Welcome to the 2005 VIFF!

24th VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS

LIVE AND BECOME and EVE & THE FIRE HORSE win audience awards

Vancouver, BC (October 14, 2005) – Alan Franey, Director of the Vancouver International Film Festival and the new Vancouver International Film Centre, today announced the following award winners:

AUDIENCE AWARDS

The People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Film

The People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Film goes to Rahu Mihaileanu's LIVE AND BECOME (Israel/France).

Runner-up for Most Popular International Film is Josh Gilbert 's AKA TOMMY CHONG (USA).

Federal Express Award for Most Popular Canadian Feature Film

This year the voting for the Federal Express Award for Most Popular Canadian Feature Film is Julia Kwan's EVE & THE FIRE HORSE (British Columbia).

Runners-up for Most Popular Canadian Film is Jean-Marc Vallée's C.R.A.Z.Y. (Quebec).

JURIED AWARDS

The National Film Board Award for Best Documentary Feature

Jurors Kristine Anderson, Matt Henderson and Josh Siegel gave the National Film Board Award for Best Documentary Feature to A PARTICULAR SILENCE by Stefano Rulli (Italy).

The jury stated: “It is a truism to say that music, poetry and film have the power to heal, but rarely is this demonstrated with the kind of conviction and love that Italian filmmaker Stefano Rulli expresses in A Particular Silence. Intelligent and restrained, sensitive and often humorous, A Particular Silence brings us one humble step closer to the solitary world of autism.”

The Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema

China's Liu Jiayin won the Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema for her film OX HIDE. The award, which includes a $5,000 prize, is sponsored by Brad Birarda. The jury was comprised of: David Bordwell (USA), Li Cheuk-To (Hong Kong) and Gerwin Tamsma (The Netherlands). Amongst other virtues, the jury praised OX HIDE for showing how formal experimentation can coexist with engrossing human drama and powerful emotion.

The jury included three Special Mentions, in alphabetical order, they are Shibutani Noriko's BAMBI (Heart) BONE (Japan), Shin Jane's SHIN SUNG-IL IS LOST (South Korea) and Wanma-caidan's THE SILENT HOLY STONES (China/Tibet).

Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award

Sean Garrity wins the Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award for his feature LUCID.

Garrity's film earned praise from jurors Nathaniel Geary, Liam Lacey and Timothy Taylor, as “a work of polish and complexity, exploring the relationship between dream states and reality.” The award, sponsored by Citytv, is accompanied by a cash prize of $12,000.

The BRAVO!Fact Award for Best Young Western Canadian Director of a Short Film

Jamie Travis wins the BRAVO!Fact Award (for Best Young Western Canadian Director of a Short Film), for PATTERNS, which was praised for “its satiric use of film language to create an apparently logical universe that is simultaneously absurd.” The award, sponsored by BRAVO!Fact, is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize.

Women in Film & Video Vancouver's Artistic Merit Award

Carly Pope received the Women in Film & Video Vancouver's Artistic Merit Award for her performance in THE HAMSTER CAGE. The award is given annually to a B.C. woman filmmaker or performer of distinction.

Trade Forum One-Minute Motion Picture Contest

Sponsored by Kodak, the Trade Forum One-Minute Motion Picture contest drew a creative range of visual interpretations depicting the new Vancouver International Film Centre from a field of 25 local filmmakers. Maryam Najafi and Nima Soofi submitted the winning entry, LA CASA .

VIFC opens January, 2006

The Vancity Theatre at the Vancouver International Film Centre will open for regular screenings starting in January, 2006. For an idea of the type of programming you can expect, please visit our VIFC/Vancity Theatre website and read the Mission Statement and Scope of Programming. As we approach our opening date, we will add more information about becoming a Vancity Theatre member and exciting films to watch out for.