Donald Brittain Award

The Donald Brittain Award is a Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to honour the year's best television documentary on a social or political topic. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards. The award may be presented to either a standalone broadcast of a documentary film, or to an individual full-length episode of a news or documentary series; documentary films which originally premiered theatrically, but were not already submitted for consideration in a CSA film category before being broadcast on television, are also considered television films for the purposes of the award.

The award is named in honour of Donald Brittain, a pioneering Canadian documentary filmmaker.^[1] On one occasion to date, the award has been won by a documentary film about Brittain and his importance to the history of Canadian documentary film.

Nominees and winners

1990s

Year	Nominee	Film	Ref
1991 6th Gemini Awards
	Island of Whales	George Johnson, Jack Silberman, Gillian Darling, Jerry Appleton	[2]
	Between Two Worlds	Peter Raymont
	Distress Signals	Kent Martin, John Walker, Tom Perlmutter
	James Bay: The Wind That Keeps Blowing	Nancy Archibald
	Transplant: The Breath of Life	Elias Petras
1992 7th Gemini Awards
	Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer	Terence Macartney-Filgate, Don Haig	[3]
	Man Alive: "Chernobyl 2"	Halya Kuchmij
	On the Eighth Day: Perfecting Mother Nature	Mary Armstrong
	Threads of Hope	Les Harris, Jane Harris
	Women in the Shadows	Signe Johansson, Christine Welsh
1993 8th Gemini Awards
	Donald Brittain: Filmmaker	Adam Symansky	[4]
	Adrienne Clarkson Presents: "Artemesia"	Adrienne Clarkson	[5]
	Man Alive: "Held Hostage"	Halya Kuchmij
	The Fifth Estate: "Odd Man Out"	Susan Teskey
	The Nature of Things: "Trading Futures"	Michael Poole
1994 9th Gemini Awards
	Shadows and Light: Joaquin Rodrigo at 90	Larry Weinstein, Niv Fichman	[6]
	Dream Tower	Ron Mann	[7]
	Hidden Children	Julia Sereny
	No Man's Land	Shelley Saywell
	Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo	John Zaritsky, Virginia Storring
1995 10th Gemini Awards
	Ms. Conceptions	Linda Frum, Ric Esther Bienstock	[8]
	The Fifth Estate: "Sealed in Silence"	David Kaufman	[9]
	The Last Trip	Ina Fichman
	The Negotiator	Laszlo Barna
	Orphans of Manchuria	Annie Dodds
	The Voyage of the St. Louis	Arnie Gelbart
1996 11th Gemini Awards
	Utshimassits: Place of the Boss	John Walker, Mike Mahoney, Peter d'Entremont	[10]
	Fire and Water	Shelley Saywell	[11]
	Scenes from a Corner Store	Sun-Kyung Yi
	Summer in the Cherry Orchard	Ann Bromley
	The True Story of Linda M.	Norma Bailey, Joe MacDonald
1997 12th Gemini Awards
	The Selling of Innocents	Elliott Halpern, Simcha Jacobovici, William Cobban	[12]
	My Russian Campaign: From Montreal to Moscow	John Curtin	[13]
	Mystics, Mechanics and Mindbombs	Michael Chechik, Jerry Thompson
	Nowhere Else to Live	Alan Handel
	Picturing a People: George Johnston Tlingit Photographer	George Hargrave, Sally Bochner
1998 13th Gemini Awards
	Gerrie & Louise	Phyllis Brown, Sturla Gunnarsson, David York	[14]
	Confessions of a Rabid Dog	Rudy Buttignol, Gerry Flahive, Julia Sereny	[15]
	Dad	Chris Triffo
	Some Kind of Arrangement	Geeta Sondhi
	Witness: "Between Here and Heaven"	Andrew Gregg, Wayne Abbott
1999 14th Gemini Awards
	Crimes of Honour	Shelley Saywell	[16]
	Believing	Nicole Lamothe	[17]
	The Dragon's Egg	Rudy Buttignol, Allan King, Elizabeth Yake
	East Side Showdown	Peter Starr
	Four Women of Egypt	Éric Michel

