Mayumi Yoshida in 'Akashi.' Peter Planta Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Mayumi Yoshida swept the awards at the Whistler Film Festival on Saturday with Akashi, her Japanese language drama about a struggling Vancouver artist discovering her grandmother's secret while returning to Tokyo. Yoshida won for best Canadian feature in the Borsos competition, best actor, best B.C. director and the Haebler Award for best feature, among other honors. "It's such an honor. Maybe I might say a poem, because I'm inspired," Yoshida said, while translating the Japanese-language poem. "'If you wait, sunrise will appear beyond the ocean.' We've been waiting so long, so thank you very much," Yoshida said when picking up the Haebler prize. Related Stories Movies 'Nika & Madison' Director Talks Native Resilience, Police Brutality and U.S. DEI Rollback Movies 'Getting Rid of Rosie' Novel Adaptation in the Works (Exclusive) And Yoshida picked up the best British Columbia director award at the festival. "I started out as an actor, and getting director awards always makes me feel like it's an accident. But I'm starting to believe that I don't have to feel that way," Yoshida said when returning to the stage as a winner. The Canadian-Japanese director's multigenerational love story earlier picked up the best first feature film prize at the 2025 Reel Asian Film Festival and earned the audience award at the Vancouver Film Festival. The Japanese-born and Canadian émigré also earned the best performance in a Borsos competition film for Yoshida's star turn in Akashi as Kana, a struggling artist in Vancouver who returns to Tokyo for her grandmother's funeral, and feels out of place after ten years abroad. Also on Sunday, Jaryl Lim picked up the best cinematography prize for his work on Akashi. In other prize giving, the best screenplay for a Borsos competition title went to Chandler Levack for Mile End Kicks. And the best direction trophy for a Borsos competition title went to Zacharias Kunuk for Wrong Husband. The Haebler Award for best short went to Setareh Saleh, for her short film For Dawn, which follows three teenage girls in Iran as they navigate the complexities of advocating for women and human rights. The best short mountain culture film award went to Beauty In a Fall, directed by Nat Segal. And the best feature in the mountain culture film category went to The Art of Adventure, from director Alison Reid, which captured the activism through the lifelong friendship of wildlife artist Robert Bateman and biologist Bristol Foster, who was on hand to help accept the award. And the World Documentary Award went to Amalie Atkins' debut doc Agatha's Almanac, about the director's aunt and her connection to nature. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Quentin Tarantino Matthew Lillard on Quentin Tarantino Looping Him Into Paul Dano Acting Criticism: "It F***ing Sucks" Osgood Perkins Osgood Perkins on Moving to Canada to Make Horror Movies: "Vancouver Is Real Sweet" The Tale of Silyan IDA Documentary Awards: 'The Tale of Silyan' Wins Best Feature Timothée Chalamet Timothée Chalamet Dances to "Crank That," Wears Fan-Made Flag of His Face in High-Energy Brazil Visit Robert De Niro Hollywood Flashback: When Robert De Niro's Creature Captivated the Academy Sorry Baby 'Sorry, Baby' Filmmaker and Star Eva Victor Kept a Box of Agnes' Clothes After Filming Wrapped Quentin Tarantino Matthew Lillard on Quentin Tarantino Looping Him Into Paul Dano Acting Criticism: "It F***ing Sucks" Osgood Perkins Osgood Perkins on Moving to Canada to Make Horror Movies: "Vancouver Is Real Sweet" The Tale of Silyan IDA Documentary Awards: 'The Tale of Silyan' Wins Best Feature Timothée Chalamet Timothée Chalamet Dances to "Crank That," Wears Fan-Made Flag of His Face in High-Energy Brazil Visit Robert De Niro Hollywood Flashback: When Robert De Niro's Creature Captivated the Academy Sorry Baby 'Sorry, Baby' Filmmaker and Star Eva Victor Kept a Box of Agnes' Clothes After Filming Wrapped