Vancouver: The biggest Vancouver International Film Festival to date also made the most money – passing the $1-million mark in revenue for the first time in its 23-year history, thanks in part to a record 537 screenings of 373 films, including seven world premieres.

‘The interesting trend this year was how little we relied on films with Canadian distribution in place,’ says festival director Alan Franey. ‘We were extremely encouraged to find that audiences responded well to an uncompromising lineup of often quite challenging fare. Political documentaries, Canadian films, unheralded premieres and specialized titles sold the bulk of our tickets.’

Overall attendance reached 150,000 for the third year in a row. The 16-day fete wrapped Oct. 8.

On the awards front, the AGF People’s Choice Award for most popular international film went to Chilean film Machuca, directed by Andres Wood, which tells a semi-autobiographical tale of Chile’s 1973 coup as seen through the eyes of two 11-year-old boys.

The Federal Express Award for most popular Canadian feature film was a tie between two documentaries: the buzz-maker What Remains of Us by Francois Prevost and Hugo Latulippe, about the Dalai Lama and his secret message to the people of Tibet, and B.C.’s Being Caribou by Leanne Allison and Diana Wilson, which reveals the threat posed by American oil and gas drilling on northern wildlife.

In the juried categories, the National Film Board Award for best documentary feature went to In the Realms of the Unreal, a U.S. film about artist Henry Darger. Japan’s The Soup, One Morning won the $5,000 Dragons & Tigers Award for young East Asian cinema, while the $12,000 Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award went to the ‘hustler flick in the classic noir tradition’ Seven Times Lucky from Gary Yates.

The $5,000 Keystone Award for best young Western Canadian director of a short film went to Jennifer Calvert, who directed Riverburn, about adolescent alienation and sexual awakening. Joely Collins picked up the Women in Film & Video Vancouver’s Artistic Merit Award for her performance in The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess.

Meanwhile, VIFF’s 19th Annual Film & Television Trade Forum wrapped four days Sept. 25 with the popular New Filmmakers’ Day. The trade event attracted 1,000 delegates this year.

‘Although B.C.’s filmmaking community is facing some of the toughest market conditions yet, there is renewed focus and commitment in our talent pool – especially when it comes to staying on top of the business trends driving the industry,’ says Trade Forum producer Melanie Friesen.

The 24th VIFF will run Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, 2005, and will be headquartered in the new Vancouver International Film Centre with its own 175-seat theater.

-www.viff.org