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Banchi Hanuse’s documentary Ceremony won the Vancouver International Film Festival’s 2026 Tides Award, according to POV Magazine’s October 8, 2026 report. POV describes the win as “Best Canadian Documentary”; VIFF’s award listing calls the prize the Tides Award, for an outstanding documentary feature by a Canadian or Indigenous filmmaker.
What the VIFF award recognizes
VIFF lists the Tides Award as a $15,000 prize for the director of an outstanding documentary feature by a Canadian or Indigenous filmmaker. POV reports that Ceremony received the 2026 award and says the purse was courtesy of Rogers. The VIFF award page confirms the category and amount, but does not name the winner; the result is reported by POV. VIFF’s Tides Award listing and POV’s report on the award.
What Ceremony is about
VIFF lists Ceremony as an 84-minute film in English and Nuxalk, with English subtitles. Directed by Banchi Hanuse, it follows the Nuxalk community’s search for answers about the disappearance of ooligan in Bella Coola. VIFF describes ooligan as central to food, medicine, tradition, the economy and the transmission of knowledge across generations. The film brings together community testimony, watercolour animation and archival material to explore cultural survival, environmental stewardship, and Nuxalk relationships with land and water. VIFF’s film listing and VIFF’s film description.
Hot Docs frames the inquiry through Nuxalk Radio: the search for vanished ooligan opens onto a history of attempted erasure and community resilience. That is the festival’s description of the film’s framing, rather than an independent historical finding. Hot Docs’ listing.
#1 Best Overall
How the VIFF jury described the film
POV reproduces a statement from the VIFF jury—Selwyn Jacob, Lyana Patrick and Jeff Lee Petry—about the film’s subject and approach:
“The mystery of the disappearance of the ooligan fish from Bella Coola is slowly revealed in this timely, passionate story of the Nuxalk Nations efforts to protect and preserve its lands and waters,” remarked the jury in a statement. “Through beautiful cinematography and inventive storytelling, the film documents the strengths of community members consistently challenging the boundaries of imposed systems while drawing upon the resiliency and generosity of their ancestors. The film encourages us to reflect on how cultural resurgence can contribute to the collective good.”
Read the statement as reproduced by POV.
Ceremony also received a Hot Docs prize
At Hot Docs 2026, Ceremony received the DGC Special Jury Prize–Canadian Feature Documentary, which included $5,000. Hot Docs describes the film as an 84-minute Canadian work directed and produced by Hanuse. This is a separate award from Hot Docs’ Best Canadian Feature Documentary, which went to Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom. The distinction matters: Ceremony won Hot Docs’ special jury prize, not that festival’s top Canadian-feature award. Hot Docs’ official award listing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to find a screening
VIFF lists festival screenings, including an October 11 relaxed screening. The festival says relaxed screenings are open to anyone who could benefit from a more casual and supportive setting. Screening times and ticket availability can change, so check VIFF’s current listing for the latest details.
Rank #3
A 2026 imagineNATIVE Eventive page also listed a virtual screening. That dated listing is evidence of a festival viewing opportunity, not confirmation of ongoing streaming, permanent video-on-demand, or physical-media availability. See the imagineNATIVE Eventive listing.
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