The 32nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival concluded its 16-day run on Friday, October 11th. The winners of two juried awards, and six audience awards were announced prior to the screening of VIFF’s closing film, Arie Posin’s The Face of Love, at The Centre. The Dragons & Tigers winner was announced earlier in the Festival.

The Canadian Images jury announced two awards. The jury members were actress Gabrielle Miller (Corner Gas, Robson Arms, Moving Day); former BC Film Commissioner and Co-ordinator of the Motion Picture Arts Programme at Capilano University, Dianne Neufeld; and former Executive Producer for programming at Radio Canada, in BC & the Yukon, Michèle Smolkin.
The Award for Best Canadian Feature Film

The award for Best Canadian Feature Film, and its $10,000 cash prize, is shared this year between Jason James’ That Burning Feeling, and Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes for Young Ghouls. The following is the jury statement on the two winning Canadian films at VIFF 2013 …

Rhymes for Young Ghouls is a very powerful and beautifully produced film, with a stellar cast and excellent photography and design. Depicting the after-effects of the trauma inflicted by residential schools on the First Nations population, it also succeeds in telling a universal and touching story of an oppressed people trying to survive, rebuild and come to terms with their suffering. Using a highly creative vocabulary, from realistic to metaphorical, from fantastic to poetic, Jeff Barnaby demonstrates a promising and already impressive talent as a filmmaker.

That Burning Feeling is one of the best comedies the jury has seen in a long time. With a witty, smart and highly-articulate script, a talented cast and beautiful production, it makes for a wonderful self-deprecating portrait of Vancouver, with its condo maniacs, yoga lovers, community activists and other odd characters. While making us laugh along the way, it tells the human story of trying to find authenticity in a crazy world. Jason James is a rising filmmaker to watch with his wit, keen eye and intelligence.

Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film

The $2000 cash prize was awarded to Mathieu Arsenault for Nathan …

The Canadian short film that visually and emotionally walks the line between stories that use abrupt beginnings and endings and stories that change their point-of-view midstream. The rugged handheld camerawork and dynamic editing capture the emotional journey of an irresponsible young man learning to become a father. This unflinching and heartbreaking film is most worthy of the award for most promising director of a short film.

Women in Film + Television Artistic Merit Award

The WIFTV jury — Mary Margaret Frymire, Lisa Ovies and Ana Valine — told those in The Centre’s Closing Gala audience that, “We’re thrilled to award the 18th Annual Artistic Merit Award to Chloé Robichaud for her outstanding film, Sarah Prefers to Run. Robichaud’s clear and compelling direction, coupled with a strong lead performance from Sophie Desmarais, made for an engaging story that ran away with the audience’s hearts.”

Rogers People’s Choice Award

Like Father, Like Son (Japan), directed by Kore-eda Hirozaku won the Rogers People’s Choice Award. All of the festival’s feature films — dramas and nonfiction — were eligible. Festival-goers chose the most popular film by rating every film they saw on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).
VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award
The audience chose Down River, directed by Ben Ratner, for the VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award, presented by Canadian Images programmer, Terry McEvoy. Here’s a review written by Olivia Law, in The Ubyssey.
VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award
When I Walk, directed by Jason da Silva, won the VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award, presented by Canadian Images programmer, Terry McEvoy. Here’s The Hollywood Reporter review.
VIFF Most Popular Canadian Environmental Documentary Award
Salmon Confidential, directed by Twyla Roscovich, won the VIFF Most Popular Canadian Environmental Documentary Award, presented by Canadian Images programmer, Terry McEvoy. The Straight review.
VIFF Most Popular Documentary Film Award
The audience chose Desert Runners directed by Jennifer Steinman, for the VIFF Most Popular Documentary Film Award, presented by Festival Director, Alan Franey. Here’s Mark Adams’ review in Screen Daily.
VIFF Most Popular First Feature Award
The audience chose Wadjda, directed by Haifaa Al Mansour, for the VIFF Most Popular International First Feature Award, presented by Festival Director, Alan Franey. Here’s Oliver Lyttlelton’s review on Indiewire.

Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema

Anatomy of a Paperclip (Yamamori Clip Koujou no Atari) by Ikeda Akira of Japan won the 20th annual Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema and a cash prize of $5,000, supported by Brad Birarda. 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 3rd. Thanks are also due to Dragons & Tigers series sponsor Fairchild Media Group.
BC Spotlight Awards
BC Emerging Filmmaker Award — $7,500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP / AFBS and a $10,000 equipment rental credit from William F. White, was presented to Lawrence & Holloman, directed by Matthew Kowalchuk.
Best BC Film — $10,000 development bursary provided by The Harold Greenberg Fund and a $10,000 post-production services credit from Finalé Editworks, presented to The Dick Knost Show, directed by Bruce Sweeney.
#mustseebc Award — Leap for Your Life, directed by Gary Hawes
At the Closing Gala, the Vancouver International Film Festival extendeds its thanks to Creative BC, CineCoup, The Harold Greenberg Fund, William F. White, UBCP, AFBS, Finalé Editworks, Canon Canada, ET Canada and Vancouver Magazine.

