America appropriated a lot from the Haudenosaunee, too much to list here. But what they never understood was Peace, actual Peace. America's original sin was killing us (and so many others) so it could have "peace" and it never attoned for that. Each president is forever cursed to kill for "freedom".

9/ Recognizing the precarious and limited safety that made this work possible, I accept this award as a reminder of the importance of truth telling, and dedicate this award to media workers in occupied territories worldwide.

8/ As of April 2025, Israeli forces have more than killed more than 232 journalists in Gaza, who have courageously acted as the world’s eyes and ears.

7/ Repression is a spectrum. While Canadian police have been increasingly quick to arrest media workers, colonial forces in Israel have attempted to normalize the targeted assassinations of journalists.

6/ I am grateful to have been able to witness this inspiring history of Wet’suwet’en resistance to colonization and to have come out of the experience alive.

5/ This award recognizes the incredible efforts of a team committed to truth and justice – and it comes as those in our profession, at home and worldwide, face increasingly hostile environments for truth telling.

4/ Dan Loan, Keir Knight, Jesse Freeston & Grace Burke all faced police lines while Sam Vinal & Alexandra Kotcheff beautifully documented the earliest days of the resistance. All worked in solidarity, often on a voluntary basis, in difficult environments, following Wet'suwet'en laws and protocols.

3/ I faced an RCMP rifle and four days in jail, and years of targeted harassment in order to make this film. Melissa Cox was arrested twice documenting this history, and devoted two years of her life to this project.

2/ This film would not be possible without the dedication of many cinematographers who each witnessed parts of this story, and in some cases made extraordinary personal sacrifices to make sure a camera was always present.

Thanks Charlie!