Vancouver Film Critics Circle Names ‘nîpawistamâsowin’ Best Canadian Doc

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up

Photo by Jon Montes

By Pat Mullen

The Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) named Tasha Hubbard’s nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up the best Canadian documentary of 2019. The NFB film received the honour—one of many in its impressive run since debuting at Hot Docs last April—at the VFCC gala last night. The VFCC also gave an honourable mention to Baljit Sangra’s Because We Are Girls. (The film’s producer, Selwyn Jacob, added a lifetime achievement award to the big night.) Honeyland previously won the international doc prize in the VFCC’s announcement earlier in December.

The overall winner of the VFCC Canadian prizes was Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which took three awards including Best Canadian Film. The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is also a nominee for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards to be handed out Thursday night.

The complete list of Vancouver Film Critics Circle Canadian award winners is as follows:

Best Canadian Film

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

Best Actor, Male in a Canadian Film

Dan Beirne, The Twentieth Century

Best Actor, Female in a Canadian Film

Deragh Campbell, Anne at 13,000ft

($500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA)

Best Supporting Actor, Male in a Canadian Film

Matt Johnson, Anne at 13,000ft

Best Supporting Actor, Female in a Canadian Film

Amber Anderson, White Lie

Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film

Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas, White Lie

Best Director of a Canadian Film

Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

Best Canadian Documentary

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up

-Honourable Mention: Because We Are Girls

One to Watch

Matthew Rankin, The Twentieth Century

($500 cash prize sponsored by Telefilm Canada.)

Best British Columbia Film

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

($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.)

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Selwyn Jacob