It is challenging to keep pace with all the recent awards and prizes the Talent Fund supported Micro-budget production program films have been receiving in the last couple of months, with another five awards and prizes added to the ever growing list of successes.

Randall Okita, director and writer of The Lockpicker was recently selected by the Academy of Canadian Film & Television to receive the inaugural John Dunning Discovery Award. His film was also awarded the Grand Jury Prize from the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and Best First Feature from the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival.

“As jury members, we were drawn into The Lockpicker as a fully realized, magnetic portrayal of a teenager searching for more than what he has. Showcasing a remarkable synchronicity between director and performer, the film viscerally captures the longing, boredom and apathy of adolescence. With detailed and sensitive observation and stunning cinematography, The Lockpicker is an intriguing, claustrophobic and beautiful film, and we look forward to following director Randall Okita’s career. “– The Jury, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

In January, Werewolf director, Ashley McKenzie received the Toronto Film Critics Association Jay Scott Prize for Emerging Talent, the film was named Best First Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, and it has received four Canadian Screen Awards nominations. Read her interview with the Toronto Film Critics Association: https://torontofilmcritics.com/features/interview-ashley-mckenzie-tfca-jay-scott-prize-winner/