Toronto Documentary Forum prizes announced

The Toronto Documentary Forum has wrapped its 11th edition, with the announcement of three prizes awarded. EyeSteelFilm's The Fruit Hunters, which was deemed the best Canadian pitch at the Forum as voted by the commissioning editors in attendance, and won the The Canwest-Hot Docs TDF Pitch Prize. The feature doc and potential series looks at the vast hidden universe of exotic fruit. Pitch team members Yung Chang (director of Up the Yangtze) and Mila Aung-Thwin picked up the $40,000 cash prize. New prize NFB Digital Development Deal went to Storyline Entertainment's The House That Herman Built, which was awarded a $15,000 cash development deal. The doc about an artist and a Black Panther activist, who has been in solitary confinement for almost 40 years, also won the Cuban Hat Award. The award is decided by ballots from TDF Observers and the prize is the money donated to the hat. This year $1013.67 CDN was raised, which includes a generous $500 gift from Montreal's EyeSteelFilm, along with $18 US, 5 Czech koruna, 2 Israeli new sheqel, 38 Malaysian cents, 20 pence and a Toronto transit token. The Cuban hat was presented to Iikka Vehkalahti of YLE (Finland), for being named the favorite commissioning editor by TDF observer ballot.

May 7, 2010

The Toronto Documentary Forum has wrapped its 11th edition, with the announcement of three prizes awarded. EyeSteelFilm's The Fruit Hunters, which was deemed the best Canadian pitch at the Forum as voted by the commissioning editors in attendance, and won the The Canwest-Hot Docs TDF Pitch Prize. The feature doc and potential series looks at the vast hidden universe of exotic fruit. Pitch team members Yung Chang (director of Up the Yangtze) and Mila Aung-Thwin picked up the $40,000 cash prize. New prize NFB Digital Development Deal went to Storyline Entertainment's The House That Herman Built, which was awarded a $15,000 cash development deal. The doc about an artist and a Black Panther activist, who has been in solitary confinement for almost 40 years, also won the Cuban Hat Award. The award is decided by ballots from TDF Observers and the prize is the money donated to the hat. This year $1013.67 CDN was raised, which includes a generous $500 gift from Montreal's EyeSteelFilm, along with $18 US, 5 Czech koruna, 2 Israeli new sheqel, 38 Malaysian cents, 20 pence and a Toronto transit token. The Cuban hat was presented to Iikka Vehkalahti of YLE (Finland), for being named the favorite commissioning editor by TDF observer ballot.