Best Indie Filmmaker

There was no question this was Thom Fitzgerald’s year. His film, The Event, turned out to be aptly named, winning hearts at Sundance before scooping up awards left, right and centre at the Atlantic Film Festival. The poignant AIDS drama struck a chord with audiences, reducing some at the film’s Halifax premiere to fits of hysterical weeping. “I cried so hard I almost threw up,” said one audience member. Can’t beat an endorsement like that.

Runner-up: Andrea Dorfman