February 24, 2025

The Winnipeg-set comedy Universal Language has won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2024 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. Its companion prize, Rogers Best Canadian Documentary, was awarded to the musical biopic Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story.

Universal Language imagines a Winnipeg where Persian is the dominant language and turkeys roam the snowy streets while tourists admire the drab cityscape. Any Other Way tells the story of R&B singer Jackie Shane, who broke ground as an out Black trans performer on the Toronto scene in the 1960s before fading into obscurity.

The richest annual film prize in Canada was shared by narrative and documentary features, with $50,000 to each winner, courtesy of Rogers. Actor/writer/director Don McKellar (The Sympathizer) presented the award to Universal Language writer/director Matthew Rankin. Comedian Rick Mercer presented the doc prize to Any Other Way’s Michael Mabbott, who directed the film with Lucah Rosenberg-Lee.

Drawing influences from Canada’s Guy Maddin and Iran’s Abbas Kiarostami, Universal Language is an irreverently funny consideration of our multicultural landscape. The film was Canada’s official submission in the Oscar race for Best International Feature and made the 15-film shortlist. Any Other Way, which explores histories of trans erasure and visibility, brings Shane’s story to screen using her own words combined with animation and dramatic recreations. Universal Language is currently in theatres, while Any Other Way is streaming on Crave.

Runners-up in both categories received a $5,000 prize from Rogers Communications. Nominated in the dramatic category were Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson (Rumours) and Sophie Deraspe (Shepherds), while Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham (Yintah) and Ali Weinstein (Your Tomorrow) were runners-up in the documentary race.

Hosted by actress Tamara Podemski (Outer Range, Fancy Dance), the ceremony took place at a gala dinner held February 24, 2025 at The Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto, featuring a Prime Video cocktail party, and a Netflix dinner.

“This year’s winners are exactly why Rogers awards these prizes to Canadian films,” said Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds. “Universal Language is a richly imaginative take on Winnipeg, one of our most richly imagined cities. And Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is about a remarkable chapter in Toronto music history, one that deserves to be better known. Both are films that could only be made by Canadians, about Canadians, and we congratulate all the winners and nominees.”

“We had an embarrassment of riches this year in both the documentary and narrative feature categories, and any of the films could have won,” added TFCA President Johanna Schneller.

“Congratulations to all our splendid nominees. But Universal Language and Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story both do something extraordinary: Each nods to cinematic history, and each advances their respective forms in invigorating new directions. They were thrilling to watch, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them.”

At the gala, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey presented winner RaMell Ross with three TFCA Awards for his drama Nickel Boys: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, co-written by Joslyn Barnes. Adapted from the novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys is currently nominated for two Oscars including Best Picture. Actor Sarah Gadon (Enemy, Alias Grace) presented Outstanding Performance in a Canadian Film to Félix-Antoine Duval for his turn in Shepherds. Duval plays Quebecois adman Mathyas Lefebure, who quit his job to pursue life as a shepherd in Provence, France.

Podemski introduced video acceptance speeches from TFCA Award winners Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Outstanding Lead Performance, Hard Truths), filmmaker Payal Kapadia (Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, All We Imagine as Light), director Gints Zilbalodis (Best Animated Feature, Flow), and actor Clarence Maclin (Breakthrough Performance, Sing Sing).

Actor Jamie Thomas King (The Tudors, Mr. Turner) and actor/screenwriter Eva Everett Irving (The Pitt, Orphan Black) presented the Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist to filmmaker J Stevens, who made their feature directorial debut last year with Really Happy Someday and has directed series including Sort Of and Slow Pitch.

In its mission to recognize new voices in film criticism, the TFCA gave Alexander Mooney the seventh annual Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award, presented by Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek). Mooney has contributed to outlets including Exclaim!, Documentary Magazine, and MUBI Notebook. The award comes with a prize of $1,000.

And this year’s Company 3 Luminary Award was presented by three-time Rogers Best Canadian Film winner Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes, Anthropocene) to Tonya Williams, celebrated actor and founder and executive director of the Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute. A pay-it-forward initiative, the award allows the recipient to donate $50,000 in post-production services from Company 3 to another filmmaker. Williams announced Vancouver-based filmmaker Leena Minifie as the recipient.

The TFCA is extremely grateful to founding sponsor Rogers Communications for the Rogers Best Canadian Film and the Rogers Best Canadian Documentary awards. The TFCA thanks returning sponsors Netflix as Dinner sponsor, Prime Video as Cocktail Reception and After Party sponsor and Air Canada as Official Airline. TFCA salutes Telefilm Canada as the Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic sponsor and Company 3 as the Company 3 Luminary Award Sponsor. The TFCA also thanks sponsors Omni King Edward Hotel and salutes stalwart supporters G.H. Mumm Champagne, L’Eat Catering, Zoomer Magazine, The Printing House, Element Event Solutions and Pinnacle Live.