Mike Stasko’s Vampire Zombies… From Space! has taken the prize for Best Canadian Feature at this year’s Victoria Film Festival.

The film (pictured), produced by Theodore Bezaire, Gerry Lattmann and Stasko, follows residents of a small town teaming up to stop Dracula.

The project from Toronto-based prodco The Dot Film Company stars Jessica Antovski, Rashaun Baldeo, Andrew Bea, Oliver Georgiou, Craig Gloster and Simon Reynolds.

Meanwhile, Wallop Film’s The Chef and the Daruma took home the $1,000 prize for Best First Canadian Feature.

Directed by Mads K. Baekkevold, the Vancouver-shot documentary (pictured) follows the famous Japanese-born chef Hidekazu Tojo. The film previously won in the Insights category at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Neil Diamond and Joanne Robinson’s So Surreal: Behind the Masks (Rezolution Pictures) won the $1,000 Cultural Currents Award. The documentary follows Diamond as he uncovers what happened to many ceremonial masks from the Yup’ik, Kwakwaka’wakw and other Indigenous peoples.

In addition, Darrell Dennis’ Sweet Summer Pow Wow, which made its world premiere at the festival, won the Audience Favourite Feature award.

The Indigenous-led coming-of-age romance is produced by Cowichan filmmaker and producer Harold C. Joe and Leslie D. Bland of Orca Cove Media. It stars Tatyana Rose Baptiste and Joshua Odjick, Graham Greene, Tanis Parenteau, Lisa C. Ravensbergen and Joel Montgrand.

Amanda Strong’s animated Inkwo for When the Starving Return took home the $500 Best Short prize. The 18-minute short follows a gender-shifting warrior who uses medicine to defend against an army of monsters. Strong co-wrote the short with Bracken Hanuse Corlett and Richard Van Camp, and co-produced with Maral Mohammadian and Nina Werewka. The project also features the voice of Tantoo Cardinal.

Inkwo was previously named one of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Canada’s Top Ten shorts of 2024.

The 31st edition of the festival ran from Feb. 7 to 16.

Image courtesy of The Dot Film Company