John Greyson received the 2007 Bell Award in Video Art on Wednesday night — in front of a packed crowd of artists, activists and film professionals in Toronto’s trendy Gladstone Hotel.

The charismatic video artist, educator and Genie-winning director of the experimental drama Lilies was hailed by organizers as an ‘incisive social and political critic… and one of the leaders in the AIDS activist video movement’ and, in his acceptance speech, gave ‘heartfelt thanks to a nationwide progressive community of every persuasion who supported and valued my ongoing exploration of queer politics, social justice issues and video art.’

Characteristically, Greyson showed his own video highlight reel, which moved seamlessly though his 25-year career, including scenes from his TIFF award-winning short The Making of Monsters, the features Zero Patience and Urinal and such videos as Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Queers and his video installation-turned-feature Fig Trees.

Greyson says he sees his film and video works as interchangeable. ‘Zero Patience fits into my activist agit-prop short works. There’s a play within a play structure that runs through Lilies and lots of the videos, and a Brechtian sensibility that is in The Kipling Trilogy but is also in The Making of Monsters,’ he said.

Presently, he is completing Fig Trees, which is inspired by South African AIDS activist Zackie Achmat’s life, and which has moved from being a video ‘opera’ installation to a feature film. Greyson says he’s pleased to be in a working environment where there are, ‘a lot less cooks in the kitchen. I have to answer to no one.’

Among the throng acknowledging Greyson’s achievements were Emotional Arithmetic producer Anna Stratton of Triptych Media, TIFF programmer Cameron Bailey, documentarian Ali Kazimi, artist and composer John Oswald, scripter Howie Wiseman and video artist Christina Zeidler.

The Bell Award, administered through the Canada Council for the Arts, gives $10,000 to an artist who has advanced video practice. Previous winners include Atanarajuat: The Fast Runner director Zacharias Kunuk and producer Norman Cohn, Ontario College of Art and Design president Sara Diamond, and the internationally acclaimed art trio General Idea.

Greyson has pursued multiple paths as an artist. Besides directing six features, he has created over 20 videos, edited the groundbreaking media anthology Queer Looks and taught film at York University. The Bell assessment committee was made up of video-makers David Clark, Jillian Mcdonald and Fabrice Montal.