The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) presented by American Express is pleased to announce the recipients of the juried and audience awards for the 2007 edition of the Festival. The Festival officially closed on Sunday, September 30, 2007.
The recipients of the following juried awards were announced at the Avenue Magazine Closing Gala on Saturday, September 29, 2007:
• The Citytv Award for Best Canadian Feature was awarded to Clément Virgo for his sixth feature POOR BOY’S GAME. Featuring Danny Glover, Rossif Sutherland, Tonya Lee Williams and Flex Alexander, POOR BOY’S GAME is an exploration of the futility of vengeance and the potency of forgiveness in a story about race and class through the sport of boxing.
• The inaugural Movie Central Best International Feature Film was presented to NEVER ON A SUNDAY / MORIRSE EN DOMINGO by Mexican filmmaker Daniel Gruener. A black comedy based on actual events in screenwriter Antonio Armonia’s life, NEVER ON A SUNDAY exposes the day-to-day corruption that is rampant in Mexico City through bizarre and hilarious situations.
• The National Film Board Best Documentary was presented to DRIVEN BY DREAMS / À FORCE DE RÊVES by filmmaker Serge Giguère. DRIVEN BY DREAMS provides a snapshot of a handful of individuals aged 72 through 94 in rural Quebec; ordinary individuals who because of their energy have done extraordinary things.
• The Movieola Best Short Film was presented to MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI by Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI is a stunning, stop-motion animated film that takes the viewer on an exhilarating existential journey with Madame Tutli-Putli who boards the night train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past.
• CIFF's Best International Documentary was awarded to OUT OF TIME / AUS DER ZEIT by Austrian director Harald Friedl. The film examines the passing of time and the impact of "big box" retail on small and specialized mom-and-pop shops in Vienna as they struggle to stay open.
The following juried awards were announced at special presentations during the Festival:
• The Joe Media Alberta Centennial Award (ACA) celebrating the best new Alberta short film was presented to Cam Christensen for I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE. Christensen’s 6-minute short features animation set to the musical talents of Kris Demeanor. The ACAs were awarded at a special screening presentation on Sunday, September 23, 2007 at the Uptown Stage and Screen.
• The inaugural Youth by Youth Cinema (YYC) Filmmaking Competition award was presented to Andrew Gillingham for his short narrative film MR. POSTMAN and to Cheyanne Saddleback, Charise Bates, James Morgan and Ranjene Mazumdar for the short documentary, THE UPRISING. The YYC awards were presented at a special screening presentation on Saturday, September 22, 2007 at The Plaza.
The recipient of the American Express People’s Choice Award was made official Tuesday after online voting at www.calgaryfilm.com closed at 11:59pm (MST) on Monday, October 1, 2007. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Calgary filmmaker Mike McKeown is the winner of the inaugural American Express People’s Choice Award. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, a verité style documentary, follows the story of the Walker brothers and the evolution of Rock Paper Scissors into a legitimate sport of skill and strategy, worthy of training and competition.
An honorable mention was made to filmmaker Michael Damian for MOONDANCE ALEXANDER for Best Family Feature Film. Filmed in the velvet-green pastures, and big blue-sky foothills of Okotoks and High River, Alberta, MOONDANCE ALEXANDER is a classic, uplifting tale of a teenaged girl and the horse she loves.
