Vancouver Film Critics Circle awards Haida-language ‘Edge of the Knife’

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Film Critics Circle has named the Haida-language drama “Edge of the Knife” best Canadian feature.

The 19th-century mystery-thriller, from Indigenous directors Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown, is billed as the first feature-length film made in the endangered Haida language.

“Edge of the Knife” took a total of four prizes from the VFCC’s Canadian awards ceremony on Monday, including best director, best B.C. film, and an acting trophy for Tyler York.

“Roads in February” star Arlen Aguayo Stewart also won an acting award, while the film’s director, Katherine Jerkovic, won a prize for an emerging Canadian filmmaker.

Other winners included actors Aaron Read and Kayla Lorette for “When the Storm Fades.”

Keith Behrman won best screenplay for a Canadian film for “Giant Little Ones.”

And “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch,” directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky, won best Canadian documentary.

Last month the VFCC, which comprises Vancouver-based writers and critics, named its international award winners.

Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and-white drama “Roma” took best picture and best foreign language film.

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