November 29, 2024

Thank you to everyone who came out to ACTRA Manitoba’s 7^th Awards Gala!

It was a fun and fabulous evening where approximately 400 of us celebrated our community and our commitment to the craft. Congratulations again to all the nominees and winners! I think it’s safe to say that regardless if you were nominated or not, you probably had a good time. There can be a lot of challenges in this industry, but the Awards Gala was a night to focus on the positive, get dressed up, walk down a red carpet into a beautifully decorated space full of glowy magic, be handed a piece of chocolate nestled in a cotton candy cloud and a flute of bubbly wine, see your friends and faces you know from set, snack on delicious morsels, watch an inspiring and entertaining awards show, get your photo taken, enjoy a poutine bar, dance the night away to your favourite tunes, and soak in the communal love and appreciation we all have for each other and our industry.

Click here to view photos of the Gala taken by Liam Norman and Duncan McNairnay.

As I outlined in my speech at the Gala, there were a record number of submissions for this year’s Awards; over 200. And selecting the nominees is never an easy feat. Each time, we ensure there is a rigorous jury process, putting together teams of industry professionals to assess the submissions for each category, then the nominees of those categories are sent to a different jury, to determine the top performances of each. In total, 21 jurors were coordinated to assess, critique, and select the nominees and winners of these categories. The jurors ranged in background and diversity of perspectives.

Awards were presented to members in the following categories:

• Best Performance in a Feature: Adam Hurtig for Melaleuca
• Best Performance in a Feature: Alicia Johnston for Francesca Quinn, PI
• Best Performance in a Feature: Stephanie Sy for The Santa Summit
• Best Performance in a Series: Darla Contois for Little Bird
• Best Performance in a Series: Paul Essiembre for The Porter
• Best Performance in a Short Film: Adam Hurtig for Playing Life
• Outstanding Stunt Performance: Krystle Snow for Bring It On: Cheer or Die

Kudos to Amy Groening and Aaron Merke who were magnetic and hilarious as our hosts for the evening. I didn’t know that Aaron played the sax…that man never ceases to amaze me. Thank you to Christine Basdeo from ACTRA National who flew in from Toronto to experience our famous Manitoba hospitality. She shared what we here already know – that Manitoba is earning a reputation for being a creative production hub that punches above its weight! And not only did we recently surpass the 900 member mark, but this past year has been the busiest year yet, eclipsing previous production volume records.

Our sincere appreciation goes out to Deputy Mayor Markus Chambers for bringing greetings from the City of Winnipeg, which was fitting, since the Wayne Nicklas Award was presented to Kenny Boyce for going above and beyond in his 25 years of service to the film industry as the Manager of the Film and Special Events office. Kenny’s emotional speech was lovely, and one of the highlights of the night. Wayne would have been proud.

The final award of the evening went to Kistikan Pictures, producers of Acting Good, for the significant engagement of ACTRA Manitoba members and for having a strong impact on the Indigenous performing community. As a result of this show and others like it, we have seen a large influx of new Indigenous members. Bravo to Tina Keeper, Phyllis Laing, and Jen Beasley for bringing this story to life, and impacting so many Manitobans with its success!

Finally, to the rest of the organizing team, led by Shannon Guile: Congratulations on a job well done. I can attest that the task of putting on this event is a lot of work, much of it voluntary! It is a labour of love that motivates the team to put in the time and effort to make the Gala great, so that everyone feels appreciated and the night is a success. As was announced at the Gala, this is the last one for Shannon as the Senior Producer. I’d like to commend her on a fantastic job, and for being a wonderful person to work with.

In other news, ACTRA is now in negotiations for the IPA. News from the Bargaining Committee is that there have been good conversations and that the days have been long, with many members of our team working 12 hour days or more, facilitating meetings, discussions, and then working on revising proposals and counterproposals, often late into the evening. From Manitoba, our Branch Rep, Rea Kavanagh and Councillor, Paul Essiembre were in Montreal for the first two-week bargaining session and in Toronto from December 9^th to 17^th for the final stretch of negotiations.

To learn more about the negotiations and ACTRA’s process, check out this great FAQ page from the latest ACTRA Magazine.

We have our last committee get-togethers and workshops of the year in December and I hope that folks can make time in their schedules for them. Our mentorship program is wrapping up and I look forward to seeing that group of mentors and mentees again. It has been a valuable initiative, now in its second year, which offers in-depth training and opportunities to new members, while providing the opportunity for our more experienced members to share their knowledge and enthusiasm. Thanks to On Screen Manitoba for partnering with us on this great program. We look forward to continuing it in 2025!

Finally, the MIP Grant submission deadline has now passed and we have 14 projects vying for 8 total grants, with the DEI and Indigenous Top-up Prizes as well to be awarded! A jury is being assembled and will make the decisions by December 20^th.

With 2024 coming to an end, I and the ACTRA Manitoba council and staff wish you and your family the best for a warm and happy holiday season. Get some rest because we anticipate we will have another busy production-heavy year in 2025!

Sincerely, Alan Wong President and National Councillor ACTRA Manitoba