It’s turning about to be a good first-time experience for producer Kevin Tierney at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the veteran Montreal filmmaker bagged the $10,000 CFTPA producer’s award for The Trotsky on Thursday.

‘This is the happiest movie of my life,’ said Tierney (Bon Cop, Bad Cop, Love and Savagery) as he accepted the award from last year’s winner, Vancouver producer Rob Merilees, at the Toronto industry event. Trotsky, which will have its premiere at the festival on Friday, is directed by Tierney’s son Jacob Tierney.

‘I share this honor with [Jacob]… though I’m not sharing the money,’ he joked. The comedy is also generating positive buzz from critics. Despite his vast resume (Bon Cop, Bad Cop, One Dead Indian) this year marks the elder Tierney’s first time at TIFF as a producer.

Tierney beat out fellow producer nominees including Peter Raymont (Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould), Robin Cass (High Life), Jennifer Jonas (Leslie, My Name Is Evil) and David Hamilton (Cooking with Stella). The prize acknowledges the vision and entrepreneurship of a Canuck producer with a homegrown feature at TIFF.

Though it was their first time working together, helmer Jacob Tierney told Playback Daily after the ceremony that the collaboration between the duo felt ‘very natural,’ and that his father brings years of experience as a producer to the table.

‘Movies have been our family business for almost Jacob’s entire life and most of my adult life… and a fundamental part of our relationship has been sharing the business,’ added the producer. ‘There was a complete confidence that Jacob had my back and I had his, and you don’t ever have that in another movie.’

Trotsky, also penned by Jacob Tierney, stars Canuck actor Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder) as a young Jewish boy who believes himself to be the reincarnation of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky — and sets out to unionize his father’s factory, and transform his school’s student union.

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Playback Daily’s coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival continues this weekend with special issues on Saturday and Sunday.