How much can a 12 year-old carry on her shoulders to take care of her family? Mina does everything possible to look after her father and grandfather; she sews, cooks, washes and sells knock-knacks on the dangerous streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. After you see a short fragment of the film, you already find yourself amazed by the strength of the little girl that sometimes has to act like an adult to stand for her family.

This is why you won’t be caught by surprise knowing that Josef Baraki’s MINA WALKING was honoured with Inaugural Discovery Award at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards press conference which took place on January 19^th, 2016 at TIFF Bell Light Box. The Academy CEO Helga Stephenson highlighted that “Mina Walking” displays a creativity and resourcefulness unhampered by limited funding or difficult filming conditions on location in the Middle East.

The new Discovery Award is the Academy’s Special Award sponsored by the Talent Fund for Canada’s top emerging talents making movies with micro-budgets under C$250,000.  It helps the film industry to diversify its funding sources and enhance its success. The organization has already raised $15 million to date from companies, foundations and individuals. Also, seventy-five percent of Telefilm Canada’s Micro-Budget Production Program is financed by the Talent Fund.