VANCOUVER: The West Coast film community dusted off its tuxes and glittery gowns for the May 11-12 Leo Awards, the one event each year that brings the local production community together in celebration. About 500 people attended the first night, while 700 people turned up for the gala.

Overall, the glory was well distributed. Thirty-four titles walked away with hardware.

In the dramatic series category, local favorite DaVinci’s Inquest won four Leos including best series, best male and female performers (for lead Nicholas Campbell and guest star Deanne Henry) and best screenwriter, where two DaVinci’s scripts tied for the honor.

Sci-fi series Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda also earned four Leos – best sound, cinematography, visual effects and score.

Lunch With Charles and Suspicious River, polar opposites in tone and style, each won three Leos in the best feature film category. Michael Parker won best writing and directing honor for Charles, which also captured the prize for best musical score. Suspicious River, meanwhile, won for cinematography, male performance (Callum Keith Rennie) and best overall feature.

Big Sound, BC’s first sitcom, came out on top of the bizarrely eclectic music, comedy or variety category. Lead Deanna Milligan won as best performer in the category (against, among others, contemporary dancer Alvin Erasga Tolentino in the dance short Sola). Big Sound also won for best score and best overall production in the category.

New filmmaker Erik Paulsson scored as best director in the documentary category for leprosy story Island of Shadows, which also won two other Leos for editing and sound.

Filmmaker Moira Simpson was the big winner in the youth and children’s category, taking home honors for writing and directing Flipping the World: Drugs through a Blue Lens. The NFB special also won best overall production for the category.

Autobiographical When I Was Seven earned Jessica Bradford best-of honors for direction and overall production of a short film. Seven won a third Leo for sound.

Meanwhile, the information series category was swept by Storm Warning with best director, best screenwriting and best overall production.

Among the other notable awards, Aaagh! It’s the Mr. Hell Show won a single Leo for best animated series, child actor Alexandra Purvis of Marine Life beat Genie-winner Helen Shaver (We All Fall Down) and Molly Parker (Suspicious River) as the best actress in a feature film, and CBC’s Canada Now won a Leo as best news package.

There was some controversy in the proceedings, however, stemming from the issue of eligibility.

Program nominees are eligible if they are owned and/or controlled by British Columbians and satisfy Canadian content rules, which is why The Outer Limits can enter the best dramatic series competition. (It won individual awards for editing and direction.) Local producer Brent Karl Clackson controls Outer Limits, and therefore the program qualifies for Leo Awards, even though it is owned by U.S.-based MGM.

That’s also why Andy Thompson – now a producer with Alliance Atlantis in Toronto and not a B.C. resident – can accept a Leo as the only credited producer of best information series Storm Warning. In fact, Vancouver-based producer David Gullason oversees the show’s making, and therefore, the program is eligible. However, from the point of view of Storm Warning’s competitors, Gullason should have been listed as a producer to ensure British Columbians are rewarded for every award.

Meanwhile, a broad interpretation of the current rules for individual nominations could make for some interesting possibilities next year.

Individual nominees are eligible if they are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants and maintain a residency in B.C. (though they might not live here). That definition of eligibility allows Toronto actor Nicholas Campbell of DaVinci’s Inquest to win in the drama category because he owns property in B.C.

That also allows Eric McCormack from Los Angeles-based Will and Grace to be nominated as best actor for the feature film Here’s to Life – he maintains a residence in Victoria. And if he had wanted to, McCormack would have been able to enter as best actor in a music, comedy or variety program for his performance as Will on the hit sitcom.

Likewise, if they have a B.C. address in their real estate portfolios, personalities like Pamela Anderson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Carly Pope, Brendan Fehr, James Cameron and other Canadians working in high-profile productions abroad can enter their work for Leo consideration.

-www.leoawards.com