Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee’s Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is the recipient of the Lunenburg Doc Fest’s inaugural Pamela Segger Canadian Documentary Award.

The $1,000 award was created in memory of the co-founder and executive director of the Nova Scotia festival, who passed away earlier this year. The award was one of several handed out at the 11th annual Lunenburg Doc Fest, which ran from Sept. 18 to 22.

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, produced by Banger Films and National Film Board of Canada, focuses on the titular pioneering trans R&B singer in the 1960s.

Two-time Oscar winner and Halifax-born Ben Proudfoot’s The Final Copy of Ilon Specht took home the Best Short Doc trophy and the $500 Best Atlantic Filmmaker Award. Specht is known as the woman who coined the famed L’Oréal slogan “because I’m worth it.” She died earlier this year.

The $1,000 Best International Documentary Award went to Shiori Ito’s Japan/U.K./U.S. film Black Box Diaries.

Lastly, the $1,000 Audience Choice Award went to Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s Ukraine/U.S./Australia feature Porcelain War.

The festival’s Launch Live Pitch Contest was won by Kate Solar who will receive over $15,000 in cash and services to complete her film, Teleplasm, about her great-grandfather’s paranormal photography in Winnipeg.

The festival wrapped on Sept. 22 after five days and 36 films, one of which was the controversial Russians at War from Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova. Those who opposed the screening of the film protested outside peacefully, according to the festival.

Bruce MacCormack, chair of the board at Lunenburg, said Russians at War was programmed “to provide further insight into a tragic conflict which is still ongoing,” noting that they selected Porcelain War to show how Ukrainian men and women keep creating art during a time of war. “The decision to exhibit these films was based on their merits and fit with our programming objectives,” he said.

Photo courtesy of NFB/Banger Films