With the selection of nominees in the craft categories (directing and research) of the Golden Sheaf Awards, the stage is set for the 2016 Yorkton Film Festival.
The festival announced last week 14 nominees vying for awards in three categories, Director - Fiction; Director - Non-Fiction; and Research.
“The craft awards allow us to focus a bit more on some of the craft and talent that goes into filmmaking, and our nominees this year really do reflect a lot of the talent and different kinds of film projects that are made in Canada,” said Randy Goulden, YFF executive director. “I think we’re going to have some very interesting films for the people of Yorkton to come out and see in May.”
Those films include Assini by Saskatchewan Métis director Gail Maurice nominated in the Director - Fiction category.
The 13-minute drama tells the tale of Assini, a rambunctious seven-year-old girl who does not realize she is an Indian.
“Assini follows this struggle towards self-awareness and self-acceptance,” states the synopsis on Assini Productions website. “It’s a tale that follows the conflicts and inner battles of learning to like and accept who you are.”
Gail Maurice grew up in a northern Saskatchewan Métis village and is also an actor best known for her starring roles in feature films Johnny Greyeyes (2000) and Finn’s Girl (2007).
She is currently developing her own feature film directorial debut Blood Lines.
Assini debuted at the 2015 imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto.
Also up for Director – Fiction are Kristina Mileska and Andy Kloske for Asteroid; Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett for Mia; Kathleen Hepburn for Never Steady, Never Still; and Patrice Laliberté for Viaduc.
Nominees in the other craft categories and in 21 regular categories are published on the YFF website. The screening schedule has not yet been published.
The festival runs from May 26 to 29. Early Bird registration is open until May 8.
