TFCA to honour Tonya Williams, J Stevens at awards gala

The awards for Williams and Stevens will be presented at the TFCA gala on Feb. 24 in Toronto.

Reelworld Screen Institute founder Tonya Williams and director J Stevens have been recognized by the Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) with the Luminary Award and the Jay Scott Prize, respectively.

The 2024 Luminary Award recognizes a Canadian industry figure who has made significant contributions to Canadian cinema. Williams (pictured left) was also inducted into the 2025 edition of Canada’s Walk of Fame and received the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s 2024 Changemaker Award.

Williams’ credits include series such as Hill Street Blues, Street Legal and The Young and the Restless. In 2000, she founded the Reelworld Film Festival and later the Reelworld Screen Institute.

The 2024 Jay Scott Prize is given to an emerging artist. Stevens’ (pictured right) first feature Really Happy Someday (Spindle Films), which they also co-wrote, shot and produced, had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film focuses on a stage musical performer regaining his voice after his transition.

Stevens also founded the Spindle Film Foundation in 2023, a non-profit organization that supports transgender, non-binary, two-spirit and gender-diverse Canadian filmmakers.

Toronto writer Alexander Mooney was named the winner of the 2024 Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award for aspiring film reviewers, which comes with a $1,000 cash prize from Telefilm.

These awards will be presented along with the Rogers Best Canadian Film and Rogers Best Canadian Documentary awards on Feb. 24 at the TFCA gala in Toronto’s Omni King Edward Hotel. The gala will be hosted by actor Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale).

(L-R): Photo by Alan Weissman; image courtesy of Whistler Film Festival