NL filmmaker Mary Sexton surprised by YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaCape Breton OpinionNewfoundland & LabradorNewsCanada NL filmmaker Mary Sexton surprised by YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award The longtime Newfoundland and Labrador filmmaker shared the YWCA St. John’s Lifetime Achievement Award with Lorraine Michael on Monday Author of the article: By Shauna Bernard Published Sep 23, 2026 2 minute read Mary Sexton, co-founder and president of Rink Rat Productions, was nominated for the award by Caroline Godin. CONTRIBUTED Article content Producer and filmmaker Mary Sexton did not expect to hear her name called at the YWCA St. John’s Circle of Distinction Awards on Monday, Sept. 21. Article content “I didn’t think I had a snowball’s chance in hell,” she said the following day. Article content Article content Sexton, 64, shared the Lifetime Achievement Award with Lorraine Michael at the event, which recognized 31 women and gender-diverse nominees across several categories. Article content Article content “When they were reading out all their biographies, I was thinking, ‘I’m never going to win this,’” she said. Article content “I didn’t even have a speech or anything in mind when they called my name.” Article content The recognition was especially meaningful because of Sexton’s own history with the YWCA. Article content When her son, Nik, was young, Sexton used the YWCA’s childcare program, which she said, “really helped me be able to do the things that I wanted to do and be able to work.” Article content ‘I know I made a difference’ Article content Sexton said she believes her work telling stories about people and communities may have been part of why she was chosen. Article content She pointed to Skeet, a film she produced that follows a St. John’s man returning home after prison who befriends a Syrian refugee. Article content The film deals with issues including racism and sexism, and Sexton said it was intended to make audiences question their own assumptions. Article content Article content She also pointed to Safa’s Kitchen, a six-part OMNI series following Safa and her Syrian family in St. John’s. Article content Read More A recipe for home in NL: How 'cooking changed everything' for Safaa’s Kitchen owner Gina Cook on Brenda Skanes, Littledale and a very unexpected acting career Advertisement 1 Article content Sexton has spent decades working in Newfoundland and…