2000s

Year	Nominee	Film	Ref
2000 15th Gemini Awards
	Deep Inside Clint Star	Silva Basmajian	[18]
	Asylum: Falling Through the Cracks	Christopher Sumpton	[19]
	Kikkik	Ole Gjerstad
	Legacy of Terror: The Bombing of Air India	Rudy Buttignol, Shelley Saywell
	The Holier It Gets	Rudy Buttignol, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier
2001 16th Gemini Awards
	Breakaway: A Tale of Two Survivors	Johanna Lunn Montgomery, Johanna Eliot, Mathew Welsh
	Chickens Are People Too	John Kastner, Hilary Armstrong, Marie Natanson, Charlotte Odele
	In the Shadow of a Saint	Mark Johnston, Stephen Milton
	Kim Campbell: Through the Looking Glass	Silva Basmajian
	A Moment in Time: The United Colours of Bronstein	Judy Jackson
2002 17th Gemini Awards
	Offspring	Barry Stevens, Laszlo Barna
	Aftermath: The Remnants of War	Peter Starr, Ed Barreveld, Michael Kot
	Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture	Jill Sharpe, Lynn Booth
	In the Line of Fire	Patricia Naylor
	Waging Peace: A Year in the Life of Caledonia Junior High	Sally Bochner, Peter d'Entremont, Kent Martin
2003 18th Gemini Awards
	Return to Kandahar	Paul Jay, Nelofer Pazira, David M. Ostriker
	Chinese Daughters	Dorlene Lin, Rudy Buttignol
	Salvation	Kent Martin
	Seeing Is Believing	Francis Miquet, Peter Wintonick, Katerina Cizek, Catherine Olsen
	The Tree That Remembers	Sally Bochner
2004 19th Gemini Awards
	Dying at Grace	Allan King, Rudy Buttignol	[20]
	Deadline Iraq: Uncensored	Stuart Coxe, Greg Kelly, Douglas Arrowsmith, Eric Foss, Aaron Williams
	Dying to Be Free: Zimbabwe's Struggle for Change	David Belluz
	Short Infinity	Jean Lemire, Yves Bisaillon
	The Man Who Could Be King	Mark Johnston, Edith Champagne, Nancy Ing Duclos
2005 20th Gemini Awards
	Runaway Grooms	Ali Kazimi	[21]
	Bunny and Leona	Deborah Parks, John Kastner	[22]
	El Contrato	Karen King-Chigbo
	No Place Called Home	Peter Starr
	One More River	Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge
	The Take	Avi Lewis, Naomi Klein, Laszlo Barna, Silva Basmajian
2006 21st Gemini Awards
	House Calls	Gerry Flahive, Silva Basmajian
	Beyond Words: Photographers of War	Eric Foss, Stuart Coxe, Greg Kelly	[23]
	Big Sugar	Stephen Phizicky, Sylvia Wilson, Arnie Gelbart
	Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company	Kathy Avrich-Johnson, Allan King, Rudy Buttignol
	No More Tears Sister	Pierre Lapointe, Sally Bochner
2007 22nd Gemini Awards
	Fatherland	Manfred Becker, Laszlo Barna
	Bombay Calling	Sally Bochner, Adam Symansky	[24]
	Cottonland	Annette Clarke, Kent Martin
	EMPz 4 Life	Kathy Avrich-Johnson, Rudy Buttignol, Allan King
	Faith Without Fear	Silva Basmajian, Gordon Henderson
	Martyr Street	Deborah Parks, Shelley Saywell
2008 23rd Gemini Awards
	A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman	Peter Raymont	[25]
	A Place Between: The Story of an Adoption	Joe MacDonald, Graydon McRea, Michael Scott, Derek Mazur	[26]
	Darfur: On Our Watch	Neil Docherty, Lisa Ellenwood
	Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time	Johanna Lunn, Kent Martin
	Girl Inside	Maya Gallus, Justine Pimlott
2009 24th Gemini Awards
	Tiger Spirit	Ed Barreveld, Anita Lee, Min Sook Lee	[27]
	Air India 182	David York, Sturla Gunnarsson
	bploi wai dtaai: Leave Her to Die	Antonia Thomson, Sean Buckley
	Norm	Kent Nason, Teresa MacInnes
	Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma	Peter Raymont, Silva Basmajian

