A story of family against the backdrop of a career as a Harlem Globetrotter was the big winner at this year's Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival.
Hardwood, the first film for director Hubert Davis walked away with four awards, including the coveted Golden Sheaf of Excellence as the Festival's top film.
The film also earned Davis a Golden Sheaf for best direction in a non-dramatic film, as well as for editing and documentary short subject.
The success at Yorkton was gratifying, said Davis.
"It was a rewarding thing for all the hard work. It all paid off," he said moments after accepting the Festival's main award at the presentation gala May 29.
Davis said awards aren't why one chooses to tell a particular story, but added they are certainly a welcome result just the same.
In the case of Hardwood the story is a deeply personal one for Davis, starting out as a documentary on his father Mel Davis, a former Harlem Globetrotter.
However, as documentaries often do, Hardwood evolved, becoming a film much more about family relationships.
Davis said he realized as the process began he had to tell his own story in relation to his father, and that meant telling his mom's story, and that of his father's first wife and son as well. "It's a story of what families go through, for better, or worse," he said. When complete, Davis showed the film to his father perhaps garnering the greatest praise he has received for the work.
"He was just really impressed with it. He said as a film it came across as very honest and very real," he said.
The Best of Saskatchewan Golden Sheaf went to a film shot on location in Regina entitled Karaoke Night at the Plains. It took the honours over such other Saskatchewan productions as Youkali Hotel which itself garnered three festival awards, and the highly popular CTV comedy Corner Gas which was nominated for five awards, but took home only the best comedy Golden Sheaf.
As for Karaoke Night at the Plains, producer Lori Kuffner said the award was great against such strong competition.
"It was great to win," she said, adding the strength of the film comes from a good story and an excellent crew.
As for the story, Kuffner said the film focuses on three regular performers at the Plains Hotel's karaoke night, each with a passion for singing, although with differing expectations and goals for their music.
"It is a true representation of that night," she said of the film.
"Each one of them has this passion."
It's a passion which is seen in a film that is also music driven with 11 songs a key part of the production, offered Kuffner. The film also took the Golden Sheaf for Best Location Sound.
Kuffner also praised film director David Hansen, who she said "had a tremendous rapport with the subject matter."
Three other films each picked up two Golden Sheaf awards; From Cherry English, Wildflowers and Almost Home.
It was the 57th Festival to be held in Yorkton.
By Calvin Daniels