Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun topped the winners on the documentary side of this year’s Leo Awards. The awards honouring the best in film and television in British Columbia celebrated West Coast filmmaking over the weekend. Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun won five Leo Awards including Best Feature Length Documentary. Directed by Banchi Hanuse, the film tells the story of young Siksika rider Logan Red Crow and her quest to excel by riding bareback in the male-dominated field of Indian horse relay racing. The film’s already been celebrated at festivals such as Big Sky and Hot Docs.
On the shorts side, Doing the Impossible: The Story of the Developmental Disabilities scored three wins including Best Direction for David Ozier. Across and Down, meanwhile, won two Leo Awards including Best Documentary Short and Women Who Rock took home three Leo Awards including Best Documentary Series. The biggest winner of the night, however, was Marie Clements’ epic historical drama Bones of Crows, which swept the feature film categories, winning 10 Leo Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.
The full list of documentary winners for the 2023 Leo Awards is as follows:
Best Feature Length Documentary: Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun – Mike Wavrecan, Isabelle Pullen, Carey Newman
Best Direction, Feature Length Documentary: State Organs – Chun Yu (Raymond) Zhang
Best Screenwriting, Feature Length Documentary: Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun – Banchi Hanuse, Tanya Maryniak
Best Cinematography, Feature Length Documentary: Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun – Ben Giesbrecht, Luke Connor
Best Picture Editing, Feature Length Documentary: Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun – Tanya Maryniak
Best Sound, Feature Length Documentary: Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun – David Parfit, Brenda Sevilla, Ariana Brophy, Tyler Gillis, Jayme Langen, Zak Cohen
Best Musical Score, Feature Length Documentary: State Organs – Darryl Bennett
Best Short Documentary: Across and Down – Laurie Case, Deborah Wainwright
Best Direction, Short Documentary: Doing the Impossible: The Story of the Developmental Disabilities Association – David Ozier
Best Screenwriting, Short Documentary: Doing the Impossible: The Story of the Developmental Disabilities Association – David Ozier
Best Cinematography, Short Documentary: Residual Splendour – Amy Belling
Best Picture Editing, Short Documentary: Doing the Impossible: The Story of the Developmental Disabilities Association – David Ozier, Eddie O.
Best Sound, Short Documentary: Across and Down – J. Martin Taylor, Lisa Kolisnyk
Best Documentary Series: Women Who Rock – John Barbisan, John Varvatos, Derik Murray, Jessica Hopper, Jesse James Miller, Brian Gersh, Kent Wingerak, Tim Gamble, Rachel Brill
Best Direction, Documentary Series: Viagra: The Little Blue Pill that Changed the World – The Hard Science – Brent Hodge
Best Cinematography, Documentary Series: Women Who Rock (“Defiance”) – Shaun Lawless
Best Picture Editing, Documentary Series: Women Who Rock (“Defiance”) – Georgia Milroy, Graham Kew
Best Musical Score, Documentary Series: Viagra: The Little Blue Pill that Changed the World – The Hard Science – Steve Raskin
