Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 17, 2009 under Vancouver International Film Festival | 
Eva with her laptop at the hospital in Nimisha Mukerji and Gillian Lowry's 65_REDROSES
The 28th annual Vancouver International Film Festival has wrapped its 16-day run and Xavier Dolan’s first feature film “I Killed My Mother (J’ai tue ma mere),” about a young gay man’s relationship with his mother won the jury prize for best Canadian film.
Filmmakers Nimisha Mukerji and Gillian Lowry and their film 65 Red Roses were also big winners taking home the awards for Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award, VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award, and National Film Board’s Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award.
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Tags: 65 Red Roses, David Tougas, Facing Ali, Gillian Lowry, I Killed My Mother, J'ai tue ma mere, Jan Binsse, Le dernier acte, Nimisha Mukerji, Pete McCormack, The Last Act, Xavier Dolan
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 13, 2008 under Vancouver International Film Festival |
The 27th annual Vancouver International Film Festival concluded its 16-day run on Friday with the closing gala screening of Laurent Cantet’s film THE CLASS ( Entre les murs ) The winners of five juried awards and five audience awards were announced prior to the screening; a sixth juried award was announced previously.
JURIED AWARDS
Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award
The jury for the Canadian Images program awarded the Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award and its $12,000 cash prize to director Kari Skogland of B.C. for FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING . Other films in competition included 45 RPM, CONTROL ALT DELETE, CRIME, EDISON AND LEO, MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS, SHELTERED LIFE, STONE OF DESTINY and WHEN LIFE WAS GOOD.
VIFF Nonfiction Feature Award
The award went to the Mexican documentary BORN WITHOUT directed by the late Eva Norvind. Special Mention was given Canada’s FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION directed by Velcrow Ripper. The jury said, “BORN WITHOUT won the Nonfiction Feature Award for challenging our perceptions on being disabled through the life of one extraordinary man propelled by the love of family to live life to the fullest.” The jury chose FIERCE LIGHT for special mention “for its power to involve and inspire us with a personal journey that combines spiritual beliefs with relevant social action”. Fourteen features were in competition. Dimitri Eipides presented the award.
Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film
The Canadian Images jury has awarded a $2,000 cash award and a $2,500 Avid Media Composer software package to director Drew McCreadie of Vancouver for the film THE VALET. The competition was open to first time filmmakers.
Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award
Tantoo Cardinal has won the Artistic Merit Award from Women in Film & Television Vancouver for MOTHERS&DAUGHTERS. WIFTV board member, Tracey Schaeffer, presented the award, which is given annually to a B.C. woman filmmaker or performer of distinction whose work appeared at VIFF this year .
International Film Guide Inspiration Award
The inaugural International Film Guide Inspiration Award for “unique visual style, daring content and expansive execution by an emerging filmmaker” was awarded to Cameron Labine of B.C. for the film CONTROL ALT DELETE . The award includes the 2008 and 2009 editions of the International Film Guide, a collection of books from various Wallflower Press series and a library of 10 classic DVDs drawn from the Criterion Collection of world cinema masterpieces, with a combined cash value of $2,500. VIFF Canadian Images programmer Terry McEvoy presented the award.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Rogers People’s Choice Award for the Most Popular Film
The French film I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (Il y a longtemps que je t’aime) , directed by Philippe Claudel, has won the Rogers People’s Choice Award for Most Popular Film. It is an engrossing family drama starring Kristin Scott Thomas. The award was announced by Thor Diakow, entertainment reporter for Citytv, a division of Rogers.
documentary Audience Award
The audience chose the American film THROW DOWN YOUR HEART for the inaugural documentary Sascha Paladino, it is about banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck’s musical journey to Africa. VIFF showed 102 documentaries throughout the festival. Audience Award. Directed by
VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award
Carl Bessai’s MOTHERS&DAUGHTERS has won the VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award.
National Film Board’s Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award
FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION , by Velcrow Ripper won the prize of $2,500 in NFB technical services towards his next film. The prize was presented by Selwyn Jacob, producer, Pacific and Yukon Centre, National Film Board of Canada.
VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award
BLUE GOLD: WORLD WATER WARS, a documentary directed by Sam Bozzo that had its world-premiere at the VIFF, has won the VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award. The award was announced by festival director Alan Franey.
Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema (previously announced)
The $10,000 Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, which is sponsored by Brad Birarda, went to Emily Tang for PERFECT LIFE (Hong Kong/China). Presented to the director of a creative and innovative film from East Asia that has not yet won significant international recognition, the award was previously announced on October 2.
Tags: 45 RPM, Citytv, CONTROL ALT DELETE, CRIME, documentary, Drew McCreadie, Edison and Leo, Eva Norvind, FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION, Fifty Dead Men Walking, I've Loved You So Long, Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, Kari Skogland, Kristin Scott Thomas, Laurent Cantet, MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS, MOTHERS&DAUGHTERS, Philippe Claudel, Sascha Paladino, SHELTERED LIFE, STONE OF DESTINY, Tantoo Cardinal, The Class, THE VALET, Thor Diakow, THROW DOWN YOUR HEART, v, Vancouver International Film Festival, Velcrow Ripper, WHEN LIFE WAS GOOD
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 6, 2008 under Vancouver International Film Festival |
For the 15th year running, the Vancouver International Film Festival, Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema to a new director from the Asia-Pacific region is given to a creative and innovative film, made early in the director’s career, which has not yet won significant international recognition.
This year’s Dragons and Tigers Award goes to:
Perfect Life by Ms Emily TANG from Hong Kong/China.
For the way it captures the harshness of Chinese reality through its fictional protagonist, and for the subtlety of its wonderfully free storytelling.”
The jury also single out two particularly strong films for Special Mentions:
German + Rain by Ms YOKOHAMA Satoko from Japan. The main character is disturbing, yet unexpectedly fascinating. Taken with naturalistic performances from the entire cast, this is a strangely moving film.
And Sweet Food City by GAO Wendong from China. For its use of an incredible location, and the very clever way it combines elements of documentary with fiction.
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 3, 2008 under Vancouver International Film Festival |
Sweet Food City director Gao Wendong was not at the Vancouver International Film Festival on Thursday night to receive his award for special mention for his film. Mr. Gao is one of three Asian directors who have been denied visitors’ visas by Canadian immigration authorities, according to officials with the film festival. The festival says Mr. Gao was denied the visa on the basis of having no assets.
Another Chinese director, Yu Guangyi ( Survival Song) and Charliebebs Gohetia ( The “Thank You” Girls) from the Philippines were also denied visas, according to the festival. An Iranian director, Manijeh Hekmat, whose film 3 Women will be screened at the festival next week, is still awaiting approval for her visa application, which may not come in time for her to attend her first screening next Wednesday.
VIFF has run into this problem before, with visas denied to invited directors both last year and in 2006.
No one was available from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to comment Thursday night.
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