A Mother Apart

A Mother Apart
Directed byLaurie Townshend
Written byAlison Duke
Laurie Townshend
Produced byAlison Duke
Ngardy Conteh George
Justine Pimlott
StarringStaceyann Chin
CinematographyAshley Iris Gill
Gabriela Osio Vanden
Mrinal Desai
Edited bySonia Godding Togobo
Music byTom Third
Production
companies
Release date
  • April 26, 2024 (2024-04-26) (Hot Docs)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

A Mother Apart is a 2024 Canadian documentary film, directed by Laurie Townshend.[1] The film profiles writer and activist Staceyann Chin, both in the context of her status as a daughter who was abandoned at a young age by her mother, and as a mother who has resolved to be more caring and attentive with her daughter than her own mother was with her.[2]

According to Chin, she had been approached several times in the past to film her story, including by at least one unnamed filmmaker whom she was thankful that she had declined to work with because he had since been subjected to sexual harassment claims, but noted that she agreed to work with Townshend because Townshend was fully honest about being a first-time filmmaker without access to a lot of money, rather than "blowing smoke up her ass" about Hollywood connections or Netflix deals.[2]

The film premiered at the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,[1] where producer Alison Duke received the Don Haig Award.[3]

At the Cleveland International Film Festival 2025, A Mother Apart received the Groundbreaker Award,[4] a juried prize for films addressing themes of diversity and/or social justice by a diverse filmmaker.[5] The film was nominated for the 2026 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary.[6]

Awards

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Inside Out Film and Video Festival 2024 Best Canadian Film Laurie Townshend Won [7]
Best First Feature Film Won
Audience Award, Documentary Film Won
Canadian Screen Awards June 1, 2025 Best Editing in a Documentary Sonia Godding Togobo Nominated [8]
Directors Guild of Canada 2025 DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film Laurie Townshend Won [9]
GLAAD Media Awards 2026 Outstanding Documentary A Mother Apart Nominated [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Andrew Parker, "Hot Docs 2024 Review | A Mother Apart". TheGATE.ca, April 26,. 2024.
  2. 1 2 Elisabetta Bianchini, "'A Mother Apart': Staceyann Chin's beautiful exploration of being a mother, when her own mother abandoned her". Yahoo! News, June 6, 2024.
  3. ↑ Brendan Christie, "Alison Duke to receive Hot Docs’ 2024 Don Haig Award". Playback, April 30, 2024.
  4. ↑ "A Mother Apart - CIFF Film Archives". CIFF. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  5. ↑ "CIFF50 Awards & Competitions - Cleveland International Film Fest". CIFF. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  6. 1 2 "GLAAD Announces Nominees for the 37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD.org. January 7, 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  7. ↑ Valerie Complex, "‘A Mother Apart’ Wins Top Prize At Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival Awards". Deadline Hollywood, June 3, 2024.
  8. ↑ Pat Mullen, "The Tragically Hip, Okurimono Lead Canadian Screen Award Documentary Nominees". Point of View, March 26, 2025.
  9. ↑ Jamie Casemore, "North of North claims five honours at 2025 DGC Awards". Playback, November 10, 2025.


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