After screening a total of 47 films, the four-day Whistler Film Festival wrapped Dec. 9, with director Nathaniel Geary’s feature On the Corner, about young siblings trying to survive Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, winning best Canadian film.

The people’s choice award for best film went to Ivan Hughes’ In the Shadow of the Chief, a documentary about the first climbers to reach the top of the Stawamus Chief Mountain in 1961.

Best documentary went to Baghdad or Bust, director Matt Frame’s first feature-length doc. It captures diverse global reactions to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and takes viewers to locations such as the Canadian Arctic, Turkey, Israel and Washington.

B.C. filmmaker, Kevin Shortt won the people’s choice best short award for The Watchers. Jacqueline Samuda, also from B.C., was the runner-up for her 50 Questions.

Women’s film festival wraps

The 2003 Female Eye Film Festival took place in Toronto Nov. 20-23, showcasing 87 features, shorts and documentaries from women filmmakers.

Best feature film went to writer/director Deborah Kampmeier’s Virgin Drama. The U.S. film, starring Robin Wright Penn and Elisabeth Moss, made its Canadian premiere at the festival.

Best debut feature went to British filmmaker Sarah Gavron’s This Little Life, about a mother dealing with her extremely premature baby.

American filmmaker Nancy Deren’s Home won best short film and Christine Kelley, also from the U.S., won best debut filmmaker for her romantic farce White Blossom. Best experimental film went to the Korean film I Wish, On TV directed by Yoon Jung Lee and best documentary went to Laurel Chiten’s Touched.

Canadian doc wins in NYC

Canadian journalist Martin Himel won for best international documentary at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, which wrapped Nov. 11. Himel wrote, directed and produced Confrontation at Concordia, a documentary about the September 2002 student uprising at the Montreal university, surrounding a canceled talk by former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Himel, who has covered the Mideast for more than 20 years, produced the doc for Global Television.

Calling all kids

The seventh annual Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children is accepting submissions to its Jump Cuts: Young Filmmakers Showcase until March 12, 2004. Finalists will be accepted in three categories: grades three to six, seven to nine, and 10 to OAC. Selected films will be screened during the festival and one winning film from each age group will be chosen.

Yorkton calls for shorts

The 57th Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival has announced its call for submissions and will be accepting entries until Feb. 15. The festival takes place in Yorkton, SK May 27-30, 2004.

In other Prairie festival news, the NSI FilmExchange reports passes to its five-day festival, beginning March 2, 2004 in Winnipeg, are currently on sale. New to the festival this year is a $10,000 award for emerging filmmakers.