Two Quebec filmmakers came out on top at the Slamdance festival, which saluted Alexandre Franchi’s thriller The Wild Hunt and Charles-Olivier Michaud’s war drama Snow and Ashes at the close of the Utah fete on Thursday.

Michaud received the grand jury award for best narrative film for his debut feature, about a war correspondent who wakes up from a coma and sets out to recall events at an armed conflict in eastern Europe. It stars Rhys Coiro (Entourage, 24) and Lina Roessler (I’m Not There).

The prize was a ‘big shock,’ says the Montreal-based director, noting that the film was just completed in November.

‘Nobody had seen the film so it was very nerve-wracking,’ he tells Playback Daily from Park City, adding that the honor is a ‘great push’ for the film, which saw talks with potential buyers pick up after the win.

Franchi’s Wild Hunt — which has already collected accolades including a mention in Canada’s Top Ten for 2009 and a Canadian first feature film prize at TIFF — nabbed Slamdance’s audience trophy for best narrative film.

Wild Hunt follows a young man who crashes a medieval re-enactment game to win his girlfriend back from a charismatic suitor, and stars Mark A. Krupa (The Last Templar) and Ricky Mabe (The Trotsky). It will be released in Canada in April through TVA Films.

Franchi says Sundance programmers and jury members told him they were ‘overwhelmed’ by the public’s reaction to the film. ‘We hope that this will land us a good U.S. distribution deal,’ he adds.

Slamdance received a record 5,000 submissions for this year’s edition, which screened 91 films.