Congratulations to New Image College alum Dakota Daulby, whose film Tight Lettuce won the Gold Audience Award for Best Québec Feature at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2026.

Directed by Harrison Houde, Tight Lettuce is a bilingual Quebec drama based on a true story about a son trying to save his father from addiction. Dakota stars as Joel, the film’s lead, and co-wrote the screenplay alongside Houde. The film was produced under Vesperia Films, the production company Dakota and Houde co-founded together.

Dakota trained in NIC’s Film Acting Conservatory. Since then, he has built a cross-border acting career with credits including Shōgun, Longlegs, Billy the Kid, and Mayans M.C.