With a well-timed return to theatres, FIN Atlantic International Film Festival was able to host its annual eight-day celebration of films from Atlantic Canada and around the world. In the process, they were also able to announce the winners of their 2021 Atlantic Awards.
Selected by a jury of Atlantic film professionals, the Atlantic International Film Festival awarded eleven Atlantic Awards, four of which went to Wildhood.
Wildhood is the story of Link, a young boy who “discovers his Mi’kmaw mother is still alive, he runs away from home with his younger brother Travis, in a desperate gamble to start a new life. They’re soon joined by Pasmay, a pow wow dancer drawn to Link’s story. Together they embark on a Two-Spirit odyssey, reconnecting with culture and the territory of Mi’kma’ki in Nova Scotia, Canada, while trying to find Links mother, Sarah.”
This year, Wildhood won the Michael Weir Award for Best Atlantic Screenwriting, the Joan Orenstein Award & David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting, the award for Best Atlantic Director, and the Gordon Parsons Award for Best Atlantic Feature.
The complete list of 2021 Atlantic Awards is as follows:
RBC Script Development Winner
Sponsored by RBC, Telefilm Canada, and Nova Scotia Communities Culture and Heritage
Winner: Justin O’Hanley
The Secret of the Ridgemoor Resort
Best Atlantic Original Score
Presented by FIN Atlantic International Film Festival
Winner: Seth A. Smith
Tin Can
The Michael Weir Award for Best Atlantic Screenwriting
Presented by Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Winner: Bretten Hannam
Wildhood
Best Atlantic Cinematographer
Presented by Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Winner: Kevin A. Fraser
Tin Can
Best Atlantic Editor
Presented by Canadian Cinema Editors
Winner: Mathieu Bélanger & Jonathan Keijser
Peace by Chocolate
Best Atlantic Short
Sponsored by 902 Post
Winner: Baduk
Directed by Induk Lee
Produced by Kelsey Power
Joan Orenstein Award & David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting
Sponsored by Sky Talent Group
Winner: Avery Winters-Anthony
Wildhood
Best Atlantic Documentary
Sponsored by DOC Atlantic
Winner: The Silence (Le silence)
Directed by Renée Blanchar
Produced by Maryse Chapdelaine & Christine Aubé
Best Atlantic Short Documentary
Presented by FIN Atlantic International Film Festival
Winner: Nalujuk Night
Directed by Jennie Williams
Produced by Latonia Hartery, Kat Baulu & Rohan Fernando
Best Atlantic Director
Sponsored by William F. White International
Winner: Bretten Hannam
Wildhood
The Gordon Parsons Award for Best Atlantic Feature
Presented by FIN Atlantic International Film Festival
Winner: Wildhood
Produced by Julie Baldassi, Damon D’Oliveira, Bretten Hannam & Gharrett Patrick Paon