Alberta director Brandon Christensen and his film Z claimed the awards for Best Feature and Best Director at Blood in the Snow Film Festival’s 2019 Bloodies Awards ceremony, held with the presenting partnership of Hollywood Suite. The festival ran November 21–26, 2019, at the Royal Cinema in Toronto, Canada.
Z tells the story of a young boy and his supposedly imaginary friend, and the havoc that the latter wreaks on the child’s family.
Dead Dicks (reviewed here) took three awards including Best Screenplay, Best Actor for lead actor Heston Horwin, and the Montreal-based co-directors Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer were recognized as 2019’s Rising Stars.
The 2019 Vanguard award went to Toronto director Audrey Cummings, whose film She Never Died was her third feature to screen at Blood in the Snow. The Vanguard award is presented in recognition of an individual or group who is a trailblazer in the independent Canadian horror industry. She Never Died star Oluniké Adeliyi also received the award for Best Actress.
The award for best effects went to makeup effects artist Ryan Nicholson for Puppet Killer (reviewed here). Nicholson was a well known and loved fixture in the Vancouver film community, who passed away in October. In recognition for his outstanding contribution to the independent horror film community, starting in 2020 Blood in the Snow will rename this award the Ryan Nicholson Award for Best Makeup Visual Effects.
Following is the complete list of Blood in the Snow 2019 award winners:
Best Feature: Z
Director: Brandon Christensen
Producers: Chris Ball, Brandon Christensen, Kurt Harder, Colin Minihan
Best Short: ROMI
Director: Robert Cuffley
Best Webseries: DEEP SIX
Director: Davin Lengyel
Best Director: BRANDON CHRISTENSEN (Z)
Best Actress: OLUNIKE ADELEYI (She Never Died)
Best Actor: HESTON HORWIN (Dead Dicks)
Best Ensemble: HAPPY FACE
Cast of Happy Face
Best Screenplay: DEAD DICKS
Directors: Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer
Best Editing: JEREMY LUTTER (Giltrude’s Dwelling)
Best Score: HATIRAS (Raveage)
Best Cinematography: JULIAN GAROFALO (The Nights Before Christmas)
Best FX: RYAN NICHOLSON (Puppet Killer)
Best Poster: ONE IN TWO PEOPLE
Best Podcast: WITCH FINGER PODCAST
Creators: Yasmina Ketita, Megan Stinson and Morgan Lander
Rising Star Award: CHRIS BAVOTA and LEE PAULA SPRINGER (Dead Dicks)
Vanguard Award: AUDREY CUMMINGS (She Never Died)
Blood in the Snow was made possible with the support of Telefilm and Ontario Creates, as well as the generous sponsorship from the Independent Production Fund, Hollywood Suite, McCam Insurance, William F. White, and Spacefy.
