Hot Docs 2012 Award Winners

The Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival came to a close on Sunday May 6, 2012 and although we have to wait a whole year to enjoy the festival again, it does go out with the sweet news to the award winners from this year. I sadly saw no where near as many films as I'd like this year, but that never seems to effect the fact that I almost never see festival winners. I don't know how that happens but for almost every festival of any year, I see other films. Bizarre! At least that means I have an ample supply of titles for my 'to see' list and I did see G-Dog which landed #3 on the Audience Awards and The Boxing Girls of Kabul. At least there were a few!

Here's have a look and celebrate with this years winners including the 2012 Filmmakers Award:

Hot Docs 2012 People’s Choice Award Top Ten
voted on by audience ballot
1. CHASING ICE (dir: Jeff Orlowski)
2. BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* (dir: Fredrik Gertten)
3. G-DOG (dir: Freida Mock)
4. WE ARE WISCONSIN (dir: Amie Williams)
5. LIFE IN STILLS (dir: Tamar Tal)
6. BROOKLYN CASTLE (dir: Katie Dellamaggiore)
7. 5 BROKEN CAMERAS (dir: Guy Davidi, Emad Burnat)
8. JASON BECKER: NOT DEAD YET (dir: Jessie Vile)
9. CALL ME KUCHU (dir:Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright)
10. THE WORLD BEFORE HER (dir: Nisha Pahuja; Canada, Germany)

2012 Filmmaker Award: THE IMPOSTER (D: Bart Layton, UK)

Best Canadian Feature: THE WORLD BEFORE HER (D: Nisha Pahuja; P: Cornelia Principe, Nisha Pahuja, Ed Barreveld)

Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature: PEACE OUT (D: Charles Wilkinson; P: Tina Schliessler)

Inspirit Foundation Pluralism Prize: THE BOXING GIRLS OF KABUL (D: Ariel J. Nasr; P: Annette Clark)

Best International Feature: CALL ME KUCHU (D: Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright; P: Malika Zouhali-Worrall; USA)

Special Jury Prize – International Feature: THE LAW IN THESE PARTS (D: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz; P: Liran Atzmor, B.Z. Goldberg; Israel)

Best Mid-Length Documentary: MY THAI BRIDE (D/P: David Tucker; Australia)
Honourable mention to NESSA (D: Loghman Khaledi; P: Katayoon Shahabi; Iran).

Best Short Documentary: FIVE FRAGMENTS OF THE EXTINCT EMPATHY (D: Anna Nykyri; P: Joonas Berghäll; Finland)
Honourable mention to FAMILY NIGHTMARE (D/P: Dustin Guy Defa; USA).

HBO Documentary Films Emerging Artist Award (tie): Bill Ross and Turner Ross for the film TCHOUPITOULAS (P: Bill Ross, Turner Ross; USA) and Benjamin Kahlmeyer for the film MEANWHILE IN MAMELODI (P: Boris Frank; Germany, South Africa)

2012 Hot Docs Outstanding Achievement Award recipient: Michel Brault

documentary’s Don Haig Award: Mia Donovan (INSIDE LARA ROXX, Hot Docs 2011 Official Selection)
Honourable Mention: Charles Officer (MIGHTY JEROME, Hot Docs 2011 Official Selection)

Lindalee Tracey Award: Jasmine Oore.

JURIES
The Canadian Feature Documentary Jury: Borislav Andjelic (film journalist; director of International Film Festival Belgrade), Maya Gallus (director, THE MYSTERY OF MAZO DE LA ROCHE), Dana O’Keefe (senior executive, Cinetic Media), Basil Tsiokos (programming associate, Sundance Film Festival; film journalist).

The International Feature Documentary Jury: Matthew Akers (director and cinematographer), Avril Benoît (director of communications, Doctors Without Borders - Canada), James Rocchi (film journalist), David Wilson (co-founder and co-director, True/False Film Fest).

The Shorts and Mid-Length Jury: Luis Ceriz (owner, Suspect Video), Marcelle Lean (executive director, Cinéfranco), Chi-hui Yang (film programmer, lecturer and writer).

And the Hot Docs People's Choice Award is determined by audience ballot.

The Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival 2012 ran from April 26 - May 6, 2012 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.