You and I have been on quite a journey since this column launched in March 2014.
We’ve been visiting film sets, bingeing on locally produced movies and series, and getting to know the people – the (ahem) Reel People – who propel our film and television industry forward.
Reel People began in the final days of the industry drought (remember #SaveBCFilm?), when a ghastly number of American productions moved on to faraway climes offering more favourable tax credits.
Once thriving studios sat empty. Auditions dried up. Talent from all parts of the industry struggled to make ends meet.
But times have changed, at least in the service part of the industry. Foreign productions have returned in a big way, and BC’s once again proving itself as one of the top soundstages in the world.
The thing that really impressed me during the darkest days of drought was the way that the industry continued to create evocative and powerful indie work (including 2013’s critical hit, Down River, which is now available on iTunes, and Fade Out, the directorial debut of actress Agam Darshi, which will screen at a Celluloid Social Club event on June 24).
Red carpets and autographs aside, film & TV isn’t a glamorous biz for the bulk of the people who work in it. They’re not getting rich from their indie films, TV roles, and web series. Many of the people I write about have to work at another job just to keep a foot in the industry they love.
It’s a sad truth that the people who work in our creative industries aren’t reaping the full benefits of their efforts, despite the staggering impact that said industries have on our economy and culture as a whole.
So that’s why I love to share their stories with you. That’s why, I’m guessing, you’ve been devouring their stories in print and online: you’re intrigued by their passion, maybe even the crazy paths they’ve tread to bring their work to screens big and small.
And that’s why the three nights of the Leo Awards are so sweet, and why I make a point of being present while Every. Single. Award is handed out.
I get to hear the whys: Why they do what they do, a question that was answered by Josh Huculiak as he accepted the Leo Award for Best Motion Picture for Violent, a film that was made on the scantest of budgets – and took home a whopping eight Leo Awards: “We all do this because we love it. That’s why we do what we do, even though we don’t make any money from it.”
So when the Reel People you’ve been reading about head up to the stage to collect their awards – or talk to media outlets who only cover the industry a couple of times a year – I’m proud, and you should be, too. These are our Reel People.
Here’s a complete list of winners from the final night of the 2015 Leo Awards. For the winners from the first night, click here. For the winners from the second night, click here.
MOTION PICTURE
BEST STUNT COORDINATION MOTION PICTURE
Lauro Chartrand
Grace: The Possession
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE MOTION PICTURE
Christopher Heyerdahl
Eadweard
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE MOTION PICTURE
Gabrielle Rose
Two 4 One
BEST SCREENWRITING MOTION PICTURE
Andrew Huculiak, Cayne Mckenzie
Violent
BEST MUSICAL SCORE MOTION PICTURE
Cayne Mckenzie, Andrew Huculiak
Violent
BEST DIRECTION MOTION PICTURE
Andrew Huculiak
Violent
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A MALE MOTION PICTURE
Matthew MacCaull
Black Fly
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE MOTION PICTURE
Julia Sarah Stone
Wet Bum
BEST MOTION PICTURE
Violent
Josh Huculiak - Producer
SHORT DRAMA
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE SHORT DRAMA
Tom McBeath
The Timekeeper
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE SHORT DRAMA
Shauna Johannesen
Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story
BEST SHORT DRAMA
Luk'Luk'l: Mother
Wayne Wapeemukwa, Matt Drake, Riley Harvey - Producers
BEST DIRECTION SHORT DRAMA
Wayne Wapeemukwa
Luk'Luk'l: Mother
TELEVISION MOVIE
BEST MUSICAL SCORE TELEVISION MOVIE
Hal Beckett
Surprised By Love
BEST DIRECTION TELEVISION MOVIE
Peter DeLuise
Zapped
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE TELEVISION MOVIE
Lilah Fitzgerald
Polka-Dot & Luey
BEST TELEVISION MOVIE
Zapped
Lisa Towers, Michael Prupas, Harvey Kahn, Joel Rice, Jane Goldenring, Carol Baum - Producers
DRAMATIC SERIES
BEST STUNT COORDINATION DRAMATIC SERIES
Kimani Ray Smith
Continuum - Minute Of Silence
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE TELEVISION MOVIE
Antonio Cupo
Bomb Girls: Facing The Enemy
BEST SCREENWRITING DRAMATIC SERIES
Katherine Collins
Motive – Pitfall
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE DRAMATIC SERIES
Martin Cummins
When Calls The Heart - Rules Of Engagement
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE DRAMATIC SERIES
Anne Marie DeLuise
Strange Empire - The Cage
BEST DIRECTION DRAMATIC SERIES
David Frazee
Motive - Raw Deal
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A MALE DRAMATIC SERIES
Louis Ferreira
Motive - For You I Die
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE DRAMATIC SERIES
Sara Canning
Remedy - Scary Bears
BEST DRAMATIC SERIES
Motive
Dennis Heaton, Rob Merilees, Louise Clark, Erin Haskett, Rob LaBelle, Lindsay MacAdam, John Lenic, Ben Brafman, James Thorpe - Producers
STUDENT PRODUCTION
BEST STUDENT PRODUCTION
Lifers
Joel Salaysay - Producer
