Honours, Awards and & Distinctions


Our documentaries have been the recipient of more than 25 Canadian and international awards and program selections.

These include:

  • Vancouver International Film Festival
  • Toronto International Film Festival
  • Yorkton International Festival (Finalist) (Honorable Mention)
  • Athens International Film Festival (First Prize)
  • Mannheim International Film Festival (Finalist)
  • Hemisfilm International Film Festival, San Antonio Texas
  • Houston International Film Festival (Bronze Award)
  • Columbus International Film Festival (Bronze Award)
  • Sydney International Film Festival
  • Lille International Festival, France (Special Jury Award)
  • Leipzig Documentary Film Festival
  • National Education Film and Video Festival, Silver Apple
  • Canadian Film and Television Association Awards (First prize, Short Documentaries)
  • Academy of Canadian Film and Television – Genie Nomination (Best Documentary)
  • American Film Festival (First Prize in two categories)
  • Grierson Documentary Festival
  • Certamen Internacional de Cine Cortmetrje
  • Through Her Eyes Women’s Film Festival, Toronto
  • Uppsala Film Festival, Sweden
  • Havana International Film Festival (with Estella Bravo – First prize)
  • Canadian Association of Labour Media (Best Film)
  • International Labour Press Association (First prize)
  • National Council of Family Relations (Second Place in Family Life Category)
  • National Educational Film Festival, U.S.A
  • Association for the Care of Children’s Health (Honourable Mention)
  • Canadian Mental Health Association (Community Achievement Awards)

My documentary work has been showcased in 4 retrospectives in Canada and Sweden.

I have participated on 8 juries for Funding and Festival competitions- some multiple times.

In 1986 I received a Woman of Distinction award from the YWCA of Metropolitan Toronto for my contribution to arts and letters.

In 2004, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Laurentian University for my achievements as “one of Canada’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers.”

In 2007 the American Council on Foundations awarded myself and SkyWorks Charitable Foundation the Henry Hampton Award for Innovation and Excellence in Film & Digital Media for the Kids Care Project. This award acknowledges the excellence of our Foundation and the organization’s ability to take a difficult subject matter and influence positive change at the community level. I am the only Canadian documentary filmmaker to receive a Hampton Award. We were nominated for the award by The Lawson Foundation, the long-time supporters of SkyWorks and of Kids Care, our film exploring the experiences of children dealing with grief.

These awards affirmed our innovative documentary methods and values. The root of our effectiveness and our achievements rested with the participatory model of research, production and dissemination. Rather than rely on television broadcast or the commercial distribution system, our organization reached our audiences through national and regional community organizations and networks that shared a concern for the issues we have documented. The centre of all our work has been the community relationships we formed and honoured. It has been wonderful to witness the tremendous connection that audience members make with the people on the screen, with those beside them at screenings. It has been a powerful, affirming process.