There was a lovely moment at Friday night’s Leo Awards that summed up what the event — which celebrates accomplishments in British Columbia film and television — truly means to the community it serves.
It was during Brenda Shenher’s acceptance speech. Brenda had just won the award for Best Costume Design in a Television Movie for her work on Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story.
Brenda had arrived in town from Regina the day before. She, along with her daughter Magdalena, had been seated at table 20 — a table on the outer reaches of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver ballroom that also included actor Richard Harmon, actress-producer Sandy Sidhu, actress-writer Sonja Bennett, designer Chloe Angus, actress Laura Adkin, and yours truly.
When her name had been announced, she and her daughter had shrieked and leapt up and hugged each other tightly. In a flash Brenda was across the ballroom and on stage, clutching her Leo and thanking everyone who’d facilitated her win: the cast and crew of Mr. Hockey; her mother, for teaching her how to sew; her daughter, for being a constant support.
And throughout Brenda’s speech, Magdalena was on her feet, shooting images and video on her phone, tears streaming down her smiling face.
Gratitude, passion, artistry, community, and joy: these qualities are at the heart of the Leos, and were on full display at last night’s kick-off event, which was hosted by funny ladies Enid-Raye Adams and Kalyn Miles (the latter of whom killed it in pre-taped interview segments with Leo nominees and a rousing live performance of “Hoping for a Leo” to the tune of “Rolling Down the River,” complete with a Tina Turner dress and three dancing Leos) and saw awards handed out in technical categories.
This is the first year that the Leo has occupied three nights on the screen scene calendar instead of the usual two, and as Walter Daroshin, president of the Leo Awards, noted in his opening speech, the expansion was necessitated by the avalanche of entries: fifty feature films this year alone.
It was a particularly good night for feature drama Down River, sci-fi series Continuum, TV movie Mr. Hockey, and film short Anxious Oswald Greene.
Below, we’ve got the rundown of night #1 winners. We’ll be back at the Leos tonight — when the spotlight will be shone on documentaries, lifestyle programs, talk and variety shows, animation and children’s programming, music videos, and web series — as well as Sunday’s red carpet gala.
MOTION PICTURE
Screenwriting
Ben Ratner, Down River
“Nobody ever wrote a screenplay by themselves.”
Cinematography
Pieter Stathis, 3 Days in Havana
Picture Editing
Jamie Alain, That Burning Feeling
Visual Effects
Peter Muyzers, Shawn Walsh, Andrew Chapman, Cabral Rock, Elysium
Overall Sound
Randy Kiss, Michael Mcdonald, Brian Lyster, Down River
Sound Editing
Ewan Deane, Matthew Wilson, James Wallace, Don Mann, Evangeline
Musical Score
Schaun Tozer, No Clue
Production Design
Grant Pearse, Sitting on the Edge of Marlene
Costume Design
Gloria Tsui, Down River
Make-Up
Tracy Lai, Evil Feed
Hairstyling
Jennifer Ruth, Evangeline
TELEVISION MOVIE
Screenwriting
Paul Mullie, Joseph Mallozzi, Delete
Cinematography
James Alfred Menard, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story
Picture Editing
Jamie Alain,Delete
Overall Sound
Kirby Jinnah, Iain Pattison, Kevin Belen, Scarecrow
Sound Editing
Kirby Jinnah, James Fonnyadt, Ken Cade, Brian Campbell, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story
Musical Score
Matthew Rogers, Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story
Production Design
Gordon Wilding, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story
Costume Design
Brenda Shenher, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story
DRAMATIC SERIES
Screenwriting
Simon Barry, Continuum - Second Time
“They shouldn’t put the writer’s award so late in the evening. We shouldn’t be sitting around this long. It’s bad news.”
Cinematography
Michael Wale, Continuum - Second Guessed
Picture Editing
Allen Lee, Continuum - Second Time
Visual Effects
Mark Meloche, Grant Lindsay, Christopher Richardson, Trevor Chong, Kevin Genzel, Supernatural – Sacrifice
Production Design
Ian Thomas, Peter Andringa, Matt Versteeg, Almost Human - Skin
Costume Design
Susan De Laval, Witches of East End - Potentia Noctis
Make-Up
Jennifer Kipps, Continuum - Second Skin
Hairstyling
Brenda Turner, Almost Human - Skin
SHORT DRAMA
Screenwriting
Marshall Axani, Anxious Oswald Greene
Cinematography
Naim Sutherland, Anxious Oswald Greene
Picture Editing
Jeremy Schaulin Rioux, Anxious Oswald Greene
Visual Effects
David Feuillatre, Jon Hunwick, Ang Nasiakos, Heloise Papillon, Gaspard Roche, Anxious Oswald Greene
Overall Sound
Gregor Phillips, Barton Hewett, Peter Kepkay, Albert Cleto, Anxious Oswald Greene
Sound Editing
Gregor Phillips, Albert Cleto, Doug Paterson, Anxious Oswald Greene
Musical Score
Kenton Gilchrist, Anxious Oswald Greene
Production Design
Ester Bovard, Anxious Oswald Greene
Costume Design
Christina Dietterle, Under The Bridge Of Fear
Make-Up
Sara Huggins, Matt Aebig, Anxious Oswald Greene
Hairstyling
Sara Huggins, Jen Orun, Anxious Oswald Greene
