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Made in the North Award and Available Light Best Cinematography Award at Yukon’s Available Light Film Festival gives boost to women, BIPOC, disabled and LGBT2Q+ filmmakers across Canada

March 2, 2022

$13,000 in prizes awarded to five Canadian filmmakers!


Whitehorse, Yukon (March 2, 2022) - This year, Available Light Film Festival (ALFF) is thrilled to award cash
prizes to five under-represented filmmakers with films in Official Selection at ALFF 2022. The awards are made
possible with the support of Canada Goose and WarnerMedia Access Canada.


The Made in the North Award is possible with the support of Canada Goose. It’s designed to advance the talent
of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, and LGBTQ2S+ Canadian filmmakers with a focus on those living in
northern territories. A jury of accomplished, diverse film industry professionals: filmmakers Melaw Nakehk’o
(NWT), Tiffany Hsiung (ON), and Senior Manager, TIFF Programming for Canadian and Southeast Asian films,
Ravi Srinivasan, selected the award-winning films in the following three categories. Here are the award-winners:


BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM ($5,000 prize)
Islands, dir. Martin Edralin (British Columbia)


BEST NORTHERN SHORT FILM ($2,500 prize)
Inuit Languages in the 21st Century, dir. Ulivia Uviluk (Nunavik)


BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM ($2,500 prize)
Nuisance Bear, dir. Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman (Ontario)


New this year! The Available Light Cinematography Award, sponsored by WarnerMedia Access Canada,
recognizes extraordinary cinematic contributions by Canadian cinematographers who self-identify as a woman,
BIPOC, LGBTQ2+ and/or as a person with a disability. A jury comprised of senior film festival programmers,
Kinga Bińkowska and Andrew Connors along with ALFF alumni filmmaker, Naomi Mark, selected the winning
cinematographers for this award:


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY SHORT FILM ($1,500 prize)
Agnieszka Pajor for her cinematography in The Seagull Egg (Shakat Media, Yukon)


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FEATURE FILM ($1,500 prize)
Kaayla Whachell for her cinematography in Portraits From A Fire (British Columbia)
 

Honourable mention: Caitlin Durlak for her cinematography in Dropstones (Ontario)


“Available Light 2022 was an even richer festival this year because of the staggering diversity of the voices and
talent behind the 100 films in this year’s program. More than 60% of the films were directed by under-represented
filmmakers from all parts of the world, but the majority of those were from Northern Canada. Congratulations to
the selected films and filmmakers of these awards,” says Festival Director, Andrew Connors. “We’re so very
happy to be supporting these filmmakers in telling their stories and honoured to play a role in sharing their work
with audiences across Yukon and Canada. These partnerships with Canada Goose and WarnerMedia Access
Canada spark us to continue our mission to build up under-represented filmmakers and creators by helping them
continue their work in film and media production.”


Seven feature films and eight short films were eligible for the Available Light Cinematography Award for
Canadian cinematographers who self-identify as a woman, BIPOC, LGBTQ2+ and/or as a person with a
disability. The other films lensed by cinematographers eligible for this award were: Islands, Returning Home,
Someone Like Me, Food for the Rest of Us, Dropstones, Fanny: The Right to Rock, Dear Friend, Defund, Sòl, Zab
Maboungou, Being Prepared, Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again
and Evan’s Drum.


Eligibility for the Made in the North Award was open to all feature films and short films in Official Selection
directed by Canadian resident or citizen filmmakers who self-identify as BIPOC or queer. Each winner receives a
cash award in celebration of their excellent contribution to Canadian cinema. This year, 11 feature length and 32
short films were eligible for the Made in the North Award.


Now in its 20th year, the Available Light Film Festival, Canada’s largest film festival North of 60˙, is a
celebration of Northern, Indigenous, Canadian and international cinema. The festival ran February 11-28 with 38
features, 60+ short films by Indigenous, Black, Persons of Colour, LGBTQ2+ and circumpolar filmmakers, an
open-air cinema event, live-streamed concerts by Yukon artists, and more.


The Available Light Film Festival 2022 presenting partner is Canada Goose. ALFF 2022 public supporters are the
Government of Yukon, Telefilm Canada, Yukon Lotteries and the City of Whitehorse. Premier sponsors included:
Northwestel Community Television, WarnerMedia Access Canada, Yukon Women’s Aboriginal Council, What’s
Up Yukon, Winterlong, Northern Vision Development, Yukon Energy, Directors Guild of Canada, BC District
and Canada Media Fund. The Yukon Film Society acknowledges the annual support of Canada Council for the
Arts, Yukon Arts Operating Fund and Yukon Lotteries.


The Available Light Film Festival acknowledges that it is based on the traditional territory of
the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and that we live, create and benefit within this
territory. Shä w níthän. Kwä nä schis. Gunalchîsh.

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