From a crop of 283 submissions, composed of 80 features and 203 shorts, a lineup of 20 features and 31 shorts were picked to represent Perspective Canada’s 1997 program.

This year’s program will screen six docs, as opposed to five last year, and three more features over last year’s 17. Entries were down slightly from last year’s total of 303 submissions, says programmer David McIntosh.

Including the festival opener, Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter, 11 of Perspective Canada’s feature films hail from Ontario, followed by six from Quebec and one each from British Columbia and Manitoba, as well as an Alberta/b.c. coproduction.

The program opener, The Hanging Garden, was the sole entry from Nova Scotia. According to McIntosh, the last time a film from the province screened at the festival was Michael Donovan’s Paint Cans three years ago.

Another milestone of the 1997 series has been made by Manitoba. This year’s series marks the highest representation of works from the province, with five shorts as well as a feature in the Canadian showcase.

Of the 31 shorts, 18 come from Ontario producers, three from Quebec, two from b.c, one from Alberta, as well as an Ontario/ Quebec and an Ontario/b.c. coproduction.

The 1997 lineup will showcase eight first-time feature filmmakers, while last year 10 newcomers made their debut at Perspective Canada.