The Track Leads Documentary Winners at VIFF

The Track leads the documentary winners at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). The festival announced the juried winners yesterday with The Track, directed by Ryan Sidhoo, winning the “Tides Award” for Outstanding Canadian Feature. The documentary observes young aspiring Olympians in Sarajevo as they train on the old sled track that remains from the 1984 games. The sport explores what it means for a new generation of people from Bosnia and Herzegovina to emerge from the shadow of war. The award carries a $15,000 prize courtesy of Rogers. (Read the POV review of The Track here.)

“For its poignant portrayal of resilience, this bittersweet coming-of-age story follows three young men growing up in post-war Bosnia,” remarked the jury in a statement. “Despite limited resources and a training ground marked by the scars of conflict, they hold fast to a shared Olympic dream. Told with quiet strength and striking intimacy, the film reminds us of the power of perseverance and the enduring importance of hope.”

The jury gave an honourable mention to Modern Whore, director Nicole Bazuin’s portrait of former escort Andrea Werhun and her advocacy to consider sex work as proper labour with all the rights that entails. The jury called it a “candid exploration of reclaiming meaning in an industry that remains stigmatized and unprotected.”

The Track also received an honourable mention for the “Arbutus Award” recognizing B.C. film. First place in the category went to Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron, which also won the “Horizon Award” for an emerging Canadian filmmaker. Alireza Khatami’s The Things You Kill, meanwhile, won the “Summit Award” for Outstanding Canadian Narrative Feature. The film is Canada’s submission in the Oscar race for Best International Feature.

On the international front, the “Vanguard Award” went to the Serbian/Slovenian/Croatian co-production Wind, Talk to Me by Stefan Djordjevic. VIFF will announce the winners for its audience awards after the festival wraps this weekend.

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