Closing Gala Awards Highlight Of The Night

After having had the opportunity to listen to three of the Mavericks Filmmakers talk about the Art of Directing during the morning Industry Panel presentation yesterday, it was all the more exciting to see one of them win CIFF's top prize at the Closing Gala last night.

Writer and Critic Geoff Pevere, Head Juror of the Mavericks series, spoke of the attributes this award celebrates, prior to naming the winning director and film.

"Freshness of vision and creation of its' cinematic language, for vitality of its' expression and the reward it offers to viewers who rise to its' challenges; embodying the spirit of fearless originality and trailblazing optimism, it defines the essence of the Maverick spirit. The inaugural 2009 Mavericks Award goes to Chris Chong Chan Fui for Karaoke."

Production Still from Karaoke

The filmmaker, was speechless when he accepted the award, consisting of a trophy and a cheque for $25,000 - the largest prize of its kind from a Canadian Film Festival.

Chris Chong with CIFF's Trevor Smith and Jacqueline Dupuis

Chong says he completed Karaoke in about 5-months, although he had been thinking about making the movie for a couple of years. During the industry panel discussion the writer/director said the subtext of his film is deception. Chong used his actors much like props and felt they were one of the least significant aspects of the production, noting he left them in the dark about the vision he had for the film. The director added he only needed professional actors so they would be on time and not talk on set.

Although Chong said he was very regimented when making the film - carefully plotting each scene on an excel spreadsheet and following a distinct three act structure - fellow Mavericks filmmaker Nicolas Perada (Juntos) said the Karaoke director was probably the only one who viewed his film this way, noting it had a very loose style.

The Borneo-born, and sometime Torontonian, filmmaker has previously won two of TIFF’s Canadian short-film prizes. Karaoke was also selected for the 2009 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight (which is rare for a first-time feature film to show at Cannes) after having been selected exclusively for the script clinic at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival.

The Best Of Alberta (Shorts) Award was also presented at the Closing Gala to Calgary-based Writer/Actor/Director Karen Hines for A Tax On Pochsy, the latest installment in the series featuring Hines as the amusing character Pochsy, with the distinct style of a silent film star.

Karen Hines accepts her award from NFB's David Christensen

A Tax On Pochsy is a romp which tackles serious issues like pollution and child labour with a witty, whimsical delivery by the delightfully funny Pochsy whom, it seems, is developing a cult-status in Canadian cinema as Hines alter-ego.

Production Still from A Tax On Pochsy

CIFF named High Life the Best Canadian Feature film (Gary Yates, Writer/Director). It's an outrageous comedy about a motley crew of petty criminal morphine addicts who decide to step up their game with a bank heist. (Not your average Canadian stoner movie.) The hilarious antics of these Pulp Fiction-esque characters, set to a 70's soundtrack featuring classic rockers April Wine, make this a nostalgic bit of Canadiana, even if the filmmaker tries to pass off the location as anywhere USA.

Other winners announced were:

• Can Go Through Skin, Special Mention New Voices in Fiction
• Katalin Varga, Best International Feature
• 45365, Special Mention: New Voices In Documentary
• Tibet Song, Best Documentary Feature
• Dans Macabre, Programming Selection
  Outstanding Achievement
• 12 Notes Down, Best Documentary Short

(Diane Bennett is covering Events, Headliners & Music on Film)