Sinking Ship Entertainment and Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu are among the gala recipients of the 2021 Rockie Awards International Program Competition.

Five honourees have been selected for the annual gala awards, which will be handed out during a virtual ceremony on June 15 at the 42nd annual Banff World Media Festival. This year, with 142 nominees from 37 countries, and 150 international jury members, the Rockie Awards is one of the largest program competitions of its kind, honouring the best in global television and digital media. Comedian and YouTube personality Jasmeet Raina will host the awards, which will be filmed at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta.

Sinking Ship Entertainment will receive the Innovative Producer Award, which recognizes the achievements of an independent producer. Founded by J.J. Johnson, Blair Powers and Matt Bishop, Sinking Ship is the prodco behind Daytime Emmy-winning kids programs Odd Squad, Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures, Ghostwriter and Giver. Past winners of the award include Wattpad Studios, Scott Brothers Entertainment, New Metric Media, Wolf + Rabbit, Don Carmody and marblemedia.

Simu Liu will be honoured with the Canadian Award of Distinction, which is given to a Canadian whose work in the entertainment industry exemplifies an outstanding achievement. Liu is best known to Canadians as Jung in the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience and as an outspoken activist regarding Asian representation and culture. He will be the first person of Asian descent to become a Marvel superhero with the upcoming release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings later this year. Past recipients include Kristen Kreuk, the stars of Baroness Von Sketch Show, Eric McCormack, Kim Cattrall and Sheila Hockin.

Indie film distributor and advocacy organization ARRAY will receive The Hollywood Reporter Impact Award, which is given to an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to the screen-based industry. The company was founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and led by an all-woman executive team, including Tilane Jones, Regina Miller, Tammy Garnes and Dee Tuck. The company has championed Canadian films such as The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open and Funny Boy, and its database ARRAY Crew hosts 6,000 profiles of diverse below-the-line talent for jobs in the industry. Past winners include Justin Simien for Dear White People, Anthony Anderson for black-ish and David Shore for The Good Doctor.

Saturday Night Live‘s longest-running cast member Kenan Thompson will be given the Sir Peter Ustinov Award, which recognizes a comedian’s contributions to the media industry. Thompson has received an Emmy award for his musical work on SNL and currently executive produces and stars in his NBC comedy series Kenan. Past winners include Sean Hayes, John Cleese, Tracey Ullman, Bob Newhart, Tantoo Cardinal, John Candy and Bill Hader.

Award-winning actor Danielle Brooks will receive the A+E Inclusion Award, which honours an individual who has helped champion diversity in media. Brooks earned accolades and critical acclaim for her role as Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson on Orange is the New Black and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the revival of The Color Purple. Past recipients include LeVar Burton, Jonathan Murray and Elizabeth Vargas.

“This year’s Rockies Gala honourees exemplify not just incredible work, but also contributions to the entertainment industry and to society,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, executive director of the Banff World Media Festival, in a statement. “Each recipient has demonstrated excellence, innovation, creativity and empathy, making choices about the projects they work on and the impact that they can have on the world. We are honoured to recognize such outstanding talent.”

Transplant, Detention Adventure, Molly of Denali and Baroness Von Sketch Show are among the series nominated for the 2021 Rockie Awards International Program Competition. Among the awards due to be announced during the ceremony is Program of the Year, which honours an outstanding program from among the Rockie Awards nominees, and the Grand Jury Prize, which is given to the highest scoring project from among the jury.

The Banff World Media Festival runs from June 14 to July 16.