Halifax: Take away the red carpets, the American stars, the super-model wannabes. Ditch the roped-off vip sections and the sell-your-soul-to-get-there parties. Deflate the media-induced sensationalism and the egos of the Toronto International Film Festival. Next, hop a two-hour flight to Halifax – and presto, you’ve uncovered the very down-to-earth, film-based, community-centred 19th Atlantic Film Festival.

Anchored at the newly renovated Lord Nelson Hotel, this year’s aff surpassed last year’s total ticket sales in the first three days with an unprecedented 19 sold-out screenings and events (at press time, the box office numbers were not yet confirmed).

Upon my arrival, the festival was abuzz from the Strategic Partners program that had just passed, the Industry Series that had just begun and some of the films – particularly the Atlantic ones such as The Divine Ryans and New Waterford Girl – that had already screened.

The Strategic Partners program, in its second year running, which this year brought the Nordic countries to Canada, was a huge success.

‘There was a really dynamic interaction between the Canadians and the Nordics. It was a good match, a notch up from last year,’ said Ralph Holt, Telefilm Canada’s director of operations for the Atlantic Region.

The program proved to be particularly fruitful for Michael Volpe of Halifax’s Topsail Entertainment, whose feature copro with Larry LeClare of SeaHorse Films (p.e.i.), Born Lucky, grabbed the serious attention of an unnamed Danish company for a potential copro/distribution deal. ‘We’ll follow up at mipcom,’ says Volpe.

‘But these deals can take a couple of years to come to fruition,’ says Chris Zimmer of ImX, whose film Divine Ryans premiered at the aff because, he says, ‘Toronto chose to have only one Atlantic film in its Canadian program.’ All of Canada will get to see Divine Ryans, however, when Red Sky Entertainment releases it theatrically across Canada this month.

As expected, the Industry Series entitled ‘What’s the Buzz? Tell Me What’s-a-Happening’ was the hottest ticket of the series. Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada, it was hosted by Collideascope’s Steve Comeau and featured The Blair Witch Project producers Gregg Hale and Robin Cowie, as well as Paul Gratton of Space: The Imagination Station and Bravo!

The conversation centred on the marketing genius behind the $150-million-grossing Witch mockumentary and essentially how filmmakers can use tv to hype their films. Hale and Cowie, who were making their first appearance at a Canadian film festival simply because, Hale said, ‘they invited us to come,’ arrived in New Brunswick a week earlier to scout out potential locations for their film’s prequel. They were also looking around in Halifax.

Although no big foreign stars were about – with the exception of Elizabeth Hurley and Sean Penn, who were nearby shooting The Weight of Water – many a Canadian celeb partook in the festivities, including Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald, Wayne Johnston, Roger Frappier, Laurie Brown, Thom Fitzgerald and Shawn Alex Thompson.

tvontario head of documentaries Rudy Buttignol was also on hand for two days, arriving just in time for his appearance at the Academy Lunch Conversation, hosted by Atlantic producer and festival cochair Bill Niven and guest starring Hollywood producer Janet Yang. ‘[The Academy] is concentrating on membership in the east to match the growth of activity out here [in the Maritimes],’ said Buttignol.

Putting his tvo hat on, he added: ‘In many ways, festivals are more important than markets for us. Filmmakers gear themselves to premier their stuff at the festivals….At the markets, one-offs get lost.’

Buttignol was also around to toast the four recipients of the new Emerging Filmmakers Program, a Telefilm Canada initiative unique to the Atlantic region that offers $15,000 (representing no more than 49% of the budget) toward production or post completion of new works. A jury of four professionals from each of the Maritime provinces chose the following from 12 applications: Lois Brown (St. John’s) for The Bingo Robbers; Andrea Dorfman (Halifax) for Parsley Days; Michael Greer (Halifax) for Son to Son; and Ann Verrall (Halifax) for Rain. All were present, along with Ralph Holt.

Although the program is in its first year, the $60,000 awarded to these emerging filmmakers is not a new investment. In the past, it was more of a first-come, first-served situation. ‘And because of that, Halifax filmmakers had a better edge. We wanted the others to have a fair crack,’ says Holt.

The following are the winners of the Atlantic Film Festival Awards held at the World Trade Convention Centre in Halifax on Saturday, Sept. 25:

Best Canadian Feature ($2,500): Alan Moyle, New Waterford Girl;

Best Canadian Short ($1,000): Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, When the Day Breaks;

Margaret Perry Award for Best Nova Scotia Produced Film ($2,000 in cash and $2,000 in film stock): New Waterford Girl, Sienna Films and Imagex;

Best Atlantic Short ($5,000): Joe, David Middleton;

Rex Tasker Award for Best Atlantic Documentary ($1,500): The Moody Brood, Lulu Keating;

Casablanca Sound Prize for Best Direction ($5,000 in services): Full Blast, Rodrigue Jean;

William F. White Ltd. Cinematography Award ($6,000 in equipment and services): Shelter, Russell Gienapp;

ACTRA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role ($500 cash, promotional kit): Jordan Harvey, The Divine Ryans;

ACTRA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role ($500 cash, promotional kit): Jonathan Torrens, Beefcake;

Salter Street Films Atlantic Canadian Writer’s Award ($2,000): Rodrigue Jean and Natalie Loubeyre, Full Blast; and Wayne Johnston, The Divine Ryans;

Linda Joy Most Promising New Director Award ($1,500): Hans Samualson and Lesley McCubbin, Men with Ties;

Best International Feature: Show Me Love, Lukas Moodysson;

Best International Short: Huset pA Kampen; Pjotr Sapegin;

ScreenScene Award for Best Children’s Feature: Dead Aviators, David Wellington;

AFF Craft Award for Art Direction: Jennifer Stewart and Darcy Poultney, Beefcake;

AFF Craft Award for Editing: Glenn Schachowskoj: Over the Top Sports;

AFF Craft Award for Sound Design: Alistair Gray, New Waterford Girl;

AFF Craft Award for Music Composition: John Wesley Chisholm, Mike Diabo and John Roby, Beefcake.

The People’s Choice Award (or audience favorite) announced at the closing gala went to One More Kiss, a dramatic feature out of the u.k., produced by Vadim Jean and Paul Brooks, directed by Jean, written by Suzie Halewood and distributed by The Mob.