Edmonton-born Alexandra Lazarowich has been awarded the special jury award for directing for her short documentary Fast Horse at Sundance Film Festival.

Fast Horse was the only Canadian short to screen on the first day of the festival. Lazarowich wrote and directed the Alberta-shot short, which follows Siksika jockey Allison Red Crow as he prepares to challenge the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy in what is considered the original extreme sport, Indian Relay.

The short previously won the Best Documentary Work Short Format award by ImagineNATIVE, earning a cash prize of $1,000. ImagineNATIVE also awarded Lazarowich with the Rising Director Mentorship Award in Oct. 2018.

Fast Horse is produced by Handful of Films and is available to stream though CBC Short Docs. The awards were announced in a ceremony in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 30.