VIFF Announces Audience Award Winners

Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has announced the winners of this year's Audience Awards, following the successful close of the 43rd edition on Sunday, October 6. The awards recognize fan favourites across the nine film sections, with winners selected by more than 41,000 ballots cast throughout the 11 days of the festival. Over 95,000 attendees engaged with VIFF's many sold-out screenings, live shows, and events.

New this year, Letterboxd will provide the Audience Award winners of the Vanguard and Northern Lights sections with marketing campaigns on their platform valued at $10,000CAD. This new partnership is founded in a shared belief that an essential part of cinema-going is championing the films that inspire you. Through these marketing campaigns, audiences in other regions will discover films that resonated with Vancouver audiences. 

“This year's festival served to underline VIFF's position as the home of film in Western Canada. The festival showcased a vast and varied lineup of incredible talent who help make this country a vibrant cultural landscape,” says Executive Director Kyle Fostner. “We are deeply thankful to our audiences, artists, industry peers, and the many community partners who support us for making the 2024 festival the most successful VIFF in many years. We are so deeply moved by the passion of film lovers in this city, and honoured to share the cinematic experience with so many.” 

Board Chair Am Johal adds: “The resounding success of this year's VIFF is a testament to all of the hard-working individuals behind the scenes, from the incredible VIFF staff to the dedicated volunteers. And of course, VIFF would not be such a standout event without all of the filmgoers who take the time to gather together in-cinema in celebration of our dynamic film community.” 

David Larkin, Head of Business and Partnerships at Letterboxd, says: “At Letterboxd, our mission is to help film fans discover films they might love. So we're delighted to support Christopher Auchter's The Stand and Lofti Achor's Red Path, outstanding films that were chosen by the fans, and bring them to the attention of the widest possible new audiences.”
 

VIFF AUDIENCE AWARDS

Galas & Special Presentations
I'm Still Here, dir. Walter Salles 

Showcase
No Other Land, dirs. Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor 

Panorama
Angela's Shadow, dir. Jules Arita Koostachin 

Vanguard
Red Path, dir. Lotfi Achour 
Recipient of a $10,000CAD Letterboxd marketing campaign

Northern Lights
The Stand, dir. Christopher Auchter
Recipient of a $10,000CAD Letterboxd marketing campaign

Insights
The Chef & the Daruma, dir. Mads K. Baekkevold

Spectrum
Grand Theft Hamlet, dirs. Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane 

Portraits
Luther: Never Too Much, dir. Dawn Porter

Altered States
40 Acres, dir. R.T. Thorne

Visit viff.org for all of this year's award winners or for information about year-round programming.    

About VIFF | viff.org

Beyond film exhibitions, VIFF strives to engage and empower communities, encourage dialogue and champion local artists. With decades of experience and an unwavering commitment to creating exceptional programs, VIFF has transformed into a highly esteemed annual festival and a premier arthouse cinema.

Founded in 1982, the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society is a not-for-profit cultural society and federally registered charitable organization that operates the internationally acclaimed Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and the year-round programming at the VIFF Centre. All year, VIFF produces screenings, talks, conferences and events that act as a catalyst for the community to discover the creativity and craft of storytelling on screen. 

VIFF is presented on the traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil‑Waututh) Nations