TORONTO -- Deepa Mehta is this year's winner of the Clyde Gilmour Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association.

Mehta gets to pick a filmmaker to receive $50,000 in work from Technicolor Creative Services.

The award recognizes Canadian industry figures whose work has enriched the understanding and appreciation of film.

Association president Brian D. Johnson lauded Mehta for a boundary-pushing career spanning 25 years.

Mehta is the writer-director of the Oscar-nominated "Water." Her most recent movie, the gangster film "Beeba Boys," hit theatres in October.

Past winners of the award include late broadcaster Elwy Yost, documentary director Allan King, and film director Norman Jewison.

The critics association will announce the bulk of its awards on Dec. 13, when it will also reveal three finalists for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, worth $100,000.

The best picture winner will be announced at a gala dinner on Jan. 5, 2016 in Toronto.

The Toronto Film Critics Association is comprised of Toronto-based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary.