Local moviemaker Dustan Hlady is celebrating after winning the Best Feature Film award at the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards.

Hlady wrote and produced the movie 'Nolan: Here Nor There', which was directed by Wilfred Dieter. They accepted the award at the virtual award show in November, and Hlady just received his trophy a few days ago.

He explains what the movie is about.

"It's a coming-of-age story about a young man who's growing up on a reserve that's in the midst of a suicide epidemic, and his mother sends him away to live with family in Fort Qu'Appelle. It's kind of a story about him processing his grief and his own story in the treaty relationship."

"We filmed mostly in Fort Qu'Appelle and also out on Okanese First Nation. They really accepted us, brought us in, and let us shoot pretty much anywhere we wanted. Even one of the councillors, after we met with them for the first time, came up to me and said 'We never get to see ourselves on screen and I want to thank you guys so much for doing this'. It meant a lot."

That councilllor went on to become one of the producers for the movie, and even had a guest spot in the film.

The main actor in 'Nolan: Here Nor There', Braden Jon King, also won an award for best performance, which Hlady says is well deserved.

He went on to say his move was against some pretty stiff competition for the Best Feature Film award as well, saying one of his friends had a movie in the running called 'Only the Caring Cry at Night', which Hlady thought would take the top spot.

Hlady spent last summer filming another movie in Moose Jaw called 'Small Town Bringdown', which is in the midst of editing. He hopes that it's finished and ready for release soon