Music

Chad VanGaalen wins the Prism Prize for Canada's best music video

by Mark Teo

Calgary-based director Chad VanGaalen—who also moonlights as an animator, artist and Polaris-nominated musician—has won the 2015 Prism Prize for Canada’s best music video. VanGaalen was awarded the Prism, now in its third year, yesterday in Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lightbox for his work on Timber Timbre’s “Beat the Drum Slowly.” He takes home a $5,000 award.

But while “Beat the Drum Slowly” won the Albertan director the prize, it wasn’t his only nomination—his own video for “Monster” was also among 2015’s Prism nominees. Odonis Odonis, PUP, Rich Aucoin, Kandle, Ryan Hemsworth, Fur Trade, and Kevin Drew videos were also contending for the prize. Check our interviews with the Prism-nominated directors here, and watch “Beat the Drum Slowly” below.

VanGaalen, however, wasn’t the only one honoured yesterday. Kandle’s “Not Up to Me,” directed by Natalie Rae Robison, took home the Prism Prize Audience Award—which was presented by AUX’s own Sam Sutherland. Check Robison’s work below.

Last—but certainly not least—the Prism’s Special Achievement recipient was director Christopher Mills. That award was aimed at commemorating international successes, and in that context, Mills makes perfect sense: The director / animator / editor has seen plenty of international accolades, working on videos by Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, Interpol, and many more.