It was hockey night in Vancouver Saturday as the Canucks kicked off their home opener with a big win against the Oilers at Rogers Arena, and a few blocks away at the Vancouver Playhouse a movie about a hockey mad talk show host celebrated a big win at the Vancouver International Film Festival’s first ever B.C. Spotlight Awards.
The debut award for Best B.C. Film went to The Dick Knost Show -- Bruce Sweeney’s new comedy about an abrasive talk show host who thinks concussions are comedy fodder until he sustains one himself. Tom Scholte, who plays the title character, accepted the award on behalf of Sweeney in front of an audience gathered for the awards presentation and the BC Spotlight gala screening of Down River.
Knost also stars Gabrielle Rose, Paul Skrudland, Jillian Fargey, Tom Butler, Qelsey Zeeper and Alexandra Staseson.
A statement from the jury praised the film’s storytelling, performances and overall execution. The award consists of a $10,000 development bursary from Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund and $10,000 in post-production services credit from Finale Editworks.
The Dick Knost show has two remaining screenings -- Oct. 09 at 1 p.m. at SFU Woodwards, and Oct. 11 at 9:15 p.m. at The Cinematheque.
Honourable mention went to Terry Miles' movie Cinemanovels, which has one screening left -- Oct 10 at 1:15 pm at SFU Woodwards.
The BC Emerging Filmmaker Award went to Matthew Kowalchuk for his comedy Lawrence and Holloman.
In an acceptance speech peppered with “wows”, the first-time director offered a special thanks to playwright Morris Panych, who wrote the script the film was adapted from. Panych, a longtime fixture of the Vancouver theatre scene who now lives in Toronto, is a two-time Governor General’s Award winner.
Kowalchuk received a $7,500 cash prize courtesy of UBCP, ACTRA and AFBS and $10,000 equipment rental credit from William F. White.
Ben Cotton plays Lawrence, and Daniel Arnold -- who produced and adapted the screenplay with Kowalchuk -- plays Holloman. The movie has one remaining screening Oct 09 at 3:45 pm at SFU Woodwards
The jury gave an honourable mention to Ben Ratner, writer-director of Down River -- a movie inspired by the life and death of beloved Vancouver actress Babz Chula, starring Helen Shaver. Ratner took the stage to introduce his film, thanked everyone and finished his intro by channeling Chula. “Once again Babz Chula has brought us together," he said. "It was always Babz who brought this community together and kept us together... And I just know that if she was here she’d be very happy, she’d be very proud and at this point she’d tell me alright Benny, enough already just get off the stage and show the film.”
Down River screens again at the Rio Wednesday, October 9 at 4:30.
Speaking to the Sun just after the awards ceremony, the Canadian Images Programmer told the Sun he hoped that screening Down River as the BC Spotlight Gala would offer the film and theatre community some degree of closure around Chula’s passing (she succumbed to a collection of cancers on May 7, 2010).
VIFF’s inaugural Must See BC “Most Anticipated Film of the Festival” was the made-in-BC improv comedy, Leap 4 Your Life. The social media campaign logged 10,000 unique visitors. The winner of the most #mustseeBC votes is featured at a special Must See BC Audience Red Carpet screening Saturday, Oct 12 at the Vancity Theatre.
The BC Spotlight jury also made special mention of Salmon Confidential -- Twyla Roscovich's documentary chronicling the battles of BC activist Alexandra Morton. Salmon Confidential is available online and free - legally --at salmonconfidential.ca.
Said McEvoy, “I fully agree with the jury that if ever there was a must see BC film, this would be it."
VIFF executive director VIFF Jacqueline Dupuis told the audience the two closest contenders for Most Anticipated status were Lawrence & Holloman and Salmon Confidential.
The awards ceremony was hosted by ET Canada’s Erin Cebula who kicked off the night by declaring that VIFF gets “bigger and badder and braver every year.”
The jurors were veteran TV director Gary Harvey, actress Camille Sullivan and former actress and former Sun Arts Editor turned publisher Maggie Langrick.
For tickets and info visit viff.org.
