Writer/director Mike Melski’s First Nations crime drama Charlie Zone was the big winner at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival on the weekend, taking the best dramatic feature prize.

Melski’s second feature sees Glen Gould as a washed-up boxer hired to abduct a runaway from a crack house in Halifax’s notorious Charlie Zone neighbourhood.

Charlie Zone producer Hank White picked up the imagineNATIVE trophy for Melski’s follow-up to Growing Op.

Other award winners included Sharon Linezo Hong’s My Louisiana Love, produced by Monique Verdin, taking the Alanis Obomsawin best documentary award, with Young Lakota earning an honourable mention.

Other winners: Mosha Folger’s Sides for best music video, Lindsay McIntyre’s Her Silent Life for best experimental film, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ A Red Girl’s Reasoning for best Canadian short drama and Danny Teece-Johnson’s Songline to Happiness for best short documentary.