A nthony Shim’s feature Riceboy Sleeps has won another accolade on the festival circuit, this time the $25,000 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film from the Windsor International Film Festival.

The story of a Korean immigrant mother and son took the honour at a reception marking the end of WIFF in southwestern Ontario on Sunday (Oct. 30), beating out nine other titles.

Riceboy Sleeps‘ previous awards include the $20,000 Platform Prize in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, and the $15,000 Best Canadian Film Prize at last month’s Vancouver International Film Festival.

Vancouver-based Shim (pictured left) wrote, directed and produced the drama under his Lonesome Heroes Productions banner alongside producers Rebecca Steele and Bryan Demore. Game Theory Films is the film’s Canadian distributor, and Sphere Films International is global sales agent.

The film was chosen for the WIFF honour by a jury of industry experts comprising Magali Simard, director of industry and community relations at Cinespace Studios Toronto; film journalist Jason Gorber; Glenn Sumi, acting managing editor, NOW Magazine; Sally Lee, executive director of the Canadian Independent Screen Fund; and marketing executive Joanna Miles.

In a statement, the jury called Riceboy Sleeps an “intimate yet sweeping film” that “is poignant, authentic, and visually powerful,” adding it has “remarkable performances and assured direction.”

The WIFF Prize in Canadian Film was established in 2019. This year’s honour was the most lucrative yet after the purse was increased from the previous $10,000.

Photo shows Anthony Shim with Vincent Georgie, executive director and chief programmer for WIFF; Credit: Shelby Johnston