BravoFACTUAL Announces Award Recipients for December 11 Jury

TORONTO (December 14, 2015) – Bell Media’s BravoFACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) announced today the 10 BravoFACTUAL award recipients from the December 11 jury meeting. Selected from 67 applications, a total of $434,165 was awarded to Canadian filmmakers for the production of short documentary films. With this most recent announcement, BravoFACT has awarded a total of $2.3 million in 2015 to some of Canada’s most talented filmmakers, for both scripted and documentary projects. It has been an incredible year of accomplishments for BravoFACT-funded films, with many having enjoyed great success in Canada and abroad. Highlights include the BravoFACTUAL-funded short My Enemy, My Brother, which was shortlisted for Academy Award consideration after having its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, being selected as one of TIFF’s Top 10 films and as part of TIFF’s 15^th edition of Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival™, screened at Hot Docs 2015, and was presented in the award-winning New York Times OpDocs section; the critically acclaimed shorts Boxing and Boy, which were selected to screen at TIFF 2015; and The Deaths of Chet Baker ,which was adapted into the feature-length film Born To Be Blue, starring Ethan Hawke, which debuted at this year’s TIFF. The BravoFACTUALfund recipients from the Dec. 11, 2015 jury meeting are: The Barber of Augusta – Nava Rastegar (Producer), Michele Hozer (Director)

• Inspired by the comic-book geek in the cult classic Kick-Ass, Matthew Genser sets out each morning to become a real life superhero. In his DIY multi-colored neon suit and mask, armed with a salon stool and attitude, Matt prowls his town in search of street people with bad hair, offering free haircuts to any takers. Like any superhero, he’s got a dark side, struggling with issues of inadequacy, rejection, and loneliness. But as “Mazing,” he’s king of the road.

The Crown – Kacey Cox (Producer/Director)

• After being crowned Miss World Canada 2015, actress and human rights activist Anastasia Lin is slated to compete in the Miss World final to be held in China, but will China let her in?

The Hunted – Nimisha Mukerji (Producer/Director), Lindsay George (Producer)

• A short documentary that examines what hunting means to one man and his family living in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. For enthusiast Ken Weber, the sport is a family tradition that ties him to his community and represents a form of conservation. He believes hunting connects people to the land, to the animals, and to one another. For Ken, hunting is a way of life.

Fix and Release – Jono Nemethy (Producer), Scott Dobson (Producer/Director)

• An intimate look at fresh water turtles who have suffered physical trauma, and the doctor who is developing unique protocols to save them.

  Nests of Gold – Garry Tutte (Producer), Alan Poon (Director)

• A five-part visual poem following the journey of a single bird’s nest from its creation in the remote caves of Thailand to its transformation into a soup in a busy kitchen in Hong Kong.

Peggy Su – Christine Nielsen (Producer/Director)

• Nothing Stops Peggy Su, a new Canadian who’s faced the worst things life can throw her way including poverty, the worst slum landlords, and a stage-four brain tumor. She’s fighting back and inspiring others in St. Jamestown – her new home in Toronto.

Road to Kona: The Lionel Sanders Story – Graham Colby (Producer), Matthew Johnston (Director)

• The story of Lionel Sanders’ ascent from drug abuse and mental illness to one of the best up-and-coming long distance triathletes in the world.

The Road to Webequie – Ryan Noth (Producer/Director), Tess Girard (Director)

• Moving ever closer to graduation day, a group of Webequie high school seniors strive to carve out adult lives for themselves and their families in the midst of the Ring of Fire, a swiftly changing region dubbed by government officials to be ‘Canada’s Next Oil Sands.’

Road Through War – Louie Palu (Producer/Director)

• A cinematic journey along the frontline of the war in Ukraine exploring the landscape and meeting the people in the heart of Eastern Europe.

The Vikings – George Flak (Producer), Caitlin Starowicz (Director)

• Following 12 Viking historical reenactors in Toronto as they prepare for their biggest voyage yet – a pilgrimage to L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, the first Viking settlement in North America.

The next submission deadline for BravoFACTUAL is February 26, 2016. For information about BravoFACT and BravoFACTUAL program requirements, and application guidelines, visit http://bravofact.com.