WINDSOR — A satirical documentary about a former prime minister’s rise to power has claimed a top prize at the Windsor International Film Festival. The southern Ontario film festival handed the $25,000 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film to “Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney,” directed by Winnipeg-born filmmaker Matthew Rankin. The documentary, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was an audience favourite in the Midnight Madness program, splices archival footage of Mulroney before his days in 24 Sussex Drive, while incorporating multi-media collage elements for a highly-stylized, technicolor exploration of political celebrity. The film beat out other Canadian works, including “Nina Roza” about a Bulgarian-Canadian art consultant who returns to his homeland to investigate a supposed child prodigy and “Haunted” about a teenager who discovers her new countryside home is haunted by a 19th-century woman. The WIFF jury praised “Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney” for its “uniquely Canadian voice, and intelligence and humour.” The jury also acknowledged the work of archive producer Marika Lapointe, who sifted through over 80,000 pieces of archival material for the film. In an interview with The Canadian Press in September, Rankin spoke about how Mulroney wielded charm to climb his way through the ranks of the Progressive Conservatives to the country’s top office. “It’s not exactly a biopic of the man,” Rankin said. “It’s really about the construction of his image.” The documentary was somewhat familiar ground for Rankin, who’s known for his debut feature film “The Twentieth Century,” a surreal, fictionalized portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s 10th Prime Minister. His follow-up feature “Universal Language” was shortlisted for an Oscar. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2026. The Canadian Press
