Stern & Wild filmmaker scoops directing prize at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards

Congratulations to Stern & Wild client Ben Addelman and co-director Ziya Tong on winning Best Direction in a Documentary Program for the fantastic feature doc Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics at ;the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards.

The must-see film investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health. It reveals how tiny plastic particles are present everywhere: in our food, water and air. And most chillingly, highlights how leading scientists are finding these particles in our bodies: in organs, blood, brain tissue, and even the placentas of new mothers. 

Ben is an award-winning director working across feature docs, series, branded and commercial projects, represented at Stern & Wild by Camilla Chiverton. His recent credits include directing the branded film Mind Games: The Experiment for Asics and Prime Video along with fellow Stern & Wild client Matt Hill; directing, writing and producing for the Olivia Colman-narrated Apple TV+ series Becoming You; and directing the North American scenes for the Disney + / National Geographic series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.

Plastic People is produced by White Pine Pictures and is Ben’s fifth feature documentary (the others are Discordia, Bombay Calling, Nollywood Babylon and Kivalina v. Exxon). It had its North American and European premieres in 2024 at SXSW and Sheffield DocFest before screening at numerous international festivals. It was released theatrically the same year. To read more about the film or to watch the trailer, click here.

Ben Addelman and co-director Ziya Tong holding their award