‘Universal Language’ wins best Canadian film at TFCA Awards, while ‘Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story’ named best documentary

An absurdist dramedy about an alternate-universe Winnipeg and a dystopian thriller about a famine-ravaged world are among the Toronto International Film Festival’s picks for best Canadian films of the year. A scene from the film "Universal Language" is shown in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Telefilm Canada **MANDATORY CREDIT**

A mind-bending dramedy set in an alternate-reality Winnipeg was named best Canadian feature by the Toronto Film Critics Association at a gala celebrating last year’s cinematic achievements.

Writer-director Matthew Rankin and co-writer Ila Firouzabadi accepted the $50,000 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at the glitzy bash Monday night.

“It’s a movie that is really about people being very nice to each other, and I feel like that’s why audiences have responded to it,” Rankin told The Canadian Press at the event.

“It’s a very gentle film at a point in history that is anything but gentle. And there’s a catharsis to that. There are fewer and fewer spaces that are not predicated on opposition and cruelty, winners and losers, and pitting people against each other.”

The film sees the Winnipeg director play himself alongside a Persian- and French-speaking cast in cross-cultural odyssey where Winnipeg, Quebec and Tehran converge as one. It was Canada’s official entry for best international feature at this year’s Academy Awards, but did not make the cut.

Rankin said he’s not a competitive person but welcomed the opportunity to pay off his debts.

“I think I’ll pay my Rogers bill. I owe a whole lot of money to Bell also,” he joked on the red carpet before the event.

Another major winner announced at the ceremony was “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story,” which won the $50,000 Rogers Best Canadian Documentary Award. Michael Mabbott, who co-directed the film with Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, accepted the award.

The music documentary tells the story of Shane, a trailblazing transgender soul singer who vanished from the spotlight in 1971 after dominating the Toronto music scene throughout the 1960s. Shane died in Nashville in 2019 at age 78, a year after receiving a Grammy nomination for an album that put her back on the map.

Mabbott said the reception to the film has been “overwhelming.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it, where young teenagers are moved by Jackie, and people in their 70s and 80s who remember seeing Jackie are moved by the story. It’s really incredible, the response and support,” the Edmonton-born filmmaker told The Canadian Press.

“And also, Toronto is Jackie’s hometown. Shining a light on Jackie and who she was and who she still is in this town means a lot to us. And I think it would mean a lot to her.”

Mabbott said winning the prize money would likely help fund another project -- “we’d be living another day to make another film.”

“The media landscape is a tricky thing and a hard way to make a living,” he said in a red-carpet interview.

Runners-up for the two prizes each received $5,000. They include the films “Rumours” and “Shepherds,” and the documentaries “Yintah” and “Your Tomorrow.”

The Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist went to filmmaker J Stevens, who made their directorial debut last year with drama “Really Happy Someday,” about a musical theatre performer grappling with loss of his vocal range after transitioning to a trans-masculine identity.

Meanwhile, actor and Reelworld Screen Institute founder Tonya Williams was presented the Company 3 Luminary Award, given to an industry member who has made a significant contribution to Canadian cinema.

The award comes with a pay-it-forward prize of $50,000 in production services to be bestowed upon an emerging filmmaker of the winner’s choosing. Williams chose Vancouver-based filmmaker Leena Minifie as the recipient.

The majority of TFCA’s 2024 awards were announced in December. RaMell Ross' Jim Crow-era historical drama “Nickel Boys” won three of the top prizes, including best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay.

Ross was on hand the accept his awards, presented by Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey.

The gala was hosted by “Outer Range” actor Tamara Podemski.

The TFCA is an organization that represents Toronto-based broadcasters and journalists who critique and provide commentary on films.

By Alex Nino Gheciu

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2025.