Hot Docs has presented 14 awards and C$90,000 in cash prizes to the winning documentaries from this year\u2019s official competition.<\/p>\n
The Hot Docs DGC special jury prize for Canadian feature documentary, sponsored by DGC National and DGC Ontario, was presented to Paul<\/em>, an 87-minute film in which the titular man copes with depression and social anxiety by finding comfort in doing domestic chores for dominant women. The award comes with a C$5,000 cash prize, which will be given to director Denis C\u00f4t\u00e9 and producers Karine B\u00e9langer and Hany Ouichou.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are honored to present the special jury prize to Paul<\/em>, directed by Denis C\u00f4t\u00e9,\u201d the jury said. \u201cEvery now and then you watch a film that takes you completely by surprise. A film that zigs when you think it will zag, a film that drops you into the lives of people who you might not imagine identifying with and yet somehow do\u2014powerfully so. For the members of this jury, Paul<\/em> is that film. From its deceptively simple opening scenes, we are introduced to Paul, a shy, overweight young man who has a social media following, an obsessive penchant for cleaning and the goal of losing weight. Yet, scene by scene, we learn that Paul has a set of deeper, more complicated desires\u2014his clients are dominatrixes, and he is their subordinate. Through nuanced observation of complex, hierarchical, boundaried, sexually charged punishment-reward relationships, we see Paul gradually learn to navigate, advocate for and, eventually, express himself. He learns to connect. In lesser hands, this film could have been a mess; instead, it is a revelation.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hot Docs best Canadian feature documentary award went to Agatha\u2019s Almanac<\/em>, centering on a fiercely independent Mennonite woman living alone on her ancestral farm in southern Manitoba. The award, presented to director and producer Amalie Akins, includes a C$10,000 cash prize, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.<\/p>\n The Joan VanDuzer special jury prize for international feature documentary was given to River of Grass<\/em>, an ode to the Florida Everglades that explores its historical and ongoing challenges through the writings and testimonies of environmentalists, educators and current denizens. Director and producer Sasha Wortzel and producer Danielle Varga also receive a C$5,000 cash prize in memory of Joan VanDuzer.<\/p>\n Best international feature documentary was presented to I, Poppy<\/em>, in which a son fights corrupt officials while his mother tends their poppy farm in India. Director and producer Vivek Chaudhary and producer Xavier Rocher will be given a C$10,000 cash prize.<\/p>\n The Hot Docs Betty Youson Award for best Canadian short documentary went to Delta Dawn<\/em>, chronicling the rise to fame of wrestler Dawn Murphy, the first Indigenous and Canadian woman to compete professionally in Japan, in the 1980s and early 1990s. The award includes a $3,000 cash prize.<\/p>\n The award for best international short documentary, sponsored by TVO Docs, was presented to Alice<\/em>, which follows as the titular trans woman finds solace in surfing the waters of Macei\u00f3, Brazil. Director Gabriel Novis also received a C$3,000 cash prize.<\/p>\n Canadian producer Cornelia Principe, producer of Shamed<\/em>, in which an online vigilante seeks out potential sexual predators and ambushes them in video-taped confrontations, received the Hot Docs Don Haig Award, given to an outstanding independent Canadian producer with a film in the festival. The award comes with a C$5,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.<\/p>\n The best mid-length documentary award, sponsored by Mubi, was given to Climate in Therapy<\/em>, directed by Nathan Grossman and producer Cecilia Nessen. The 64-minute documentary sees seven climate scientists father to discuss a taboo subject in their field\u2014emotions. The discussion humanizes the enormity of the climate crisis. A cash prize of C$3,000 accompanies the award.<\/p>\n The Lindalee Tracey Award, honoring an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humor, was presented to Regan Latimer, who will also be awarded C$5,000 from the Lindalee Tracey Fund, a C$5,000 in-kind voucher from Picture Shop for equipment rentals and services, and a hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz.<\/p>\n The Hot Docs Docs for Schools Student Choice Award was given to the 85-minute documentary Writing Hawa<\/em>, in which, after freeing herself from a 40-year arranged marriage, the filmmaker\u2019s mother hopes for a brighter future for herself and her daughter and granddaughter. Her dreams, however, are decimated by the Taliban\u2019s return to power in Afghanistan. Director Najiba Noori, co-director Rasul Noori and producers Christian Popp, Hasse van Nunen and Renko Douze will also receive a C$5,000 cash prize, courtesy of Scotiabank.<\/p>\n The first-look awards for works-in-progress were given to The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Hole<\/em>, Land of No Pain<\/em> and Untying the Knot<\/em>. Each will receive C$5,000 courtesy of Suzanne DePoe , Peter Goring and Richard Sugarman.<\/p>\n The winners of the remaining Hot Docs award can be found on the Hot Docs website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hot Docs has presented 14 awards and C$90,000 in cash prizes to the winning documentaries from this year\u2019s official competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":22923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[88],"class_list":["post-22922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-hot-docs","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n