Trump biopic The Apprentice takes home top film award at Canadian Screen Awards
CBC
The divisive, little-seen yet still-controversial Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice managed to grab the brass ring on Sunday, taking home the top award of best motion picture at the final night of the Canadian Screen Awards.
It beat out stiff competition in that top category from filmmaker Matthew Rankin's Universal Language, which made the Academy Awards shortlist for best international feature late last year.
And while The Apprentice was still the big winner of the night with two, Rankin's surreal comedy was no slouch either. Its five prior wins over the weekend and one Sunday, for directing, meant it still had the most wins of all films nominated.
"I'm from Winnipeg, I'm not accustomed to winning anything," Rankin joked, before referencing his film's commentary on alienation, xenophobia and culture shock.
"We all know what political moment we're living in; every day there are new Berlin walls shooting up all around us and pitting us against each other into very cruel binaries," he said.
"If our film stands for anything, it stands for the fact that kindness can be a radical gesture."
It wasn't the only surprise of the night: CTV's Children Ruin Everything increased its trophy count to three, as it stepped in to snatch best comedy series from Crave's Late Bloomer, which had snapped up four trophies this weekend.
And while it was up for a total of 20 awards — the most of any nominated title — Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent only managed to increase its trophy count by one, to pull in a paltry total of three this year. The win was a big one, though, as the Canadian version of the expansive Law & Order franchise won best drama series.
Triumphant as they were, some of the awards' biggest winners were honoured outside the big night: TV movie Wynonna Earp: Vengeance and documentary series The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal both earned seven honours earlier over the weekend.
But Sunday's winners did at least occasionally broach big topics. Upon receiving the best feature length documentary trophy, Molly Wickham alluded to the subject of their film Yintah, which follows Witsuwit'en Nation fighting for its sovereignty in the face of planned pipeline projects.
"We still face colonial occupation, and we are still fighting to live in peace as on our land," Wickham said. "The fight continues and we will never give up. Our sovereignty is tied to our collective freedom."
Canada's Drag Race won best reality competition — having now done so for every year but one of its five-year broadcast — and increased its total count to eight, the most of any awarded productions this year.
Drag queen and Drag Race host Brooke Lynn Hytes spoke about what she'd most like to ask U.S. President Donald Trump backstage in the press room.
"What foundation do you use? Because it is the wrong shade," she said, before addressing his policies targeting transgender people.
