Aboriginal Peoples Television Network congratulates the producers, casts and crews of Blackstone, Back in the Day, Tiga Talk!, Animism: The God's Lake and Tansi! Nehiyawetan for their recognition at the recent 2011 Leo Awards.
An unmuted exploration of First Nations' power and politics, Blackstone was produced by Prairie Dog Film & Television for APTN and SHOWCASE and premiered in January 2011. The one-hour dramatic television series received a total of five Leo nominations, garnering hardware in two categories including Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series (Damon Vignale - Suffer The Children) and Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series (Carmen Moore - White Bread, Red Class).
APTN's new hit series Back in the Day also scored on the night, bringing home a Leo in the category of Best Documentary Series (Martin de Valk, Andrew Genaille - Producers, Back in the Day: On the Mighty Fraser) while the APTN children's favourite Tiga Talk! won a Leo for Best Screenwriting in a Youth or Children's Program or Series (Irene Green, Hilary Pryor - Keep Smiling).
Also earning a nomination for Best Web Series was the APTN youth-focused fantasy epic Animism: The Gods' Lake (Matt Toner, Wayne Clark - Producers) which mixes modern urban fantasy with traditional First Nations mythology, and Tansi! Nehiyawetan for Best Performance in a Youth or Children's Program or Series (Kai Todd-Darrell - Winter/Solstice).
The awards were presented at the annual gala, held Saturday, June 11th at the Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver. The Leo Awards were established in 1998 to celebrate excellence in British Columbia film and television.