Air India 182, Passchendaele, Flashpoint win directing prizes
Last Updated: Sunday, October 25, 2009 | 8:34 PM ET
CBC News
Directors for Passchendaele, Fifty Dead Men Walking and the documentary Air India 182 were victors at the eighth annual Directors Guild of Canada awards.
The event, hosted by comedian Shaun Majumder in Toronto on Saturday night, honoured the best filmmakers in the country.
Michael Dunne (Paul Gross, right) falls for a troubled young nurse (Caroline Dhavernas) in Passchendaele. The film garnered the team direction prize. (Chris Large/Alliance Films)
Written and directed by Toronto's Sturla Gunnarsson, Air India 182 captured the Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary. The film examines and reconstructs the conspiracy that led to the 1985 bombing of the flight, which killed 329 people.
The Canadian First World War drama Passchendaele, starring Paul Gross, garnered the team feature film directing prize, while Kari Skogland nabbed the best direction in a feature film for her IRA movie, Fifty Dead Men Walking.
Television productions were also honoured.
The police drama Flashpoint came up big, going home with the team television drama series prize for the episode "Haunting the Barn" as well as an individual trophy for Holly Dale for the "Attention Shoppers" episode.
Other winners included:
- Team TV Movie/Miniseries: The Summit.
- Team Family TV Movie/Miniseries: Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning.
- Team TV Family Series: Heartland, "Dancing in the Dark."
- Team TV Comedy Series: Corner Gas, "You've Been Great, Goodnight."
The gala also honoured several individuals in production, design and editing.
The guild is a labour organization representing 3,800 creative workers in the film and television industry. It is also a lobby and advocacy group for the industry in Canada.
