Hot Docs 2009: Award Winners

Phew.

Ten days full of riveting documentaries have come and gone and this weekend, Hot Docs handed out the hardware.

The annual festival wrapped up with an awards ceremony on Sunday, and though there were clear winners (who snagged cash prizes as well as accolades) there really weren’t any losers.

Theatres across the city saw line-ups from midmorning to midnight as pass holders and those hoping for a rush seat clamoured to be first through the doors.

Nearby falafel stands and coffee shops were packed with fans who couldn’t wait to tell you what you should see next, and why, no really, go see it.

Even as the festival approached its final days, new screenings were still being added to accommodate the demand.

Here at CityNews.ca, we watched over 25 films and spoke with several top directors. To take a look back at the week and a half that was, click here.

To see who took home which prizes, read on.

Best International Feature: The One Man Village (D: Simon El Habre; P: Simon El Habre, Jad Abi-Khalil, Irit Neidhardt; Lebanon). The Best International Feature Award is sponsored by A&E and comes with a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of Hot Docs.

Special Jury Prize – International Feature: Cooking History (D: Peter Kerekes; P: Peter Kerekes, Georg Misch, Ralph Wieser, Pavel Strnad; Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia). The Special Jury Prize – International Feature is sponsored by the OMDC. Shown above.

Best Canadian Feature: Invisible City (D: Hubert Davis; P: Mehernaz Lentin, Gerry Flahive). The Best Canadian Feature Award is sponsored by the Documentary Organization of Canada and the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation and comes with a $15,000 cash prize courtesy of the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation.

Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature: Waterlife (D: Kevin McMahon; P: Michael McMahon, Kristina McLaughlin, Gerry Flahive). The Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature is sponsored by the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation and comes with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation.

Best Mid-Length Documentary: Rabbit A La Berlin (D: Bartek Konopka; P: Anna Wydra; Germany, Poland). The Best Mid-Length Documentary Award is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Best Short Documentary: The Delian Mode (D: Kara Blake; P: Kara Blake, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre; Canada). The Best Short Documentary Award is sponsored by Playback.

HBO Emerging Artist: Chung-ryoul Lee, director of Old Partner (South Korea). The HBO Emerging Artist Award is sponsored by HBO Documentary Films.

Outstanding Achievement: Director Alanis Obomsawin. The award was presented by the Hot Docs Board of Directors.

Don Haig Award: Brett Gaylor ( RiP!: A Remix Manifesto). Runner-up: Tracey Deer (Club Native). The award is presented annually to an emerging Canadian documentary filmmaker. Each filmmaker received a $10,000 cash prize.

Lindalee Tracey Award: Laura Bari and Will Inrig. The award honours an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humour. This year, it was presented to two filmmakers who were determined to be equally deserving of the Award: Each filmmaker received a cash prize of $3000 from the Lindalee Tracey Long-Term Fund and $1500 in film stock, courtesy of Kodak Canada.