Vancouver: At the wrap of the 24th Vancouver International Film Festival, organizer Michael Francis declared to a sold-out Vogue Theatre that ‘this was the most successful festival ever.’

It is estimated that more than 150,000 people attended 500 screenings of over 300 films at the 15-day VIFF. An official head count was not available at press time, but another organizer thinks this year’s number may be down.

VIFF artistic director Alan Franey says the CBC lockout had a ‘huge’ and negative impact on the fest. ‘Their audience is our target audience, and the promotion we get through them has been very valuable in the past,’ he says. ‘This year we didn’t have that media coverage.’

This year’s VIFF faced other challenges. Projection costs for the festival have jumped by $100,000 in five years and Franey had to bring in extra staff and experts to handle sound and picture at screenings.

‘I wish there was one format, consistent around the world,’ he says.

Another expense saw VIFF pay to retrofit the venerable Vogue Theatre with a new screen, only to find out during the final hours of the fest the Vancouver landmark will soon be replaced with a restaurant. This year’s Palme d’Or winner, L’Enfant, was the last film screened there.

Franey believes VIFF may have reached its limit in terms of attendance because of the concentrated festival period, and is looking to year-round programming to reach more people.

‘Vancouver is a true audience festival ‘ he says, crediting VIFF’s success to the rich diversity and cosmopolitan nature of Vancouver.

Leah Mallin and Trish Dolman of local prodco Screen Siren Pictures (Flower & Garnet, The Score) agree. ‘The festival circuit can be a grind… there are so many now,’ notes Mallin. But she feels VIFF is more enjoyable for filmmakers and audiences. ‘This is a captive audience. Filmmakers tend to network more with each other and with audiences.’

Mallin’s film The Score, a musical drama about a scientist whose bout with Huntingdon’s Disease threatens her career, lab and life, hit a high note even before its sold out premiere.

‘Harvey Weinstein’s office called us for a screener before the festival opened, and we are meeting in a few weeks,’ she says. Weinstein has been busy on the festival circuit since his and his brother Bob’s recent departure from Miramax.

Mallin and first-time director Kim Collier are hoping to connect with other U.S. distributors when the film screens at the Puerto Vallarta festival next month.

Local writer/director Julia Kwan (Three Sisters on Moon Lake) hit the mark, too, with her feature debut Eve and the Fire Horse. Saying she only hoped to please her parents, who were seeing one of her films for the first time, she also pleased festival

audiences, winning the most popular Canadian feature award over Jean-Marc Vallée’s festival darling C.R.A.Z.Y.

Other winners: Radu Mihaileanu’s Live and Become (Israel/France) took the People’s Choice Award for most popular international film, while Stefano Rulli of Italy scored best documentary for A Particular Silence.

Sean Garrity’s Lucid won best western Canadian feature; Jamie Travis and his Patterns took the best young Western Canadian director of a short; while Carly Pope won the artistic merit award for The Hamster Cage. Liu Jiayin won the Dragons & Tigers prize, awarded to young filmmakers, for her Ox Hide.

Also notable this year was the launch of the Vancouver International Film Centre, which opened its doors shortly before the fest with screening, conference and office space. ‘We now have a home with options for year-round programming,’ says Franey.

The official opening of the center is in November. Local cinephiles will get a glimpse of future programming in January.

www.viff.org