Writer-director Ann Marie Fleming’s Can I Get a Witness? led with five wins at this year’s Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) Awards.

The awards, which recognize Canadian and international achievements in film, were announced at a ceremony on Tuesday (Feb. 18) at Vancouver’s VIFF Centre.

Can I Get a Witness? takes place in a future where, in order to solve the world’s problems, adults are tasked with dying at the age of 50 with teenagers required to document their final moments. It is produced by Vancouver’s Fleming for her banner AMF Productions, Raymond Massey and Ruth Vincent. Haydn Wazelle and Sandra Oh (Double Happiness), who also stars in the film, are executive producers.

The post-apocalyptic drama took home two awards in Canadian categories, Best Director for Fleming and Best Female Supporting Actor for Oh. The film also won the CMPA-B.C. Best B.C. Film Award, which includes $500 for the film’s producers, and the DGC-B.C. Best B.C. Director Award, which includes $500 for Fleming.

Telefilm Canada’s One to Watch Award, which includes a $1,000 prize, went to the film’s star Keira Jang (Batwoman; pictured).

Can I Get a Witness? stars Jang, Oh and Joel Oulette (Julian and the Wind). The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. International rights, excluding Canada, were acquired by Brooklyn’s Visit Films in October 2024. Mongrel Media is its Canadian distributor.

Can I Get a Witness? was nominated for eight VFCC awards total. The three categories it did not win — Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Female Actor — went to Lindsay, Ont.-born writer-director Megan Park’s U.S. dramedy My Old Ass (LuckyChap Entertainment, Indian Paintbrush Productions). The film’s star, Oshawa, Ont.-born Maisy Stella was awarded Best Female Actor.

Other winners at this year’s awards were Matt Johnson for Best Male Actor in Matt and Mara (MDFF), Patrick J. Adams for Best Supporting Male Actor in Young Werther (Wildling Pictures) and Sugarcane (Kassie Films, Hedgehog Films), from Canadian directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, for Best Documentary.

In the international section of the awards, Denis Villeneuve was named Best Director for Dune: Part Two.

Image courtesy of Visit Films