Silent Bombs: All For The Motherland made history at this year's Yorkton Film Festival, becoming the first Saskatchewan production to be named Best of Festival, at the longest-running film festival in North America.
Meeting with the press after the historic win, the film's producer Gerald B. Sperling said, the feelings associated with taking the top award were difficult to put into words.
"I'm almost speechless," he said.
Sperling said he felt two elements combined were needed to make Silent Bombs a winner, "the craft that went into it," and "the importance of the story."
The film details the effects Soviet nuclear bomb testing had on people in the region of Kazakhstan where the testing took place.
"From 1949 to 1989 the Soviet Union exploded 500 nuclear bombs in northeastern Kazakhstan. 200,000 villagers living close to the test site were exposed to high levels of radiation. Deliberately unprotected from the explosions, they were treated as human guinea pigs, instruments of study in the event the cold war turned 'hot'," detailed a synopsis of the film in the Festival program.
As for being the first Saskatchewan film to take the Festival's first prize, Sperling said that it stands to reason a local production would eventually win given the quality of film produced in the province.
"Anybody who knows anything about film knows there's great film in this province," he said, adding " people in Saskatchewan can do anything, and they've shown that.
"It's not the first great film to be made here. There have been many."
Sperling said shooting the film in Kazakhstan had its hardships, but the result was worth it."It really was a very, very tough month (in Kazakhstan). I managed to sleep in a bed, but the crew, including the director slept on the floor," he said.
"The result was this wonderful film."
Director Rob King also used the Best of Saskatchewan award presentation to lament the potential loss of the SCN network in Saskatchewan.
"SCN does matter," he said, noting they came on board with the initial $20,000 in funding which helped them leverage the $600,000 which went into the production.
Silent Bombs was also this year's only multiple winner, capturing four other Golden Sheaf Awards at the gala Saturday evening, including the Best of Saskatchewan Ruth Shaw Award.
Sperling said the award was gratifying for a film which took five years to put together.
The producer also credited those in the film.
"I'm very proud and thankful to the people of Kazakhstan," he said.
The first win of the night was for Best Social/Political Documentary.
Sperling said the award was less about the film crew, reiterating it was about the story of the film.
"It's really a tribute to the people of Northeast Kazakhstan," he said.
Sperling used his time on the stage to accept the social/political documentary award to state there is a need "to ban all nuclear weapons." He added the people in the film show "what will happen if they continue to be used."
Silent Bombs also took the Golden Sheaf for Research for Carrie-May Siggins.
Sperling said Siggins put a lot of time and effort into the film to make it a success.
"She spent a winter month in Northeast Kazakhstan with no running water, and not much heat, but she was very dedicated to the task," he said.
Rob King was presented the Golden Sheaf for Director Non-Fiction for his efforts on Silent Bombs.
"This is a surprise," he said, adding he had to thank those involved for "inviting me on what was a really incredible journey.
King too took time to thank those in the film.
"The people in Kazakhstan who welcomed us into their homes and served us many a boiled sheep's head," deserved much of the credit for the quality of the film, he said.
As a director, King said Silent Bombs was an emotional film to make.
"It was a life-altering experience," he said.
