Sasha Snow's spellbinding documentary Hadwin's Judgement, about Grant Hadwin and the fabled Golden Spruce of Haida Gwaii, took the Best Canadian film honour as this year's Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival drew to a close at the Centennial Theatre tonight (February 20). Author John Vaillant (The Golden Spruce) and actor Doug Chapman were present to accept the award and a $500 cash prize. 

Other notable winners included closing night presentation "Citadel", which was named Best Climbing Film (complete with $1000 cash prize courtesy of the Alpine Club of Canada.) Alistair Lee's beautifully-lensed doc follows an attempt by two UK climbers on the forbidding and unconquered Alaskan mountain of the title. 

The evening's grand prize, meanwhile, went to director (and Polish Alpinist) Eliza Kubarska, who was there to accept a $2000 honorarium for K2 Touching the Sky, her look at the "Black Summer" of 1986 when 13 climbers lost their lives on the world's second highest peak.

Other winners:

Best Short Film  – "The Important Places" directed by Forest Woodward and Gnarly Bay

Best Environment Film – Unbranded directed by Phillip Baribeau

Best Mountain Sports Film – Chasing Niagara directed by Rush Sturges

Best Adventure Film – "Gold of Bengal" directed by Corentin de Chatel

Best Mountain Culture Film – "Operation Moffat" directed by Claire Carter & Jen Randall

Jury’s Award – "Metronomic" directed by Vlad Cellier