Hot Docs is pleased to announce veteran Canadian media producer
Bonnie Thompson as this year’s recipient of the prestigious
Don Haig Award. Thompson is the producer behind
Echo of Everything (D: Cam Christiansen), a feature length documentary exploring the universal power of music, which will have its world premiere at Hot Docs’ 30
th-Anniversary Festival, on now until May 7.
The Don Haig Award is presented to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film at the Festival, with the recipient being selected by a jury of independent filmmakers. The Award recognizes creative vision and entrepreneurship, as reflected in the recipient’s body of work, as well as a track record of mentoring emerging Canadian filmmakers. Thompson will be presented with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.
“This is a wonderful honour which I share with the filmmakers, producers and crews with whom I’ve collaborated in the past 34 years,” shared
Bonnie Thompson. “As a producer, it’s been a privilege to experience incredibly diverse worlds and communities and help bring these stories to screens for audiences. It’s especially meaningful to have worked again with filmmaker Cam Christiansen, who has created a striking documentary of stunning images and emotional power in
Echo of Everything.”
Bonnie Thompson produces independently with her company Dreaming Bird Productions, in collaboration with Canadian film/media makers and producers. She worked with the Northwest Studio of the National Film Board of Canada – producing from 2001 to 2018 – on documentary, animation, and interactive projects. Thompson has a commitment to productions that have strong social issue components, push boundaries in both form and content, and which give voice to under-represented communities.
Her productions have been screened by national and international broadcasters, streamers, prestigious festivals around the world, and online – receiving numerous awards and nominations, including the feature length documentary
Radiant City (D: Gary Burns, Jim Brown), winner of the Best Feature Documentary at the 2008 Genie Awards; the animated short
Wildlife (D: Wendy Tilby, Amanda Forbis), nominated for a 2012 Academy Award; the ground-breaking interactive documentary
Bear 71 (D: Leanne Allison, Jeremy Mendes), winner of a 2013 Webby Award, the 2012 FWD Site of the Year Award, and the 2012 CSA Award for Best Web Program; the feature documentary
Angry Inuk (D: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril), winner of the 2016 Hot Docs Audience Award, Best Documentary Award at imagineNATIVE,
and TIFF People's Choice Award; the PBS NOVA
Transplanting Hope (D: Niobe Thompson), nominated for an Emmy; and
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (D: Tasha Hubbard), Opening Night film and winner of Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2019, and winner of the 2020 CSA Best Feature Length Documentary.
Most importantly, Thompson's productions have had hundreds of community screenings across Canada. She is currently producing the feature documentaries
Echo of Everything (D: Cam Christiansen) and
Insanity (D: Wendy Hill Tout), as well as executive producing
Singing Back the Buffalo (D: Tasha Hubbard). She is a Board Member of the Alberta Media Producer's Industry Association, from which she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
The award will be presented at the Hot Docs Awards presentation on Saturday, May 6, at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 10:30 am.
Read about past winners of the Don Haig Award >>