Vancouver: At press time, the 22nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival was several days from wrapping up. However, organizers expect this year’s attendance and box office to surpass last year’s tally of 150,000 movie-goers.

The accompanying 18th Annual Film & Television Trade Forum, however, wrapped four days of panels on Sept. 27 and saw attendance improve 8% over the previous year.

Held at UBC Robson Square, the Trade Forum included a discussion with comic book legend Stan Lee and a series of panels on writing for the screen and finance.

‘It is very gratifying to see our industry benefit from the wealth of expertise represented on our panels,’ says Trade Forum producer Melanie Friesen.

The always-popular New Filmmakers’ Day again drew standing-room-only crowds, says Friesen.

Meanwhile, Chinese feature Uniform, by director Diao Yinan, won the annual $5,000 Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema. Uniform tells the story of a tailor who impersonates a cop.

The Dragons & Tigers judges presented special jury citations to director Gan Xiao’er for his film The Only Sons, about life in a Chinese village, and to director Chugoku Shoichi for his film 815, an analysis of contemporary Japan.

VIFF wrapped Oct. 10. Award winners and other news will be included in the next issue of Playback.

-www.viff.org