In a reel of ways, Prince George factors into the upcoming 2017 Leo Awards celebrating the breadth of screen arts in British Columbia. Movies, short-films, television, documentaries, web shows, music videos - the Leo Award is the trophy of highest honour in the extensive B.C. motion picture sector.
At the top of the hill for these awards is the set of feature-length film categories. In many of the top categories, a Prince George-based film is in the running.
The producers of the hockey story Hello Destroyer had chosen P.G. as a location for a small amount of their filming schedule. Upon their arrival here, however, the grassroots reception was so helpful that they stayed much longer than anticipated for additional scenes.
That choice is now proving positive. Hello Destroyer (Haydn Wazelle and Daniel Domachowski, producers) is up for the Best Motion Picture award versus Cadence, Little Pink House, The 9th Life Of Louis Drax, The Driftless Area, and The Philosophy of Phil.
Furthermore, Hello Destroyer's auteur, Kevan Funk, is up for Best Director and Best Screenwriter while Benjamin Loeb is up for Best Cinematography.
The cast of Hello Destroyer is also in the nomination action. In the Supporting Performance By A Male In A Motion Picture category, both Kurt Max Runte and Joe Buffalo are on the shortlist while Jared Abrahamson is up for Best Lead Performance by a Male.
There are other titles on the slate of Leo Awards nominees that also pertain to the Prince George region.
The television culinary series Moosemeat & Marmalade is up for Best Documentary Series. This highbrow/grassroots food show is hosted by classically trained British chef Dan Hayes and aboriginal chef-of-the-land Art Napoleon. Napoleon is also one of the program's producers (along with Mike Wavrecan and Hilary Pryor) and hails from the Saulteau First Nation in the Moberly Lake area northeast of Prince George.
Moosemeat & Marmalade is also up in the Best Direction In A Documentary Series category for the episode Roe Deer, directed by Hilary Pryor.
Moving to the Best Music, Comedy Or Variety Program/Series categories, the Canadian sensation Letterkenny is up for the top award (produced by Mark Montefiore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney) with actors Tyler Johnston and Nathan Dales both in the running for the Best Performance trophy.
That show prominently features Fort St. James actor Dylan Playfair as one of the core cast members. Playfair is the winner of two past Leo Awards for his work on the children's comedy series Some Assembly Required and the dramatic film (short-film version) Never Steady, Never Still.
The 2017 Leo Awards will be bestowed over a three-night set of ceremonies spread between May 27 and June 4 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.