Our beloved 2013 VIFF is over for the year, and what of VIFF for VanRamblings in 2014?

Well, that’s it for the 32nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival.
Sixteen days in, and at 11:30pm tonight, following the final screening, the Festival will have drawn to a close for another year, except for the few stragglers who’ll be whooping it up at the Closing Gala soirée at The Playhouse — VanRamblings will, of course, find ourselves over at The Centre, along with many other hundreds of cinephiles, taking in a late night screening of the Festival’s Closing Gala film, The Face of Love.
Throughout the day, Festival Director and Exhibitions Manager George Mah will be meeting for a debriefing session with venue management staff, in preparation for an even better 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival. First order of business: a hearty congratulations to everyone involved in bringing to Vancouver, and exhibiting, the 340 films from 70 countries that were screened at the seven venues (most of them new) to the amazement, delight, and often tear-filled joy (or, sometimes, horror) of VIFF cinephiles.
VanRamblings will continue to post on the film festival over the course of the next week, as we report out on the winners of the various VIFF awards that will be announced tonight, as well as, in the days to come, the films chosen by VIFF’s cinephiles that rank in the top 30 films on offer in 2013.
As is the case with many, even though we took in more than 80 films, there were too many films that we missed. Although we had In Bloom on our original programme schedule — at the last minute, we replaced it with The Patience Stone, which, fortuitously, emerged as one of our three favourite films at VIFF 2013. Still, we’re sad to have missed so many great VIFF films.
Fortunate for all of us, the VIFF Repeats begin tomorrow — when, over the weekend at The Rio, SFU Woodwards, and The Vancity (reducing to only The Vancity, beginning Monday, and running through until Thursday evening), you can catch VIFF films you missed. Hopefully, in addition to the VIFF Repeats, the VIFF’S Vancity programmer Tom Charity will bring back a plethora of fine indie and foreign language fare throughout the next year.

Scenes from Dag Johan Haugerud’s magnificent Norwegian production, I Belong. A must-see.

Of the VIFF repeats, we would strongly recommend the following…

• I Belong. A film of transcendent and remarkable beauty, narrative erudition and artful craft, so well realized as to make one weep with joy at the transformative experience director Dag Johan Haugerud and his humane and human-scale cast have allowed us to feel, I Belong emerges as ground-breaking, truth-telling cinema of the first order, ranking among the most important films of the new millennium. Screens on Saturday, October 12th, at 4pm, SFU Woodwards.
• Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. Despairing, melancholy, screamingly funny at times, and filled with more wit and perspicacity than any film you’ll see this year, here’s the best non-fiction film to play at VIFF 2013, a doc that is not-to-be-missed. Quite simply, director Nicholas Wrathall, while offering a profound and immensely witty historical document on the nature of the 21st century state, has outdone himself. Sunday, October 13th, 06:45pm, The Vancity.
• Felix. One of the three feel-good films at this year’s Festival (the other two: Wadjda, and Gabrielle). An absolute must-see, a humble, deeply affecting, cross-cultural coming-of-age story set in South Africa that left the audience verklempt but heartened, with nary a dry eye in the house. Everything in Felix works: the cinematography, the production values, performances, screenwriting, and directorial ambition. Quite simply, a moving and accomplished film that is not-to-be-missed at VIFF 2013. Monday, October 14th, 4:30pm, The Vancity.
• The Italian Character: The Story of a Great Italian Orchestra. Angelo Bozzolini’s rich and wide-ranging documentary introduces us to the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, employing its principal conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano, as the humane narrator of this dazzling entertainment. Wed., Oct. 16th, 6:30pm, The Vancity.
• From Neurons to Nirvana. We’re also pretty high (so to speak) on Oliver Hockenhull’s entirely captivating film on the effects of ayahuasca, MDMA, LSD and psilocybin, as medications that ought to be in wide (supervised) use, but are not because of the role Big Pharma plays in dictating our health and medication laws. A balanced, richly-illustrated, well-researched feature documentary. Thurs. Oct. 17th, 8:45pm, The Vancity.
• Salmon Confidential. The must-see doc at this year’s Festival for all of us who live in British Columbia, examining the reason why our wild salmon stocks are dwindling, and our fishing industry seems headed towards oblivion. You’ll never buy a farmed salmon again, and you’ll be damned pissed off at Christy Clark’s Liberal government, and have your worst fears about the corrupt nature of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives confirmed. Sunday, October 13th, 6:30pm, SFU Woodwards.

In addition to the titles above, there’s been so much good buzz on Anne Wheeler’s Chi, and Finding Vivian Maier — which many consider to be the best doc in the Festival, that next Tuesday, we’re going to take in a double bill of these two docs, at 6:30pm and 8:15 pm, at The Vancity.

