Winnipeg: Heater was the big winner at this year’s Blizzard Awards, presented March 2-3 in Winnipeg.

The Blizzards, a biennial celebration of Manitoban achievement in film and television, offered a total of 54 awards in categories covering everything from interstitials to anchors.

Heater, directed and written by Terrance Odette and produced by Winnipeg’s Marble Island Pictures, is a small-budget film set and shot in Winnipeg about two homeless men returning a stolen heater.

Odette’s feature debut garnered a total of seven awards, including the ceremony’s highest honor, the Best of the Gala Blizzard, and the award for best drama long – under $1 million.

The jury said the film "embraces Winnipeg as both a location and a character. This project was made out of love. Nobody in Hollywood would give a second’s thought to funding a project like this because they would know upfront that they aren’t going to make a lot of money. It is a tribute to our industry that a movie with incredible humanity and yet such a simple story can be created here. It stands as a shining example of the power of feature film making."

The film also won for best direction, best script, best cinematography, best performance by a leading actor (Gary Farmer) and best performance by a supporting actor (Stephen Ouimette).

Feted for their contribution to the local industry were Liz Jarvis, producer of The Law of Enclosures, who won the Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions to Training; and Derek Mazur, president and founding partner of Winnipeg-based Credo Entertainment, who shared the Special Achievement Award with the Winnipeg Film Group.

Marble Island’s name was also etched on the trophy for best drama long – budget over $1 million for Milgaard, produced with Toronto prodcos Barna-Alper Productions and Bar Harbour Films. Joyce Krenz walked away with the Blizzard for best performance by a Manitoba actress for her work in the film.

The Law of Enclosures from Winnipeg’s Buffalo Gal Pictures and Toronto’s Pluck Inc. scored two acting wins: best performance by a leading actress for Sarah Polley and best performance by a supporting actress for Shirley Douglas.

Jules Desjarlais won the award for best performance by a Manitoba actor for his role in Chikak Communications’ JCR-The Sharing Circle. *