[Photo gallery below]
If the results of the final night of the 2016 Leo Awards tell us anything about our homegrown reel people, it’s that they don’t shy away from gut-punching work.
Now in its 18th year, the Leo Awards recognize achievements in the British Columbia film and television industry, handing out more than one hundred awards to on-screen talent and behind-the-scenes artists each year. On June 5, the 2016 edition wrapped up with a splashy red carpet gala at the Hyatt Regency hosted by actor Zak Santiago (The 100; Random Acts of Romance) and attended by a veritable Who’s Who of the local screen scene – and the work that was recognized was undeniably fearless and emotionally wrenching.
In the motion picture category, The Devout – Connor Gaston’s gripping drama about a father who believes that his dying daughter is a reincarnated 1960s astronaut – snapped up five Leo Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Screenwriting, and Best Performance nods for Charlie Carrick, Ali Liebert, and child actor Olivia Martin (who was unable to attend the gala because it was “past her bedtime,” according to The Devout producer Amanda Verhagen during her acceptance speech).
Siobhan Devine won Best Direction in a Motion Picture for Whistler Film Festival standout The Birdwatcher, about a terminally ill woman (portrayed by Camille Sullivan, who won for her performance in the DTES-centric Victory Square) who seeks out a relationship with her biological mother (Gabrielle Rose) so that her son and daughter will have someone to look after them upon her death.
On the small-screen front, CTV’s Motive took Best Dramatic Series; the popular “whydunit” and Leo Awards regular is in the midst of its final season. On the Farm – a made-for-TV movie based on Stevie Cameron’s 2011 book about the events leading up to the arrest of serial killer Robert Pickton – won Best Television Movie.
Peruse the full list of gala awards ceremony winners below.
MOTION PICTURE
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Naim Sutherland
Charlotte's Song
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Cameron McDonald
No Men Beyond This Point
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Olivia Martin
The Devout
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Kim Oxlund, Maya Saxell, Red Heartbreaker
Charlotte's Song
BEST SCREENWRITING
Connor Gaston
The Devout
BEST DIRECTION
Siobhan Devine
The Birdwatcher
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Charlie Carrick
The Devout
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Ali Liebert
The Devout
BEST MOTION PICTURE
The Devout
Amanda Verhagen, Daniel Hogg, Connor Gaston - Producers
SHORT DRAMA
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Dylan Playfair
Never Steady, Never Still
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Camille Sullivan
Victory Square
BEST DIRECTION
Kathleen Hepburn
Never Steady, Never Still
BEST SHORT DRAMA
Never Steady, Never Still
Tyler Hagan, James Brown, Kathleen Hepburn - Producers
TELEVISION MOVIE
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Iain Belcher
Ungodly Acts
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Stephanie Bennett
Stolen Dreams
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
James Menard
R. L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet Of Souls
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Graeme Coleman
My Sweet Audrina
BEST SCREENWRITING
Dennis Foon
On the Farm
BEST DIRECTION
Peter DeLuise
R. L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet Of Souls
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Jonathan Scarfe
Love On The Air
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Anastasia Lin
The Bleeding Edge
BEST TELEVISION MOVIE
On the Farm
Rupert Harvey - Producer
DRAMATIC SERIES
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Mark Chow
Motive – “A Problem Like Maria”
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Schaun Tozer
The Romeo Section – “The China Shop”
BEST SCREENWRITING
Jesse McKeown
19-2 – “Orphans”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Osric Chau
Blood And Water – “108”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Lauren Lee Smith
This Life – “Everything Must Go”
BEST DIRECTION
David Frazee
The Romeo Section – “Elephant Faces East”
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Jared Keeso
19-2 – “School”
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Carmen Moore
Blackstone – “Flat Line”
BEST DRAMATIC SERIES
Motive
Rob Merilees, Rob LaBelle, Lindsay MacAdam, Louise Clark, Ben Brafman, Erin Haskett, Dennis Heaton, Sarah Dodd, Daniel Cerone - Producers
STUDENT PRODUCTION
BEST STUDENT PRODUCTION
The Blue Jet
Lawrence Lam – Producer
