Beginning in 1988 when the VIFF gave out its first "Most Popular Film" prize to Some Girls, the Festival has offered a number of awards, both adjudicated and voted on by you, the audience, to deserving films. These awards are:
This award, sponsored by the National Film Board of Canada, goes to director Yung Chang of Québec for UP THE YANGTZE. The jury commented, “This brilliantly shot and edited documentary, at times humourous and at other times heartbreaking, dramatizes the complexities of cross-cultural communication and, through its focus on the massive Three Gorges Dam project, subtly shows the terrible human cost of China’s rapid modernization.”
A Special Mention goes to John Zaritsky from British Columbia for THE SUICIDE TOURIST. “This is an unflinching, quietly compassionate hymn to life, full of moral complexity, told via a gripping true tale of two determined couples voluntarily choosing to shorten their time on earth through euthanasia,” the jury added. The internationally accredited jury, which includes film scholar and Screen International critic Peter Brunette, international film specialist, interpreter and Kinograph film translator Robert Grey, and acclaimed Boston Phoenix film critic Gerald Peary chose the winner from 10 films in competition. The winner receives $2,500 in development money towards his next documentary with the NFB. The award was presented by Tracey Friesen, the executive producer, Pacific and Yukon Centre, of the NFB.
For the 16th year running, the National Film Board of Canada presented a juried award for a documentary feature. For the first time, the nominees were limited to Canadian films in an effort to reward some of our homegrown talent. The jury looked for the film that that best manifested the “spirit of the NFB:” innovation, relevance and excellence.
