Save the date: The 80th anniversary edition is happening May 26–30, 2027—don't miss it!

Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man won the Best of Festival Golden Sheaf award at the Yorkton Film Festival Saturday night. It also won in the Best Feature Documentary category. The film by Siksika filmmaker Sinakson, Trevor Solway, captures the lives of men balancing the weight of kinship with the evolving expectations of manhood. Set against the sweeping expanse of the Prairies, the film weaves together candid dialogue and quiet moments to reshape the narrative of Indigenous identity. Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man serves as a moving tribute to the enduring power of vulnerability and intergenerational love.

The Ruth Shaw Best of Saskatchewan was awarded to Die Alone a feature film written and directed by Lowell Dean. Die Alone is a post-apocalyptic love story starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, and Frank Grillo about a man with amnesia who teams up with a tough survivalist during a zombie-like outbreak. Together, they navigate dangers and search for the amnesiac's missing girlfriend.

The other big winner of the night was director Colin Matthews whose film Never Use Alone won the Mental Health, Emerging Filmmaker and Best Performance by actress Chelah Horsdal. The film centers around an overdose intervention hotline operator who fights to keep callers alive. Colin indicated that he was moved to write this story following the death of his friend from a fentanyl overdose. As part of his grieving process, he researched the world of the opioid/fentanyl epidemic, and this story grew out of his conversations with individuals struggling with substance use disorders, as well as with leading doctors and addiction experts. The film explores themes of loss, addiction, mental health, and the resilience of the human spirit.