Producer Rebeka Herron took home the $60,000 feature film pitch prize at this year’s Forest City Film Festival (FCFF) in London, Ont.

Her winning pitch is Broken Bones (Rusty Halo Productions), a horror thriller directed and produced by Herron (Beer Cicerone, pictured) and written by Rebecca Hales (Travelers). Another producer on the film is Parth Pandey (Psychic Patty), who also serves as director of photography. The film, starring Sarah Cleveland (The Burning Season), focuses on a young widow investigating the murder of a local girl.

Herron plans to shoot the film in London and Sault Ste Marie, Ont., she told Playback Daily.

Natalie Davey and Rebecca Davey, the creator and star of OutTV’s Running With Violet, took home the $16,000 short film pitch prize for Writ Or.

Darryl Calcott’s script, Slowly Fleeting, about two young adults navigating a long-distance relationship, won the screenwriting competition.

FCFF also named the winning films from its 2024 lineup. All the Lost Ones, the solo directorial debut of Orphan Black producer Mackenzie Donaldson, won Narrative Feature. The North Bay, Ont.-shot film from the Donaldson Company and Electric Panda Entertainment had its world premiere at Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in September. All the Lost Ones follows characters caught in the crossfire of a North American civil war brought on by climate change.

The Documentary Feature award went to Josephine Anderson’s Curl Power from Secret Bench Films and Studio 104 Entertainment. The doc follows the 4KGIRL$ team as they strive to become national curling champions. After its world premiere at the 2024 Hot Docs, the Telus originals film was picked up by Sherry Media Group for a Canadian theatrical release under its Impact Series banner.

Best Technical Narrative Feature was given to Jake Horowitz’s A Thousand Cuts (Sideways Dog Productions). The Canadian rights for the London-shot film was acquired by Mongrel Media earlier this month. Its documentary counterpart was awarded to Heather Dune Macadam and Beatriz Calleja’s 999: The Forgotten Girls.

The narrative short award was given to Minerva Marie Navasca’s Desync, and the documentary short recognition was given to Jessie Posthumus’ Bad At This. Esther Cheung’s Detours Ahead was recognized in the animated short category.

Deragh Campbell was awarded best performance for her work in Kazik Radwanski’s Matt and Mara (MDFF Films).

The Impact Award was given to Atrocity, a documentary on unhoused people in London directed and produced by retired police sergeant Nigel Stuckey.

Canadian actor Victor Garber was given the FCFF’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Entertainment Award.

The FCFF took place from Oct. 19 to 27.

Image courtesy of Rebeka Herron