Geographies of Solitude continues its winning streak on the circuit as Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival announced the awards for this year’s event. The film by Jacquelyn Mills won the Best Canadian Feature Award for its experimental portrait of researcher Zoe Lucas and her work on Sable Island. Geographies of Solitude previously won both Best Canadian Documentary and the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award at Hot Docs, along with three prizes at the Berlinale Forum. It also scored top prizes at the Jeonju and Las Palmas film festivals.
Also continuing its impressive run is the Canadian short Nuisance Bear, directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden. The film about the impact of climate change on polar bear populations recently scored a record trio of Critics’ Choice Award nominations to add to a slew of wins on the festival circuit since debuting at TIFF last year.
Rounding out the Canadian winners is Ali Kazimi’s Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence with the People’s Choice Award. The film has a Toronto encore at Reel Asian next month.
The full list of Planet in Focus winners is as follows:
Best Canadian Feature Award
Geographies of Solitude – Jacquelyn Mills
International Feature Award
Into the Ice – Lars Ostenfeld
People’s Choice Award
Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence – Ali Kazimi
Best Canadian Short Award
Nuisance Bear – Jack Weisman & Gabriela Osio Vanden
Best International Short Award
Haulout – Maxim Arbugaev & Evgenia Arbugaeva
Mark Haslam Award
Uýra: The Rising Forest – Juliana Curi
The Green Pitch Award
Warrior Spirit – Will George & Gloria Pancrazi
