A still from the film "BlackBerry" is shown in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Elevation Pictures *MANDATORY CREDIT*
TORONTO – A chaotic comedy about the rise and fall of an era-defining smartphone has won the $50,000 best Canadian feature prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association.
“BlackBerry” director and star Matt Johnson accepted the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at a swanky bash Monday night.
After joking he wouldn’t be using the money for anything, Johnson told the Canadian Press it would be going towards his next project, a film version of his Viceland series “Nirvanna the Band the Show,” which premiered in 2017.
“Swan Song,” a profile of National Ballet of Canada artistic director and former dancer Karen Kain, won the $50,000 Best Canadian Documentary award.
Director Chelsea McMullan and executive producer Sean O’Neill were on hand to accept the award. McMullan said she would be using the money to pay off her debt.
Runners-up for the two prizes each received $5,000. They include the films “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” and “Solo,” and the documentaries “Rojek” and “Someone Lives Here.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.
