CaribbeanTales Media Group’s Frances-Anne Solomon and Entertainment One’s (eOne) Jocelyn Hamilton are among the five winners of the 35th annual Crystal Awards from the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Toronto.

The awards gala, which will take place in-person in Toronto on Dec. 6, has honoured more than 170 trailblazers for their creativity, innovation, and leadership in the screen-based industry since its inception in 1988.

The Mentorship Award will be given to Solomon, who has served as CaribbeanTales Media Group’s CEO and founder since 2001. The company produces, exhibits, and distributes culturally diverse film and television content. Her directing credits include feature films What My Mother Told Me, Peggy Su!, and HERO: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life & Times of Mr. Ulric Cross. She also directed the series Lord Have Mercy! and Heartbeat, among others.

Outstanding Achievement in Business will be awarded to Hamilton for her work as the head of all Canadian operations for eOne’s television business. Hamilton has also spearheaded the creation of eOne’s podcast network. Her work within the industry spans more than 30 years, including VP, programming and original productions at Corus Entertainment.

The Special Jury Award of Distinction will go to Christa Dickenson, who is the former executive director and CEO of Telefilm Canada. Dickenson has three decades of experience in news, cable television, technology, telecommunications, interactive digital media, film and television. She departed Telefilm in September to take on the role of president and CEO of the Cable Public Affairs Channel and has previously worked at CTV News, Rogers, and Interactive Ontario.

The Creative Excellence Award will be presented to Sarah Polley, who is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker and actor. She debuted her latest directorial effort, Women Talking, at the Telluride Film Festival in September.

Polley earned wide acclaim for her feature directorial debut, Away From Her, based on Canadian author Alice Munro’s short story The Bear Came Over the Mountain. The film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Polley, and Best Actress for Julie Christie. Polley also directed the feature film Take This Waltz and the TV adaptation of Alias Grace from Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name. Her acting credits include Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter, Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, and Jaco Van Dormael’s Mr. Nobody.

The Digital Trailblazer Award will go to Toronto-based writer, creator, researcher, and journalist Ramona Pringle. She is an associate professor in the RTA School of Media at the Toronto Metropolitan University, and the founding director of The Creative School’s Innovation Studio. Her production credits include PBS Frontline’s Digital Nation, the online video magazine rdigitaLIFE, the interactive documentary Avatar Secrets, and the participatory series Communities Create.

WIFT Toronto executive director Karen Bruce said in a statement that the not-for-profit organization has been recognizing the “achievements of industry trailblazers whose leadership leads the charge toward a more inclusive and resilient industry in Canada and internationally” for the past 35 years.

The honourees were nominated by WIFT Toronto members and selected by a jury of industry executives including previous Crystal Award winners Jennifer Holness, who received the Creative Excellence Award last year, Tracey Pearce, who received the Outstanding Achievement in Business in 2016, and former WIFT Toronto chair Linda Stregger.

Image courtesy of WIFT. Pictured (L-R): Frances-Anne Solomon, Jocelyn Hamilton, Christa Dickenson, Sarah Polley, and Ramona Pringle.