MEDIA RELEASE
March 22, 2022
TORONTO — Today TIFF announced Boris Rodriguez as the recipient of this year’s TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award for his project Zoila and Andy. As part of the award, he will receive a $15,000 grant, along with support from a script consultant and access to the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and TIFF Industry Conference. Rodriguez will be celebrated in person this evening at the TIFF–CBC Films: Celebrating Screenwriters Cocktail event, 5:30pm EST at TIFF Bell Lightbox, along with some of the previously announced 2022 Writers’ Studio cohort.
The TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award jury has honoured Rodriguez’s Zoila and Andy for its epic, historical tale that resonates as both a love story and a timely contemplation on activism, democracy, communism, and ideology in a way that is at once deeply specific and hugely universal.
“Receiving the TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award is both humbling and surprising given the caliber of talent that not only applies [to the award] but is considered,” says Rodriguez. “It’s also the exact kind of support that will no doubt prove invaluable in bringing our story to the screen in Canada and to audiences around the world.”
Rodriguez is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker. His first film, Beso Nocturno (Night Kiss), premiered at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section, and was later selected for a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His feature debut, Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal (2012), was selected for film festivals including Tribeca and Karlovy Vary and won the Méliès d’Argent award for best European fantasy feature at the Leeds International Film Festival. On the heels of Eddie’s success, Rodriguez was selected to participate in NBCUniversal’s Emerging Directors Program, where he was coached to direct episodes for their scripted series on SyFy and USA. Rodriguez is currently developing several projects, including the features Covet, Blood Avocados and Butterflies, and Zoila and Andy.
Now in its fifth consecutive year, the TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award was created to support Canada’s diverse screenwriting talent and to fund the development of high-quality productions that reflect, represent, and reframe diverse perspectives through character-driven stories at the core of the Canadian experience. The Award is open to experienced screenwriters who are women and/or who belong to an equity-seeking group, and/or who identify as having a disability.
This year’s winner was chosen by a jury of screen-industry professionals: Gosia Kamela, Head of CBC Films; Larisa Gutmanis, screenwriter and producer of the International Financing Forum for Ontario Creates; Jennifer Weiss, veteran Canadian producer; and Jane Kim, TIFF Industry Programming Producer.
All screenplay applications were read and rated anonymously, without readers knowing the names of the screenwriters. Projects were considered based on the quality of the script; the originality of the idea, story structure, dialogue, and characters; and likely audience appeal and achievability.
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About TIFF
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival®in September; TIFF Lightbox, which features five cinemas, learning and entertainment facilities; and the innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $200 million CAD. TIFF Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel, and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation, and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.
About CBC Films
CBC Films supports feature films that reflect, represent, and reframe a range of perspectives at the centre of the Canadian experience. Committed to creative excellence, cultural relevance, and talent development, CBC Films prioritizes storytelling that amplifies equity-deserving communities, along with a parallel commitment to gender parity. CBC Films encompasses CBC’s continued investment in Canadian features, filmmakers and film industry, including the TIFF–CBC Films Screenwriter Award, now in its sixth year of supporting the country’s diverse screenwriting talent. With a robust library of over 200 Canadian films available to stream on CBC Gem, CBC strives to create an unparalleled destination for Canadians to discover homegrown film.
TIFF is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC, Visa, and BVLGARI®, and Major Supporters the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada, and the City of Toronto.
TIFF Industry Programming is generously supported by Major Supporters Ontario Creates and Telefilm Canada.
TIFF’s Talent Development programmes are supported in part by Share Her Journey, which is committed to increasing the participation, skills, and opportunities for women behind and in front of the camera.