Politics seemed to dominate the Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday night as the Donald Trump biographical feature, The Apprentice, took home two prominent awards, five in total, last night, Yintah, a feature about the “decade-long fight to protect indigenous lands from fossil-fuel companies,” took home Best Documentary.
The two awards that The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi with a script from Gabriel Sherman, received were Best Film and Best Leading Drama Role for Sebastian Stan’s performance as Donald Trump. Daniel Bekerman, co-producer of the Canada, Ireland, and Denmark co-production of the feature, went up to accept the award for Best Film. He commented, “Our movie shows how the young Donald Trump amassed wealth and power finding a dilapidated building and slapping his name on it as president. We’ll see how that works out.”
Bekerman then spoke to Trump’s taunts of making Canada a fifty-first state in America, stating, “This is a challenge, but a good challenge, because as independent filmmakers and storytellers, what we need to do, what our responsibility is, is to tell stories with honesty that can build trust and build community.” Bekerman concludes by saying that while the rise of indigenous and queer cinema gives him hope, “we’re faced with power structures that want to silence us. It’s time to lock arms.”
Politics were also brought into question at the Canadian Screen Awards when Molly Wickham, an indigenous activist and Wing Chief of the Cas Yikh, was brought onto the stage with the directors of Yintah—Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, and Michael Toledano—when it won Best Documentary. Wickham pumped a fist into the air as she spoke to the live telecast on CBC and CBC Gem networks, “The fight continues, and we will never give up. Our sovereignty is tied to our collective freedom. Land back. Free Palestine.”
Director Andrew Rankin also centered his speech around the current political climate for his win for Best Film Director for Universal Language. Rankin said, “We all know what political moment we’re living in.” Further explaining, “And if our film stands for anything it stands for the fact that kindness can be a radical gesture, and that’s really what we believe in now more than ever.”
2025 Canadian Screen Awards Winners
Best Motion Picture: The Apprentice
Achievement in Direction: Matthew Rankin, Universal Language
Original Screenplay: Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi, Universal Language
Adapted Screenplay: Sook-Yin Lee, Joanne Sarazen, Paying For It
Achievement in Cinematography: Gayle Ye, Paying For It
Achievement in Editing: Xi Feng, Universal Language
Achievement in Art Direction: Louisa Schabas, Universal Language
Achievement in Make-Up: Colin Penman, Brandi Boulet, Sean Sanson, The Apprentice
Achievement in Costume Design: Negar Nemati, Universal Language
Achievement in Hair: Michelle Cote, Charlotte, DeLate, Sandra Kelly, The Apprentice
Achievement in Visual Effects: Brian Huynh, Sophia Jooyeon Lee, Steven Huynh, Justin Perreault, Michael Davison, Code 8: Part II
Achievement in Sound Mixing: Christian Cooke, Mark Zsifkovits, Trevor Goulet, Peter Persaud, Daniel Moctezuma, The Shrouds
Achievement in Sound Editing: Robert Bertola, Jill Purdy, Paul Germann, Steve Baine, Fraser Gee, The Shrouds
Achievement in Music – Original Score: Mychael Danna, Seven Veils
Achievement in Music – Original Song: Torquil Campbell, We Forgot To Break Up “Revolutionary Heart”
Stunt Coordination: Steven McMichael, Leslie McMichael, Wynonna Earp: Vengeance
Achievement in Casting: Marilou Richer, Ila Firouzabadi, Universal Language
Performance in a Leading Role, Drama: Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Performance in a Leading Role, Comedy: Cate Blanchett, Rumours
Performance in a Supporting Role, Drama: Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Performance in Supporting Role, Comedy: Graham Greene, Seeds
Best Feature Length Documentary: Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, Bob Moore, Sam Vinal, Doris Rosso, Daniel Cross, Mila Aung-Thwin, Yintah
Best Cinematography in Feature Length Documentary: Michael Toledano, Yintah
Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary: David Schmidt, Wilfred Buck
Best Original Music in a Feature Length Documentary: Murray Lightburn, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
Best Sound Design in a Feature Length Documentary: Marie-Pierre Grenier, Camille Demers-Lambert, Nataq Huault, Olivier Germain, Alexis Farand, Okurimono
Best Short Documentary: Amélie Hardy, Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew, Hello Stranger
Best Animated Short: Torill Kove, Lise Fearnley, Maral Mohammadian, Tonje Skar Reiersen, Maybe Elephants
Best Live Action Short Drama: Alicia K. Harris, Jeff Chiu, On A Sunday At Eleven
John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award: Karen Chapman, Village Keeper
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