2010s

Year	Film	Filmmakers	Ref
2010 25th Gemini Awards
	Broke	Rosvita Dransfeld	[28]
	A Dream for Kabul	Patricia Bergeron, Yves Bisaillon, Nathalie Barton	[29]
	Reel Injun	Christina Fon, Catherine Bainbridge, Catherine Olsen, Ravida Din, Adam Symansky, Ernest Webb, Linda Ludwick
	Up Against the Wall	Eileen Thalenberg, Gail McIntyre
	Water on the Table	Liz Marshall
2011 26th Gemini Awards
	Life with Murder	John Kastner, Silva Basmajian	[30]
	Jackpot	Michelle Latimer	[31]
	Mom's Home	Maureen Judge
	Tipping Point: The Age of the Oil Sands	Niobe Thompson
	When We Were Boys	Mark Johnston, Amanda Handy, Sarah Goodman
2012 1st Canadian Screen Awards
	About Her	Sissy Federer-Less, Michelle Rothstein, Scott Garvie, Alison Gordon, Phyllis Ellis, Christina Jennings, Henry Less	[32]
	8th Fire	Paul Morin, Sue Dando, Peter John Ingles, Jo-Ann Demers, Kelly Crichton
	The Market	Ed Barreveld
	Prosecutor	Lea Marin, Silva Basmajian, Julia Bennett, Kelly Jenkins, Peter Raymont
	The Team	Kelly Jenkins, Peter Raymont, Patrick Reed
2013 2nd Canadian Screen Awards
	The People of the Kattawapiskak River	Alanis Obomsawin, Ravida Din	[33]
	Blood Relative	Nimisha Mukerji	[34]
	Herman's House	Angad Singh Bhalla, Ed Barreveld, Lisa Valencia-Svensson, Loring McAlpin
2014 3rd Canadian Screen Awards
	Tales from the Organ Trade	Ric Esther Bienstock, Felix Golubev, Simcha Jacobovici	[35]
	The Exhibition	Robert Straight, Damon Vignale, Miho Yamamoto	[36]
	The Ghosts in Our Machine	Liz Marshall, Nina Beveridge
	Out of Mind, Out of Sight	Silva Basmajian, John Kastner, Deborah Parks
2015 4th Canadian Screen Awards
	Sugar Coated	Janice Dawe, Michele Hozer	[37]
	15 to Life: Kenneth's Story	Nadine Pequeneza	[38]
	Anti-Social Limited	Rosvita Dransfeld
	Danny	Annette Clarke, William D. MacGillivray, Justin Simms
	Human Harvest	Leon Lee, Jason Loftus
2016 5th Canadian Screen Awards
	Guantanamo's Child	Patrick Reed, Michelle Shephard, Peter Raymont	[39]
	After the Last River	Vicki Lean, Jade Blair	[40]
	I, Pedophile	Matthew Campea, Christopher Sumpton, Robin Benger
	The War at Home	Deborah Parks, Shelley Saywell
2017 6th Canadian Screen Awards
	The Secret Path	Stuart Coxe, Mike Downie, Jocelyn Hamilton, Gord Downie, Justin Stephenson, Jeff Lemire, Sarah Polley, Patrick Downie	[41]
	All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception and the Spirit of I. F. Stone	Fred Peabody, Peter Raymont, Steve Ord, Andrew Munger, Jeff Cohen, Oliver Stone	[42]
	Colonization Road	Michelle St. John, Brendan Brady, Jordan O'Connor, Shane Belcourt, Evan Adams
	Migrant Dreams	Min Sook Lee, Lisa Valencia-Svensson
	The Skin We're In	Gordon Henderson, Stuart Henderson
2018 7th Canadian Screen Awards
	Quiet Killing (Ce silence qui tue)	Michèle Rouleau	[43]
	Driving with Selvi	Elisa Paloschi	[44]
	The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution	Maya Gallus
	The Way Out	David York, Bryn Hughes, Michelle Shephard
2019 8th Canadian Screen Awards
	Mr. Jane and Finch	Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George	[45]
	In Search of a Perfect World	Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon, Michael McMahon	[46]
	The Invisible Heart	Nadine Pequeneza
	Village of the Missing	Paul Kemp

2020s

Year	Film	Filmmakers	Ref
2020 9th Canadian Screen Awards
	9/11 Kids	Steve Gamester, Michael Kot, Betty Orr, Elizabeth St. Philip	[47]
	Above the Law	Geoff Morrison, Marc Serpa Francoeur, Robinder Uppal	[48]
	Assholes: A Theory	Ann Bernier, Annette Clarke, John Walker
	Meat the Future	Liz Marshall, Janice Dawe, Chris Hegedus
	The Walrus and the Whistleblower	Frederic Bohbot, Nathalie Bibeau
2021 10th Canadian Screen Awards
	Ghosts of Afghanistan	Arnie Gelbart, Julian Sher, Natalie Dubois	[49]
	Big News	Catherine Legge, Saman Malik, Michelle Mètivier, Sarah Peterson, Michael Gruzuk	[50]
	Dispatches from a Field Hospital	Matt Gallagher, Cornelia Principe
	No Responders Left Behind	Rob Lindsay, Jaime Sanchez, Kelly Zemnickis, Kristine Yanoff
	We Know the Truth: Stories to Inspire Reconciliation	Meagan Fiddler, Bertram Schneider
2022 11th Canadian Screen Awards
	The Pretendians	Drew Hayden Taylor, Paul Kemp	[51]
	Come Clean	Derreck Roemer, Neil Graham	[52]
	Dear Jackie	Henri Pardo, Katarina Soukup
	Marketplace: "Crisis in Home Care"	Tiffany Foxcroft
	My Indian Name	Abraham Cote, Jason Brennan
2023 12th Canadian Screen Awards
	Coming Home: Wanna Icipus Kupi	Jennifer Podemski, Ernest Webb, Tanya Brunel, Michelle van Beusekom, Daniel Morin, Catherine Bainbridge, Linda Ludwick	[53]
	Category Woman	Howard Fraiberg	[54]
	Marketplace: "Mortgage Fraud Caught on Camera"	Tiffany Foxcroft, Nelisha Vellani
	Naked: Sex and Gender	Michael McMahon, Kevin McMahon, Kay Siering
	The Passionate Eye: "Inside the Statue Wars"	Steve Gamester, Yuma Dean Hester, Elizabeth St. Philip, Michael Kot

See also

• Canadian television awards

References

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