Although VanRamblings’ love for VIFF venue manager Iulia Manolescu has not diminished one iota as the Vancouver International Film Festival has moved out into the community in 2013, and Iulia has assumed an overdue VIFF management role of prominence, at this year’s Festival — and, in a galaxy of film festival venue managers whose humanity and organizational élan knows no equal (we’re talking about you, Sean and Nancy), there has emerged this year a ‘new’ VIFF venue manager possessed of an uncommon humanity, transcendent organizational skills, an individual whose exemplary social skills and humane ability to connect with whomever she comes into contact — has emerged in 2013 as an inspiration and welcome gift to this year’s edition of our annual film festival by the sea.
Jelena Popovich, pictured above, is the shining star of this year’s film festival venue managers, a lovely, lovely woman who has gained the respect of the grateful volunteers with whom she has worked each day, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of VIFF patrons who throughout the Festival have sought her angelic intervention in respect of a passing quandary of momentary significance — Jelena, who day in, day out left joy in her wake in every engagement with VIFF staff, volunteers and patrons.
Today, VanRamblings pays tribute to Jelena Popovich, the young woman who may very well become her very own deity within VIFF venue management in the years to come. Jelena — thank you for employing your singular and transcendent organizational skills at this year’s Festival, and for your beneficent ability to transform all that is occurring around you.

At the 32nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival, the venue managers at each of the seven sites emerged as the beating heart of this year’s Festival, the individuals who transformed what might have been chaos into a tremendously welcoming experience for film festival patrons, who brought a strength of purpose and uncommon humanity to the task set for them by film festival administration — create the best possible experience for the tens of thousands of VIFF patrons standing in the line-ups outside the theatre awaiting entrance to the cinema for the next screening, while establishing a process for theatre ingress and egress from each VIFF screening that would be welcoming on the way in, and “sad to see you go, but we look forward to seeing you again soon” on the way out.
And, who are these venue managers of whom we write? There’s …

• Sean Wilson, the entirely magnificent, heartful showman of the 32nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival, who connected like mad with VIFF volunteers and patrons, creating the conditions in whichever venue he was assigned for one of the best possible theatrical exhibition experiences this city has ever experienced;
• Teresa Weir, VIFF’s most experienced (and dare we say, best organized) venue manager, who this year also took on the gargantuan task of Exhibitions Assistant (you know, the one who does all the work) to Exhibitions Manager George Mah, who created the conditions not only for a tremendous VIFF patron experience, but allowed George and Festival Director Alan Franey the opportunity to sleep at night, knowing that with Teresa at the helm, our festival was in good hands;
• Nancy Kurek, over at The Rio Theatre, who truth to tell (now, don’t tell anyone) is really, truly THE beating heart of the Festival, a woman of transcendent loveliness who simply by dint of her presence instills a confidence that all will be well, that this night will be the best night of all the myriad film festival evenings you’ve experienced over the years;
• Jenn Tennant and the exquisite Sylvija Dogan, over at VIFF’s SFU Woodwards Goldcorp Theatre venue, who daily created the conditions for a magical and transformative cinematic experience within SFU’s 350-seat lecture-hall-like cinema venue, all the while inspiring the volunteers on each floor of the centre, their presence a balm for harried film-goers, Jenn’s welcoming smile a salve for the soul;
• Stephanie Brogden, perhaps the most warmly mischievous venue manager presence at the 32nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival, and - along with Iulia - the most charming VIFF ‘host’ introducing films, who exhibited a vulnerability and little girl quality that almost broke your heart every time you saw her, an utterly angelic presence, innocent in her presentation of self, tempered by an innate strength, and subtle humility, in her means of connection;
• Rodney Stewart, the calming, zen presence at The Playhouse, The Cinematheque, or whichever of the VIFF venues to which he was assigned for the day, whose stage presence while introducing films was always warm and funny, welcoming and reassuring, whose presence on stage acted as the perfect prelude to the film which would in only moments unspool on screen before us.

We want to make special mention of the two venue managers whose palpable humanity when introducing a festival film transformed the theatre, brought you deeper and further inside the cinematic and human experience than was the case at this or any other film festival of recent years.
In 2013, Iulia Manolescu brought a new-found confidence and naturalness to the introduction of VIFF films, that was all of once serene and funny, welcoming and knowing, reassuring and oh, so humane. No one on VIFF venue management staff connected like Iulia this year when introducing a film, no audience was more attentive than was the case when Iulia skipped down the steps of the Cineplex cinemas to the proscenium in front of the screen to bring us inside her conspiracy of warmth for humanity.
And then there was Stephanie Brodgen, of course, the wholly lovely venue manager at The Centre in Vancouver For Performing Arts, whose quiet and comforting presence in front of the screen in the moments before the film was to begin commanded your attention, who radiated a vulnerability and uncommon humanity, and who was this year the single most charming daily presence at the 32nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival.