THE VANCOUVER FILM CRITICS CIRCLE NAME EDGE OF THE KNIFE BEST CANADIAN AND BEST B.C. FILM

VANCOUVER, B.C. (January 8, 2019) – Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife has been named Best Canadian Film by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

Edenshaw and Haig-Brown’s 19th century Haida epic led the awards, taking home four prizes, including Best Actor, Male in a Canadian Film (Tyler York), Best Director of a Canadian Film, and Best BC Film. The Union of BC Performers / ACTRA sponsored a $500 cash prize for Best Actor, Male in a Canadian Film, while the Best BC Film award included two $500 cash prizes, one for the film’s producers from the Canadian Media Producers Association – BC Producers Branch and another for the directors provided by the Directors Guild of Canada – BC Council.

Best Actor, Female in a Canadian Film went to Arlen Aguayo Stewart for her work in Roads in February, while the film’s director, Katherine Jerkovic, was named One to Watch, which recognizes an emerging Canadian filmmaker. The One to Watch award comes with a $500 cash prize courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

When the Storm Fades’ Aaron Read and Kayla Lorette were awarded Best Supporting Actor, Male in a Canadian Film and Best Supporting Actor, Female in a Canadian Film respectively. Keith Behrman was awarded Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film for Giant Little Ones, and ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch, directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky, took home Best Canadian Documentary.

The Vancouver Film Critics Circle also recognized longtime members Terry David Mulligan and Rick Staehling’s decades of contributions to the Vancouver film community by naming them co-recipients of the Ian Caddell Award of Achievement, named in honour of the VFCC’s late co-founder.

Best Canadian Film

Edge of the Knife

Best Actor, Male in a Canadian Film

Tyler York, Edge of the Knife

($500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA)

Best Actor, Female in a Canadian Film

Arlen Aguayo Stewart, Roads in February

Best Supporting Actor, Male in a Canadian Film

Aaron Read, When the Storm Fades

Best Supporting Actor, Female in a Canadian Film

Kayla Lorette, When the Storm Fades

Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film

Keith Behrman, Giant Little Ones

Best Director of a Canadian Film

Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown, Edge of the Knife

Best Canadian Documentary

ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch

One to Watch

Katherine Jerkovic, Roads in February

($500 cash prize sponsored by Telefilm Canada.)

Best British Columbia Film

Edge of the Knife

($500 cash prize sponsored by the Canadian Media Production Association-BC Producers’ Branch for the film’s producers. $500 cash prize sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada-BC District Council for the film’s director.)