The View from Here, Montreal-based writer Matthew Hays’ anthology of interviews with gay and lesbian filmmakers, was among the winners at the 20th annual Lambda Literary Awards, announced late last week in West Hollywood.

The awards, organized by the Lambda Literary Foundation, recognize excellence in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender/transsexual literature.

Hays, a frequent contributor to Playback and recently named a Canadian programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival, won in the arts and culture category. The View from Here, published by Arsenal Pulp Press, includes interviews with filmmakers such as John Greyson, Robert Lepage, Léa Pool, Ian Iqbal Rashid and Patricia Rozema.

The book won over fellow nominees Media Queered by Kevin Barnhurst, Art That Dares by Kittredge Cherry, Feeling Backward by Heather Love, and Other Men’s Sons by Michael Rowe.

‘Given the competition, I was not expecting to win,’ says Hays. ‘It’s a great honor to be in such good company and I am extremely happy with the accolades for the book. It’s a tribute to the great work of the filmmakers I interviewed.’