Best Filmmaker: Sandi Somers; Spring Street Films
Captured by Neil Zeller
A native of Cape Breton Island and having resided in Calgary for decades now, Sandi Somers snags first place as Calgary’s Best Filmmaker yet again. Throughout the past 25 years, her films have been featured all over the world, including the Calgary International Film Festival, the Lesbian International Film Festival in Paris, Los Angeles New Waves and the Melbourne International Film Festival. Throughout her career, Sandi has been prolific with over 70 films attached to her name and more than 40 award nominations, her diverse work ranging from music videos and dramas to comedies and art-video installations.
Sandi Somers’ best-known work is likely her first feature film Ice Blue (2017) which explores the world of a young teenager living on an isolated farm with her father who asks to be reunited with a mother who left ten years prior. A lot of Sandi’s work pulls from her interpretation of the challenges that come with human nature, the pursuit of uncovering truth and how we form connections in the twenty-first century world. Make sure to catch Sandi’s award-winning Calgary film or check out some of her recent work by watching her documentary short called All the World’s a Stage (2018) or her short film Die Laughing (2015).
FIRST RUNNER UP: SCOTT WESTBY
SECOND RUNNER UP: GARY BURNS