father. After he suffers a debilitating stroke, her three more successful siblings arrive to take care of the situation.
The winners were announced by the Women In Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV) in a live virtual event featuring filmmakers from around the world.
“With so many fantastic films in the programme, the jury had a tough job!” Eli Morris, WIFTV’s executive director, stated. “We are really proud of how well the awards reflect our intentions for the festival this year. Our focus was on content that was ‘by and for’, meaning the films are made by the communities they represent.
"The quality of all the films this year was exceptional. A huge congratulation to the award winners and all of the filmmakers who shared their work with us this year.”
Besides Donkeyhead, Zoe Leigh Hopkins’s feature film Run Woman Run won awards for Best Feature, Best Screenplay and Best Performance, while Tajo Hurrle won Best Short and the Impact Award in the short film category for I Am Leo.
The festival took place from 8–13 March, showcasing 33 films from 12 countries, with 17 Canadian films.
The full list of winners is given below.
Feature Film Category
Best Feature Film (sponsored by IATSE 891): Run Woman Run
Best Documentary (sponsored by Pacific Backlot): Do You Remember Me?
Best Documentary Honourable Mention (sponsored by Pacific Backlot): Granni-E-minem
Best Direction (sponsored by DGC): Donkeyhead, Agam Darshi
Best Performance (sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA): Run Woman Run, Dakota Ray Hebert
Best Cinematography (sponsored by Sim): Do You Remember Me?, Helena Müller & Murat Temel
Best Screenplay (sponsored by Chandler Fogden Aldous Entertainment Law): Run Woman Run, Zoe Leigh Hopkins
Best Editing (sponsored by Canadian Cinema Editors): Mickey On The Road, Chen-Ching LeI
Best Musical Score (sponsored by Vancouver Post Alliance): Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning Of Empathy, Chandra Melting Tallow
Impact Award (sponsored by Capilano University): Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning Of Empathy
Short Film Category
Best Short (sponsored by Finale/Picture Shop): I Am Leo
Best Direction (sponsored by Matrix Production Services): Mazel Brouk, Hanael Allam
Best Performance (sponsored by Lucas Talent): Clinch, Amélie Onzon
Best Cinematography (sponsored by ICG 669): Wild Seed, Ai Chung
Best Editing (sponsored by Ron Heaps): Clinch, Ellemieke Middelhoff
Best Editing Honourable Mention: Wildflower, Hayley Sawatzky
Impact Award (sponsored by Pacific Screenwriting Programme): I Am Leo
Impact Award Honourable Mention: On The Fence
Screenplay Competition Winner (sponsored by LintBucket Media): The Professor, Sandra Fox-Sohner & Maria Sigrist