The Vancouver International Film Festival has set another box-office record, with ticket sales up for a total of $978,000. (against a $2.5 million budget) This is by far the highest percentage of any major film festival in Canada.

The festival also surpassed the 150,000 attendance mark once again, reached for the first time in 2002. In all there were 572 public screenings for a total of 342 films including 231 features and mid-lengths, of which there were 8 world premieres, 22 international premieres, 38 North American premieres, 59 Canadian premieres and 10 English-Canadian premieres. 2005 will remain in our memory as the year of greatest challenges and most lasting accomplishment. The opening of the Vancouver International Film Centre and Vancity Theatre provided a huge practical and psychological boost to the festival, and undoubtedly helped us set a box-office record. The fact that this was achieved while we were completing construction, moving house, and partially crippled by protracted labour disputes is something of a miracle to us. Particularly missed was the support of the CBC, for which TV and radio services in both French and English were locked out of covering the festival entirely. We're tremendously grateful to all the other members of the media who were invaluable in getting the word out on so many films in so concentrated a time.


PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL FILM
LIVE AND BECOME (Va, vis et deviens), dir. Rahu Mihalieanu (Israel/France)
Runner-up: A/K/A TOMMY CHONG, dir. Josh Gilbert (USA)

Following is a list of the 25 next most popular international films of the Festival, in alphabetical order. These films were all very well attended, substantially voted for, and averaged between 4 and 5 out of 5 (4 being "very good"; 5 being "excellent") in public voting. Please note that Canadian films have their own separate category.

Jessica Sanders' AFTER INNOCENCE (USA); Shonali Bose's AMU (India); Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine's BALLET RUSSES (USA); Mika Kaurismäki's BRASILEIRINHO (Switzerland/Finland/Brazil); Micha Peled's CHINA BLUE (USA); Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani's THE DEVIL'S MINER (Germany/USA); Markku Pölönen's DOG NAIL CLIPPER (Koirankynnen leikkaaja) (Finland); Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary's FAVELA RISING (Brazil/USA); Ismaël Ferroukhi's LE GRAND VOYAGE (Morocco/France); Marcelo Piñyero's THE GRÖNHOLM METHOD (Spain/Argentina/Italy); Roberta Grossman's HOMELAND: FOUR PORTRAITS OF NATIVE ACTION (USA); Lu Chuan's KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL (Kekexili) (China); Shane Black's KISS KISS, BANG BANG (USA); Georges Gachot's MARIA BETHÂNIA: MUSIC IS PERFUME (Switzerland); Fernando Trueba's THE MIRACLE OF CANDEAL (Spain); Gerard Ungerman and Audrey Brohy's THE OIL FACTOR: BEHIND THE WAR ON TERROR (USA); Pete Travis' OMAGH (Ireland/UK); Nacer Khemir's THE PRINCE CONTEMPLATING HIS SOUL (Bab'Aziz) (Tunisia/France); Taggart Siegel's THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN (USA); Adolfo Aristarain's ROMA (Argentina); Eddy Terstall's SIMON (Netherlands); Pamela Yates' STATE OF FEAR (USA); Rupert Murray's UNKNOWN WHITE MALE (U.K.); Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti's VIVA CUBA (Cuba); and Eugene Jarecki's WHY WE FIGHT (USA).

FEDERAL EXPRESS AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR CANADIAN FEATURE FILM

EVE & THE FIRE HORSE, dir. Julia Kwan (British Columbia)
Runner-up: C.R.A.Z.Y., dir. Jean-Marc Vallée (Quebec)

Also among the most popular Canadian features, in order of voting: Barbara Willis Sweete's FIVE DAYS IN SEPTEMBER (Ontario); Deepa Mehta's WATER (Ontario); Sam Dunn, Scot McFayden and Jessica Joy Wise's METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY (Ontario); Aubrey Nealon's A SIMPLE CURVE (British Columbia); Ricardo Trogi's HORLOGE BIOLOGIQUE (Quebec); Bernard Émond's LA NEUVAINE (Quebec); Amnon Buchbinder's WHOLE NEW THING (Nova Scotia); Kim Collier's THE SCORE (British Columbia); David Christensen and Damien Lewis' WAR HOSPITAL (Alberta); Michael Mabbott's THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO (Ontario); Louise Archambault's FAMILIA (Quebec); Sébastien Rose's LIFE WITH MY FATHER (Quebec); Robin Neinstein's SOUVENIR OF CANADA (Ontario); Sean Garrity's LUCID (Manitoba).

DRAGONS AND TIGERS AWARD FOR YOUNG CINEMA ($5,000)
OX HIDE (Niu Pi), dir. Liu Jiayin (China)

Special Citations:
BAMBI © BONE, dir. Shibutani Noriko (Japan)
SHIN SUNG-IL IS LOST (Sin Seongil ui Haengbanf Boolmyeong), dir. Shin Jane (South Korea) THE SILENT HOLY STONES (Lhing vjags kyi ma ni rdo vbum), dir. Wanma-caidan (Tibet)

NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AWARD

A PARTICULAR SILENCE (Un Silenzio particolare), dir. Stefano Rulli (Italy)
CITYTV WESTERN CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD ($12,000)
LUCID, dir. Sean Garrity (Manitoba)
BRAVO!FACT AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG WESTERN CANADIAN DIRECTOR OF A SHORT FILM ($5,000)

Jamie Travis for PATTERNS (British Columbia)
WOMEN IN FILM AND VIDEO VANCOUVER ARTISTIC MERIT AWARD
Carly Pope for THE HAMSTER CAGE